★ ★
The 90's were a great decade. But there's a reason why we left the trends affiliated with those ten years behind. And there's a reason why in the years since we haven't revisited them. Sadly, as someone who all but worshiped the notes that sprung from Billy Corgan's lips even well into the early 2000s, I can say this is a record that deserves to have been made in the '90s. When maybe at least the most diehard of Smashing Pumpkins fans might have enjoyed it. Although it is not inherently terrible when it comes to its technicality, the record certainly doesn't have any of the mass appeal that filled their mid-decade triumph Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. Don't get me wrong, I didn't expect an entirely new sound, but it's somewhat surprising that there isn't even a bit of pertinence as to what's going on in the music world today in this record. No one is looking for a title track featuring David Guetta, but there is certainly too much going on in the alt/indie music scene to completely ignore those trends. Especially if you're trying to make relevant music. Another downfall to this mostly forgettable amalgam is that it's filled with similar sounding tracks, it's hard to tell when one song ends and another begins. When actually discerning those tracks, the lyrics seem hollow and fairly contrived. "My Love is Winter," for example, sounds downright sophomoric coming from a group that came up with singles that are still in circulation as some of a generation's best. "Pinwheels" and "One Diamond, One Heart" might be the only two redemptive tracks on this release, although still stuck in that weird psychedelic revival that occurred towards to end of the '90s. Other than that, this is a record that I can see a lot more people leaving than taking.
Worth a Listen: "Pinwheels"
© 2013
Real Detroit Weekly, LLC | 615 S. Washington Ave (2nd Floor), Royal Oak, MI 48067
| 
Website powered by Foundation
