Billy Corgan
The Future Embrace

I always find myself in this terrible situation. I always find myself commenting on albums that get trashed by others before me. But in this case, I understand, it can't be denied that in the nineties Billy Corgan and his Smashing Pumpkins were the rulers of the world, they were the point of reference for the hard rock disciples, and that Billy was the embodiment of a black, evil, and unsettling demon who screamed the anger of a generation. But in subsequent years, he left a trail of hearts betrayed and disappointed (even though "Adore" and "Machina" weren't bad in my opinion) to the point that today those same disciples almost hate him. The fact is that the Smashing Pumpkins no longer exist, and it's pointless to talk about them here.

Instead, I want to talk about an intriguing album titled "The Future Embrace," the absolute debut of an American solo artist named Billy Corgan. A more complex record than I expected, certainly not an album for a first listen. Electronics dominate, with sounds, however, never glossy nor trite, sometimes almost redundant and rarefied, I'd say, but all measured with care. The construction of the pieces is uneven, the melodic structure of the songs sometimes climbs on itself in evolutions difficult to follow, and just when you deceive yourself into having understood the sequence, the unexpected chord arrives, the one that cuts the line, and this happens in all the tracks of the album making it inevitably complicated. The same goes for the rhythms, which in every song are completely fragmented with continuous rhythm changes, except for rare exceptions, thus confusing and further articulating the structure of the tracks.

The beginning of the album is decidedly comforting: the opening track "All Things Change" is beautiful (a title that cuts ties with the past?). The second track "Mina Loy M.O.H" is wonderful, the most beautiful track of the album, dark, gloomy, and wicked in perfect dark-electronic style, almost gothic, for long stretches gripping. Along the same lines is the following "The Cameraeye" with a nice synthesized bass loop on which a refined electropop structures itself and then becomes nastier. The quartet closes with the already famous and debated "To Love Somebody," a suggestive duet between two icons Billy Corgan - Robert Smith with a heart-in-throat finale, melancholic and dragged away by Smith's painful and unmistakable guitar.

From here onwards, highs and lows, the fifth and sixth tracks A100 and DIA aren't bad but perhaps poorly arranged. They get lost in too many tunnels, becoming creative labyrinths sometimes without an exit and without sense, but within which moments of full beauty can be grasped.
The seventh track "Now (And Then)" is stunning, a slow and soft electronic ballad with incredibly ethereal and echo-laden sounds, suggesting dances of clouds and air: definitely one of the most beautiful pieces of the album. We return to earth with "I'm ready," which instead is ugly, underwhelming, and pointless. The album recovers well towards the end, with another remarkable quartet here as well. It starts with "Walking Shade," a single that anticipated the release of the album but, in my opinion, is not the most beautiful and representative piece of the album, although it is a nice, pleasant, and engaging piece. "Sorrows in blue" is also beautiful, complex, and poignant with a chorus reminiscent of the musical style in the refrain where the echoing and reproduced voice sings "sorrow." Above average is also "Pretty, Pretty Star," a perfect example of well-done and non-trivial electropop, the verse constructed with the usual harmonic climbing and then down with an apparently docile and sweet chorus but anything but simple. The album closes with "Strayz," a barely whispered song with a splendid text that reveals an unexpectedly humble and sincere Corgan.

In conclusion, a good album, nothing to rave about, but still a good album. I don't agree with the furious criticisms or calls to step aside that have rained down on this artist, who despite everything that is said and has been said over the years, despite his character, wrong choices, egocentrism, or unlikability, the fact remains that he is someone who has written and can still write beautiful songs. Even alone.