Good morning, Idolator faithful. I’m Paul, but you may know me as brasstax. I’m not a “journalist” or a “critic,” so go ahead and engage your disappointment (or elation) sensors right now. I’ll be here all day. More importantly, though, it’s finally July 10–a huuuge new record release day! More »
Every week, we round up the all-important, all-summarizing last sentences of the biggest new-music reviews. Today’s entry is the Smashing Pumpkins’ Zeitgeist, which comes out tomorrow:
ARTIST: The Smashing PumpkinsTITLE: ZeitgeistWEB DEBUT: June 30, 2007RELEASE DATE: July 10, 2007SOUND QUALITY: 216kbps (VBR)ONE-LISTEN VERDICT: There’s no immediately apparent reason why Billy Corgan’s vocals were recorded in such a way that they sound pancake-flat, but other than that, Zeitgeist… More »
You can find plenty of heated opinions about the Smashing Pumpkins marketing plan over at the message board ateaseweb.com, and this one is our favorite:
The sensational pumpkins and pitchfork can inhale my penis of ten inches! Both.of.them is horrible insults to which it is good in music! Memory to buy one ton of albums of pitchfork and PISSED that aspired. I mean, is perhaps the lost set in the thing of the translation that ignites, but these are not good albums. The Fire Of the Arches? My tea purse is not thankful to him!
Yesterday, the Smashing Pumpkins announced a somewhat-complicated new marketing ploy for Zeitgeist, its first release in seven years: The album will be released in four different versions, with iTunes, Best Buy and Target each getting a different bonus track (for those of you who like to read lots and lots of repetitive text, the full track listings are after the click-through). Pitchfork’s news page interpreted the move as an “eff you” to fans and indie retailers on the part of Corgan:
Billy and company would like you to know that they fully support the extinction of the American independent record store at the hand of large, faceless, little-guy-crushing big boxes. They also support bleeding their fans dry.
ARTIST: The Smashing PumpkinsTITLE: “Doomsday Clock”WEB DEBUT: June 19, 2007RELEASE DATE: July 10, 2007SOUND QUALITY: 198kbpsONE-LISTEN VERDICT: Those of you still worried about last year’s faux-Pumpkins mini-scandal can breathe easy: This track’s opening drum thwacks and snarled vocal lines are… More »
Now that the names of the people subbing for D’Arcy and James Iha in Smashing Pumpkins have been revealed, the scramble for information about them has begun. More »
Last night, the Smashing Pumpkins made its first live appearance in seven years, playing a 29-song set at Paris’ Grand Rex. We didn’t go, but here’s our best guess as to what happened: Billy Corgan repeatedly made his half-smile/half-snarl face; the three new members (Jeff Schroeder, Ginger Reyes and Lisa Harriton) looked slightly terrified; and people got very excited when the band played the first few notes of “Today.” Also, it was 19 hours long, and included such new songs as the acoustic ballad “For God and Country,” which was captured in all of its mid-fi camera-phone glory:
The Smashing Pumpkins – For God and Country [YouTube, via Deaf Indie Elephants]
And, for all you completists out there, the band’s set list is after the click-through. Nothing from The FutureEmbrace, alas.
It took a while for an non-rippy version of “Tarantula” to make the rounds, but here it is, via Deaf Indie Elephants. And, of course, you can also stream it at Spinner. But whatever you do, don’t tell James Iha about the internet! He might find out about this whole “reunion” deal! More »
– The cover for the new Smashing Pumpkins album: One part Al Gore, one part Charlton Heston, and one part Roland Emmerich [Billboard] – The British government is taking steps to extend copyright protection for musicians, meaning that you’ll have to wait until long after Paul McCartney’s dead until… More »
