The Smashing Pumpkins

[GulDukat]

James almost seemed like the co-frontman, did a lot of talking.

[poinoup]

The Metro concert last month had this banter:

Billy's energetic as hell, and James is 100% deadpan.

BC: Now, this next song, I didn't wanna play it. I'd emotionally moved on.
JI: We don't have to. We can play the next song...
BC: I'd lost out on my dreams... and then... I got engaged. James, you were at the first wedding!
JI: Yes, I was there.
BC: Jimmy, you were there! What are my chances?
(10 second pause)
JI: Let's... uh... This is one from our second record. No, no, it's gonna be great...

*into Rocket*

[Zimbo]

James' banter has been in top form since their tour pre-covid. Perfect dead pan.

[Shadaloo]

Our Lady Peace are filling in for Jane's Addiction on the Canadian tour dates.

Also, none of the songs from the recent podcasts have grabbed me, gotta say.

[Shadaloo]

...I say that and then Steps In Time on today's podcast is basically one of the best songs the band has cranked out in 20 years and actually kicks some ass...

[Disassociative]

I missed the boat a little but happy birthday MCIS



I love this show, mostly pristine sounding SBD - AUD source is patched in where annoying radio DJs wouldn't shut up during songs

[Volk]

...I say that and then Steps In Time on today's podcast is basically one of the best songs the band has cranked out in 20 years and actually kicks some ass...

The more songs come out, the less worried I am that I preordered the vinyl.

[Zimbo]

The more songs come out, the less worried I am that I preordered the vinyl.

I preordered the vinyl too but have only listened to Beguiled. Hoping I love the rest. I enjoy Cyr's catchiness but am hoping for more guitars.

[october_midnight]

I do love SP. I really do.

That said, thank fuck I get into any shows at Rogers Arena here in Vancouver for free. Poppy was pure garbage. Jane’s Addiction needs to fire their sound guys. SP was just brutal. What the fuck.

[allegate]

Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan: ‘I don’t want my kids growing up with a has-been father’
weird flex.

[Shadaloo]

I do love SP. I really do.

That said, thank fuck I get into any shows at Rogers Arena here in Vancouver for free. Poppy was pure garbage. Jane’s Addiction needs to fire their sound guys. SP was just brutal. What the fuck.

I was at the Montreal show 2 weeks ago with Our Lady peace opening and they sounded like godawful horseshit. I wonder...

SP were great though, I'd say they're in a renaissance for how good their live shows are now. This is not the same band falling asleep at the wheel from 2012-15; it's been better and better ever since the Plainsong shows in 2016 and James' return.

[Shadaloo]

All of Act 1 is out tomorrow, already out in NZ and Australia.

I have no words for 'Hooray!". I really don't.

[Disassociative]

All of Act 1 is out tomorrow, already out in NZ and Australia.

I have no words for 'Hooray!". I really don't.

I really enjoyed it overall, far more than Cyr but I see what you mean about "Hooray!"

I think it's meant to be trying to dip into the whimsical weird side like We Only Come Out At Night but.... eh

[Lerxto]

Act I is basically CYR 2.0, mixed better but with even worse songwriting. Nothing really memorable, except for Steps In Time.
Based on the previews, all the good ones were in Act II anyway.
Billy probably needed these out of his system. Shame they had to be part of this "rock opera", a sequel to MCIS and Machina though.

[armogi]

yeah, sorry to be that guy but for me act I totally sucked, production wise too. maybe it's the 128kbps mp3s but this sounds flat, nothing memorable which is a pity considering how this is marketed as the sequel of 2 amazing records.
Something is really wrong here, I'm all for not rehashing the past but there surely is a better way to do this, it feels like a waste of everyone involved' talents.

[Disassociative]

I should rephrase, I enjoyed it but still doesn't have anything on the albums it's meant to be a sequel to as armogi said.

[poinoup]

Well... let's see... er, hear.

[aleywwu]

pretty sure Hooray! and nin's Everything were conceived in the same lab...
Act I beats my expectations. Listening to the Tidal cd-quality stream with a good dac and nice headphones and I have no complaints about the production. If it was any longer, it would be too much.

[poinoup]

I don't mind it, but it needs more listens for sure.

Here's the bad jokes three songs in:

Atum: More like Atum Heart Mother, amirite? Corgilmour with that tone. Shine On You Crazy D'Arcy.
The Good in Goodbye: This is a brickwalled mastering away from a Machina track.

[Shadaloo]

The Good in Goodbye: This is a brickwalled mastering away from a Machina track.

Listen to the Machina pre-master like the cool kids do

Well, I tried giving the whole thing a go today, lossless quality. As always these days, there's a few tracks I like, but more that do nothing for me - pretty much what I anticipated. I enjoy Atum, The Good In Goodbye, Steps In Time, and Beyond The Vale. Embracer has its moments of catchiness.

