William Patrick Corgan
Cotillions

Billy Corgan has released an Americana album.

Imagine reading this sentence twenty years ago, how much would it have made you smile? Now it almost seems like a natural transition for the now fifty-something William Patrick, who puts his full name back on the cover and follows up on the excellent Ogilala from a couple of years ago.

The new "Cotillions" is a double album with a whopping seventeen tracks, the result of a long journey across the United States. Corgan has changed; he is no longer an elusive artist but is constantly in contact with his fans via social media, and he is always very comfortable in his new role as a father and rediscovered artist. It probably helped that he reconciled with his imposing past, considering the reunion with the Pumpkins went overall well.

Collaborating on this new work are his companion Jeff Schroeder and many local musicians, who contribute to building an absolutely credible record in its genre; Billy allows himself only a few nods to his distant past ("Colosseum" and "Rider" sound irredeemably Pumpkinesque) and recent past (the title track, the only one recalling the piano sound of the previous work), and opens the album with a piece delicately languid as only he knows how ("To Scatter’s One Own").

Country, bluegrass, and western chase each other in an absolutely inspired album, one that exudes sincerity and conveys a sense of peace and artistic freedom that Corgan hasn't expressed in years. There is a lot of live music and little synthetic (perhaps only "Anon" sounds a bit artificial), and the lo-fi attitude of the entire work certainly works in favor of a more than inspired Billy.

A nice comeback, awaiting the new Pumpkins album, expected soon.

Best track: Cotillions