The Smashing Pumpkins

Item: MACHINA / the machines of God
Author: Chad Olson

MACHINA / the machines of God

(2000)

Reviewed by Chad Olson

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Label Virgin RecordsBandoppler2000

alternative rock psychedelic rock

Starting off like a rocket ship for Planet Corgan, the new Pumpkins disc treads in familiar territory (see "Zero" on Mellon Collie…) on opening track and heaviest tune, "The Everlasting Gaze." With vocalist, guitarist, and chief songwriter Billy Corgan singing "You know I'm not dead" over a fuzzbox-laden distortion trip into angst, this composition is bliss for fans of the band's heavier track catalog. The pace does settle in for a somewhat subdued winter's nap on the ensuing "Raindrops + Sunshowers," and for the rest of the disc, which never really matches the intensity found on the album's opener.

With the entire album written by Corgan, first single "Stand Inside Your Love" takes a typical look at the "of course I would, who wouldn't?" love life of someone who longs to be loved by that certain be-all, end-all lover. With much of the album revolving around the theme of loves longed for, hearts broken, and God in different perspectives, the lyrical content is fodder for those hoping for an amendment of subject matter within the singer's writing. While he has perfected his style of prose, it seems a change of pace could be in order.

One exception in lyrical content lies in "Heavy Metal Machine." At first glance, the song seems to be a longing for the hope that rock never dies, and the state of Corgan's vision for a utopian music society: "Heavy metal, heavy metal machine / As sentimental as our broken dreams / Let me die for rock n' roll / Let me die to save my soul / Let me die, let me die, rock n' roll / Let the world forgive the past / Let all the girls kiss the boys at last / Let me go, let me go, rock n' roll." But, in typical Pumpkins fashion, surely there must be some underlying message he's trying to convey. It could be a look at suicide in a Kurt Cobain shape. But, knowing the mind of the maker, it's probably much more dark, hidden and insidious than that.

The God themes within the songs are also up for debate. As on past albums, the band enjoys using God as a metaphor for other things. Corgan has been known to go into esoteric rants on God, drugs, and the like within their stage show. For the first time, one of those speeches is caught in the studio. On the nearly 10 minute epic "Glass and the Ghost Children," during the piano breakdown mid-song, here's the spoken-word exchange: "...Everything I operate on is based upon what I believe God was telling me to do / …I always assumed that the voice that I hear is the voice of God / Then I started thinking, 'What if I'm insane?' / So, I'm operating on the premise that I'm hearing the voice of God, and what I perceive God to be speaking to me or through me / …And maybe I'm this totally insane creature who believes that he's acting upon kind of heavenly intuitions, but meanwhile he's totally rampant / And I started thinking maybe this is the cause of all the negativity…" It almost seems to be a conversation Corgan had with a therapist during a session. Whatever the thought process and reasoning behind the lyrical inspiration, you surely want to tap into his bald head for some insight.

While there are these exceptions, in some ways MACHINA is a return to what made the band so appealing to the commercial masses in the first place. After the somewhat disappointing Adore, the new record fits in more closely to other previous releases. And, while the machines of God may be a concept album ala Mellon Collie..., there are plenty of songs that stand completely on their own.

This seems to be the beauty of The Smashing Pumpkins. They can take a group of songs so interrelated, so close in content, yet so cryptic, and make each one capable of being a hit radio single. Billy says he started writing pop songs to prove to people that Gish didn't set the limits of what the band could do. He also says this album is the last time he conforms to people's perceptions of what pop songs are and what the Pumpkins should sound like. With all the turmoil surrounding the band over the last five years (a drug overdosed touring keyboardist; drummer Jimmy Chamberlain being unceremoniously ousted for his involvement in the overdose, then recently reinstated; bassist D'arcy voluntarily being replaced by Melissa Auf Der Maur; the band's impending lawsuit against former manager Sharon Osbourne), the disc's opening line is fitting: "You know I'm not dead." However, Corgan has talked for years as if the band could come crashing down and fall apart at any given moment. So, is this the Pumpkins' swan song? Not likely. As their track record indicates, anything could happen. But, it seems he does this to add an element of danger to the proceedings, an adrenalin-rush if you will. For now The Smashing Pumpkins live to write another day.