The Smashing Pumpkins
Shiny And Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 / LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun.

One of the most talked-about (and perhaps even anticipated) reunions of recent years took place last February.

The Smashing Pumpkins have reunited in their (almost) original lineup; James Iha and Jimmy Chamberlin have rejoined the American band, led by the ever-talked-about Billy Corgan. However, the historic bassist D'Arcy is absent, leading to a long and somewhat tiresome trail of controversies and Corgan's decision to take on bass duties, at least in the studio.

After the inevitable "comeback" celebratory tour, it's time for the reunited Pumpkins to offer some new material, a good twenty years since "Adore" saw them together for the last time; the initial plan was to release two EPs with four tracks each, then merge them into what is truly the band's tenth studio album, which is "Shiny And Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 / LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun."

Produced by heavyweight Rick Rubin and recorded at the Shangri Las Studios in Malibu, the new work sonically lands right in the heart of the Pumpkin's world. The post-"Mellon Collie" shift is completely ignored, and they return to an approach where guitar, bass, and drums take the spotlight, as widely anticipated by the two singles that preceded the album: the lead single "Solara" (born during the sessions for "Monuments To An Elegy") represents what the 2007 reunion album ("Zeitgeist") should have been for Corgan; in this sense, Rubin's touch and Iha's resurgent guitar make their presence felt. The track indeed travels along the same coordinates as that album but is enhanced by a much more refined and polished production than back then (courtesy of Roy Thomas Baker).

The second release "Silvery Sometimes (Ghosts)" is a true heart-stopper, a clear demonstration of what Corgan can achieve when he properly channels his enormous melodic talent: a worthy successor to the unforgettable "1979." "Alienation" is the classic "complex" piece that Corgan loves to include in every album, and this time, good Billy is supported by an excellent inspiration.

Unfortunately, the rest of the album, although good, doesn't reach the same levels; there are two slammers like "Marchin' On" and "Seek And You Shall Destroy," where Iha's guitar is the absolute protagonist and where the atmosphere returns to that of the band's early masterpieces (although the writing, while good, is obviously not the same), but there are also a couple of rather unfocused tracks ("Travels" sounds good and brings Zwan to mind, but spins a little too much on itself, "With Sympathy" is catchy pop rock but not fully convincing). The choice to open the album with a braver track like "Knights Of Malta", the only song to recreate a bit of the atmosphere of the best post-Iha works, is commendable.

This "Shiny..." is a good "return" for the American band, clearly far from their best works (now very likely impossible to replicate) but containing a couple of moments that bode well for the second part, expected for 2019.

Best track: "Silvery Sometimes (Ghosts)"