Despite his statement in 2008 (and reaffirmation in 2009) that he is done with the album format for releasing music, Billy Corgan is releasing a new full length Smashing Pumpkins LP, Oceania with the current lineup of drummer Mike Byrne, bassist Nicole Fiorentino, and guitarist Jeff Schroeder – on June 19, 2012.
Corgan defines Oceania as an “album within an album,” the larger being the 44-song work-in-progress Teargarden by Kaleidyscope, the first twelve tracks of which have been released for free online as they were completed and in two physical EPs in 2010. Oceania functions as a complete song cycle within this larger work, and thus, the Smashing Pumpkins released no singles first, instead offering the entire album for free streaming through iTunes until its release.
While Corgan may be the only original Smashing Pumpkin appearing on this record, the band’s name is not being used in vain. Oceania, like Teargarden in toto, actually has more in common with early Smashing Pumpkins records than 2007’s Zeigeist, and 1998’s Adore. Mike Byrne has blossomed into a more than acceptable replacement for the great Jimmy Chamberlin, and the production and guitars even seem
to hearken back to the Pumpkins’ glory days.
But don’t think Oceania is nothing more than a rehashed Siamese Dream. This album is definitely an update of that sound, incorporating more electronic elements and varied textures – successfully reminding the audience of what the Smashing Pumpkins once meant, while never sounding like they’re consciously trying to recreate that band. Oceania is also the most the Smashing Pumpkins have ever sounded like a band, as opposed to the work of primarily one individual. This new, more interactive setting creates an exciting, organic kind of energy, unique in the Smashing Pumpkins catalog.
Oceania opens with a hard-hitting rock song, “Quasar,” rife with distorted guitars and heavy drumming, before taking a brief detour into the world of psychedelia with snippets of backwards effects. The third number, the ballad “The Celestials,” offers the lighter side, beginning with acoustic guitar and strings for the first verse and chorus before turning heavy. The fourth song, “Violet Rays,” brings another curve ball, as the first song driven by electronic effects. The album’s closer, “Wildflower” is another highlight, with a lyric of only a few lines, backed by multiple ostinato figures over a simple four-chord progression, growing in intensity and climaxing with a wonderfully noisy guitar solo.
And while these songs themselves have interesting features, (and there is plenty to say about each song individually) _Oceania_ is undoubtedly a work that should be viewed as a whole. The Smashing Pumpkins did not return to the album format for no reason. Corgan wrote a complete album to be listened to fully and in order, with highs and lows in calculated places and equal importance given to each song. Nothing on _Oceania_ sounds like filler in the least. And, ultimately, isn’t that what we’re all looking for in an album?
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Smashing Pumpkins Album Oceania Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Oceania offers a complete song cycle
- Features more interactive, organic energy
- Incorporates electronic elements and varied textures
Cons:
- Contains more electronic elements
- No singles released prior to album
- May not appeal to fans of previous style
