2 keepers
keeper avg .143
With the help of ex-Pumpkin Jimmy Chamberlain the album's obviously Pumpkin-y sounds are of little surprise; he and Billy Corgan were usually the Pumpkins's core as well as the only original members on the two subsequent Pumpkins post-Machina albums. "Lyric" through "Honestly" are a most Pumpkin-y opening set of songs, pleasantly familiar but offering few surprises. On "El Sol" Corgan finally trades in the buzzsaw guitars for a pleasant "1979" strat' twang, which Chamberlain backs with a mellow double-time groove. "Of A Broken Heart"**** evokes the dusky mystery of Gordon Lightfoot's "Sundown," and "Heartsong" is a dreamier "Tonight, Tonight." The album's strong middle section is anchored by the driving "Ride A Black Swan"****, with Corgan adding some complex chord voicings and Chamberlain driving with a syncopated ride cymbal attack. "Endless Summer" is as respectable rocker as any second-tier Boston, but slim pickins follow. The shameless Cars tribute "Baby Let's Rock!" and the listless "Yeah!" are both ironically titled at best, and the siren-y ballad "Desire" seems lost. Which brings us to the album's extravagant centerpiece "Jesus, I"/"Mary Star of the Sea," actually a 4 (or 5) part suite, consisting of:
1. Gish II (Jesus I've taken my cross...)
2. prog breakdown
3. Sonic Youth noodling
4. "Everything Just Feels Like Rain" coda
5. Weezer outro
The first section was probably just what many old fans wanted to hear, but ironically the only part of the 14-minute wankerama this listener needs to hear again is the "Farewall To Kings"-like prog breakdown, where Corgan unleashes with a pretty twisted, key-warping lead. The surprisingly rustic, "1979"-ish "Come With Me" is an enjoyable album-closing palate-cleanser, and the only place I've heard harmonica anywhere near a Pumpkin.
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