Almost three years after the ill fated demise of post-grunge innovators The Smashing Pumpkins, Zwan finally emerges from the obscurity of bootlegdom with its highly anticipated debut release Mary Star of the Sea.
For anyone who has followed Billy Corgan's musical trajectory over the years, it's almost a given that any new endeavor is different from its predecessor. It's because of this that Corgan's new brainchild hardly possesses any of the ethereal grandeur that pervaded Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness or the synth-rock sensibilities that Adore or some of Machina: The Machines of God displayed. In this respect, Mary is way less sumptuous and ambitious; what was once filled with bombastic production tricks and operatic numbers has been replaced by simple-- albeit well-executed-- guitar pieces and catchy melodies that the uninitiated may be quick to label as basic rock music or radio rock, when in reality it's much more than that.
From the ringing arpeggios and bright semblance of opener "Lyric" (Here comes my faith to carry me on) to the carefree, almost jovial mood of "Honestly" (There's no place where I couldn't be without you) and bubbly love song groove of "Baby Let's Rock!" some will find it somewhat heretical that the man responsible for epics like "Disarm" and "Tonight Tonight" is seemingly favoring fashion over substance and stooping to writing in such a buoyant, simplistic manner. However, such a cursory assessment would only be partly right, since these tunes, upon further examination, are far more than your typical radio fare, revealing a complex simplicity that's accentuated by intricate layers of guitar goodness ("Ride a Black Swan," "Declarations of Faith"), an oh-so-fine percussive backbone, and a knack for melody that, when put together, make just about any track-- even the four-minute ditties--explode and sound like summer classics by chorus' end.
Another recurring characteristic that separates this disc from previous offerings in the extensive Pumpkins oeuvre is the shift in lyrical focus. Lines like, Desire... I have no use for you; I want you to be my message... an answer I must defend, or Northern star, please enlighten the lost prayers of my soul... we were meant to be free, make one wonder if the lyricist is undergoing some sort of spiritual renovation or if he's simply going through a religious "season" in his writing.
And then there's that revered 14-minute tour-de-force towards the end. Lulling and contemplative in the beginning and frenetic and adrenaline-packed at its denouement, this is one of those sonic mammoths one can jubilantly ride on, a roller coaster track that justifies the price of admission to the entire Zwan camp, for it inspires, thrills and, ultimately, provides loads of aural stimulation. Ideally, the CD should end here, but for some unexplained reason the anticlimactic jangly pop of "Come With Me" mars what could have been the perfect closer for the album.
Like the fable of the ugly little duckling that wasn't, Billy Corgan seems to have endured a drastic transformation, an outlook change that has evolved from angst and discontentment into utter resolve and hope. He now declares himself of faith, and such a stance has inherently permeated the songs of Zwan, a rare breed in rock that takes flight into the lofty confines of capable musicianship, to a place where only a few species aspire to soar.
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 2003Reviewed by Brendan BoughenI admit I was never a huge fan of the Smashing Pumpkins. While I still love hearing their 'classics' (barely ten years old, mind you) from Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness on the radio; "Cherub Rock," "Today," "Disarm," "Zero," "Bullet With Butterfly Wings," "Tonight Tonight," "1979"; it was never enough to inspire me to buy an album. Still, I roomed next to enough rabid…Similar sounding releases
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