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THE REVIEW
Since lately on DeBaser, bashing Billy Corgan has become a national sport...
Today my girlfriend left me, 1 to Billy CorganToday my boss pissed me off, 1 to Billy Corgan
Today I'm bored because the soccer match was canceled, 1 to Billy Corgan
Today I'm pissed because I bought the latest by Neck and it's insanely bad, 1 to Billy Corgan
Today my friends ditched me and tonight we are not all going out together, 1 to Billy Corgan
Today emule doesn't work and I can't download the latest from Smashing Pumpkins, 1 to Billy Corgan
...I feel obliged to defend him with notes (hopefully) slightly more objective and politically correct.
First thing: forget (to a large extent) the much-loved folk songs of the SP. Here they are almost absent except for rare (in my view very pleasant) exceptions.
Second thing: forget that the world (particularly the one "managed" by the United States) is a beautiful place to live. The sound of this album, made of heavy guitars and epileptic drums, rarely allows you to think so ("United States", the most "extreme" track of the album, even with echoes of the more violent King Crimson, will make you feel like you're on vacation in Iraq, in the midst of a cheerful bombing).
Third thing: forget that this album is insanely bad (like the one by Neck).
After the fourth/fifth listen, you'll realize it's not like that, and even tracks such as "Doomsday", "Pomp and Circumstances" (so MellonCollie-like and somewhat Mercury Rev-like), "Neverlost", the same "Tarantula" can ultimately be counted among the best things by SP. In short, an anti-Adore (as someone has defined it), or an MCATIS stripped of almost all melancholy and dressed in living flesh and pulsating red blood, as indicated by the color dominating the cover.
Speaking of the cover, I find it so ugly that I really like it a lot.
But those are my problems.
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Summary by Bot
This review defends Billy Corgan amidst criticism, highlighting Zeitgeist's departure from folk melodies towards heavy guitars and energetic drums. Although challenging at first, repeated listens reveal quality tracks reminiscent of the band’s finest work. The album is described as raw and pulsating, with a striking, unconventional cover. It's deemed an intense and politically charged alternative rock experience.Tracklist Lyrics
The Smashing Pumpkins
American alternative rock band formed in Chicago and led by Billy Corgan, famed for 1990s albums such as Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.50 Reviews
Other reviews
By MiciaTigre
This new one is ugly, gaudy, overly produced with five hundred overdubbed guitars, a plastic production that induces nausea.
The pumpkins ended after the release of the beautiful 'Adore', the rest is not Smashing Pumpkins.
By Deviljin
This 'Zeitgeist' is the most inane, monotonous, and fake thing I've listened to in years.
It’s pointless to fill an album with thousands of effects and some guitar licks if the songs aren’t there, don’t exist, and it’s like listening to nothing for over an hour.
By fastfish
Corgan seems to have run out of ideas and wanting to continue being a rocker for who knows what reasons...
Everything seems perfectly polished without particularly salient moments, it’s all a mash of old rock tricks as old as my grandma.
By billyburke
"The beginning is overwhelming, 'Doomsday Clock' grows with each listen, with a dark riff and apocalyptic lyrics."
"'Bleeding the Orchid' is, in my opinion, the masterpiece of the entire album, embodying the soul of the best Smashing Pumpkins."
By Torre Ste
"United States is a sonic punch that raises the quality of this return by one of the groups that marked the '90s."
"The noisy, raw, distorted sound is different from previous albums, disappointing some old fans while trying to find a new audience."
