"Machina: the Machines of God"
Smashing Pumpkins
Let's face it, Billy Corgan is a genius. You never quite know what to expect
from his shiney bald head except incredible song-writing. Most critics (who
are oh so much higher above us peasant-folk) say this record bites, has no
direction, or doesn't live up to their other albums. I say this thing rocks
better than your annoying Smash Mouth anyday!!! The music tends to mix the
harshness of Siamese Dream, the beauty of Mellon Collie, and
the electronic simplicity of Adore into an eargasm of bliss. When I
first hear "The Everlasting Gaze," I thought of "Zero" (especially the part
with just Billy semi-screaming). But at the chorus, the music changes into a
butterfly fluttering out of a straining field of flowers. It's beauty admist
chaos. The other radio single, "Stand Inside Your Love," is just incredible
with it's roots in the Pumpkin's traditional alt-rock masterpieces. When I
first saw track 7, entitled "Heavy Metal Machine," I thought, "Yeah! This is
gonna be like 'Jellybelly'!" Man, I was wrong. It starts out groove-like but
pours forth a cup of despair and emotion. My personal favorite song, "This
Time," has a "Galapogos" feeling (which happens to be my most favorite
Pumpkin's song ever), but it focuses more on a tranquil rock sound with
fuzzy distortion. "Wound" sounds like the direction that the band would've
taken if Adore was more rock-based. I like it. On Adore, I
almost felt like James Iha wasn't getting his fair-share of playing since
most of the songs were based around the piano, but James gets to play plenty
of those signature solos and rhythms that just tickles my ears. It's also
great to see the return of Jimmy Chamberlin on drums. Unfortunately, D'Arcy
is no longer part of the band, she will be missed. Machina is an
album for true fans.
--Lars
Lars-O-Meter: 8 out of 10
Favorite Song: "This Time"
Record Label: Virgin Records