The Smashing Pumpkins
American Gothic

"American Gothic" is an acoustic EP from 2008, recorded by the Pumpkins during the break between their U.S. and European tours.

We are in the post-Zeitgeist era, an album received coldly by fans and critics that marked the artistic rapprochement between Corgan and Chamberlin. Iha had stayed out of the project by his choice (relations with Corgan had completely broken down after Machina), while D'Arcy, well, was going through a tough personal period (some rare photos show her in poor physical shape) and musically she had never decisively influenced the band's fate...

"The Rose March" immediately shows the strengths and weaknesses of the new production. On one side, a simple yet effective arrangement, less heavy and produced compared to Zeitgeist. On the other hand, Corgan's "new" voice, which for some reason decides to overdo it, filling the piece from the intro with annoying and semantically pointless "la la la" and drawn-out "ooooh." It’s surprising that none of his new companions pointed it out to him; Billy misuses his voice, embellishes it with different timbre choir bits, and ventures into notes that aren't his. A piano or a female second voice would have had better effects, but he decisively focuses on his voice, as peculiar as it is annoying in this case.

"Again, again, again (the Crux)" starts off quickly with a beat akin to Tonight Tonight and can be considered a decent piece, certainly not thrilling. "Pox" maintains roughly the same level as the previous ones but really struggles to make a lasting impression.

"Sunkissed" is, in my opinion, the most successful episode of the EP. A nice intro and a melody that creeps into your head and stays there for a long time. The voice is at times too nasal and prominent, but it's a negligible flaw. The organ background is beautiful, as is the repeated "if I'm gonna live without you." We are not even close to the levels of the '90s, but in lean times even a piece like this can satisfy the appetite of the most sincere fans.