Holding off before delivering a verdict but....this is not exactly what I'd call a promising start.

[sonic_discord]

Maybe I'm in the minority, but I actually like the majority of the tracks released so far. I have given them all a minimum of 5 listens, though, and I think many people write the new stuff off after 1 or 2 listens. I can see why most people don't like Hooray! (my initial reaction was one of "WTF?" as well), but after several listens, even that track has grown on me a tad. I'm looking forward to hearing the studio version of Empires, because I really like the live version of that song.

Favorites: The Good in Goodbye, Embracer, Steps in Time (easily my top fav!), Beyond the Vale

[allegate]

Listen to the Machina pre-master like the cool kids do

Well, I tried giving the whole thing a go today, lossless quality. As always these days, there's a few tracks I like, but more that do nothing for me - pretty much what I anticipated. I enjoy Atum, The Good In Goodbye, Steps In Time, and Beyond The Vale. Embracer has its moments of catchiness.

Holding off before delivering a verdict but....this is not exactly what I'd call a promising start.

what search terms would one use for this?

[caca]

Listen to the Machina pre-master like the cool kids do

Well, I tried giving the whole thing a go today, lossless quality. As always these days, there's a few tracks I like, but more that do nothing for me - pretty much what I anticipated. I enjoy Atum, The Good In Goodbye, Steps In Time, and Beyond The Vale. Embracer has its moments of catchiness.

Holding off before delivering a verdict but....this is not exactly what I'd call a promising start.

All of this.


There are definitely moments I liked, but most of the tracks were instantly forgettable. I really wish they'd open the throttle on the guitars (they briefly do on "The Good in Goodbye," and it sounds awesome). For a supposed sequel to Mellon Collie, most of these new tracks are pretty tame.

[Zimbo]

"Horray!" Immediately made me go, what the fuck...I love this song. Weirdest song ever by Corgan.

[sonic_discord]

For a supposed sequel to Mellon Collie, most of these new tracks are pretty tame.

To be fair, a good amount of Mellon Collie is pretty tame (as in, not heavy or featuring a wall of guitars). I think what I appreciate most about this batch of new songs is the diverse variety of styles and sounds, which just so happened to be one of Mellon Collie's strengths (I'm not implying that they're equal). They really do take it in a lot of different directions this time around (much like Mellon Collie did) and even if one of those directions (Hooray!) isn't very good, I still think it's a marked improvement on Cyr for that aspect alone. I don't think Cyr is the terrible album most people seem to think it is (I actually quite like about half of it, but I'd still rank it near the bottom of their discography), but while the songs on Cyr do share a cohesive sound (which can help a collection of songs hang together and feel like an "album," rather than just a collection of songs), one thing that album certainly lacks is diversity.

[caca]

To be fair, a good amount of Mellon Collie is pretty tame (as in, not heavy or featuring a wall of guitars). I think what I appreciate most about this batch of new songs is the diverse variety of styles and sounds, which just so happened to be one of Mellon Collie's strengths (I'm not implying that they're equal). They really do take it in a lot of different directions this time around (much like Mellon Collie did) and even if one of those directions (Hooray!) isn't very good, I still think it's a marked improvement on Cyr for that aspect alone. I don't think Cyr is the terrible album most people seem to think it is (I actually quite like about half of it, but I'd still rank it near the bottom of their discography), but while the songs on Cyr do share a cohesive sound (which can help a collection of songs hang together and feel like an "album," rather than just a collection of songs), one thing that album certainly lacks is diversity.

I just realized that in my previous post, I quoted you by mistake (meant to quote Shadaloo - which I just fixed), but I don't disagree with what you've said here. MC definitely had plenty of diversity to it. I just hope that future tracks from this album turn up the aggression a bit. I also agree that it's better than Cyr (which, like you, I don't dislike but would put in the bottom half of their discography).

I've only given these new tracks one listen so far. I'll definitely give it more listens. I'm seeing them Friday night in Phoenix and am looking forward to hearing how some of the new stuff sounds live.

[Jinsai]

I heard the show in NY was good, and the clips from the Vegas show I saw sounded good... so here's to hoping that the show at the Hollywood Bowl is good. I've never seen them live, but SP have always had a hit or miss reputation for live shows

[Shadaloo]

what search terms would one use for this?

One only need demonstrate the will to seek, and they shall receive.

[Kodiak33]

First listen was not a positive one. Jimmy sounds neutered, and Billy's old production tricks are showing up again (bad vocals, too much junk, etc).

[Shadaloo]

This has been making the rounds lately, and it really hits the nail on the head: