ThePumpkins.net

ryon wrote:
So I'm not crazy then? It does bear similarity the The Who classic.

@Epitome: Like Manson! His latest album is as raw as bloody uncooked steak!

I'm on around my 7th listen to Oceania now. The album is really coming together for me at this point. It's a slow grower but it's worth it! I'm even developing an appreciation for Wildflower.

Pumped for the release - and pre-ordered.

I've given Oceania two solid listens and am impressed by the production and tones. The songwriting is very good and it feels like the band has had a lot of influence in the record (album!)

Most notable is the "difference" in Mike's drumming - it's a "brighter" style than Jimmy Chamberlain's. I like it and it certainly complements Billy's more mature writing style.

Funny - noting the comparisons to other tunes/bands I've seen in this thread and elsewhere - I'm hearing a good deal of Yes in a couple tracks. I wonder what Billy's been listening to the past year or two - especially when you consider Oceania in the context of the Teagarden stuff. Definitely more than a touch of Prog in there.

And laugh all you want - but I'm hearing a tinge of Boston in some of the guitar tracks too.

What I am most happy to find is some great Big Muff woven in too. I love that sound/stance and to me, that is the essence of the Pumpkins - regardless of the lineup.

I think (and my kids too) this is a great record and I am doing my best to get the link out to as many people as I can. It's important for music what Billy is doing here - literally forcing us all to hear the album as a whole - at least for another few days. Kudos there and fuck the critics.

Now - if he'd have just released it on any other day than my ex's birthday... lol.

Reply to Sikamikanico999 (the quote did not appear though...)


Well stated. And I did nearly the same as you last night and went back through pieces of almost all Pumpkins (studio) versions that I have on my ipod and came to the same conclusions.

I wonder if some of the perceptions regarding the "new" Pumpkins' production is simply a function of them not being the same lineup and not being 20-something any longer and at the literal front edge of a cultural/musical movement. It's a natural thing that production and perceptions evolve - Zeitgeist through Oceania now show this in spades - a wholly different dynamic at play.

I will say this - slick or not - I don't think anyone gets better tones than Billy. Incredible work.

ok, this might sound all a bit weird and like, well bullshit, but ive been thinking this for the past few days since Oceania has been available. Hear me out...

Depending on your perception of "SP1" as we have took to calling it, isn't MCIS really the only TRUE SP1 album? I mean, Gish might slip into that, but a lot of that was just Billy and JC right? And its common knowledge that pretty much all (i've heard the percentage 98% thrown around) of SD was Billy and JC? So when MCIS became much more evenly spread work load wise, they make the album that the majority of the fan base consider their best album to date (and probably, no matter what SP2 can conjour up, will always maintain that status). Adore obviously was minus JC (which drags the album down slightly for me, even though its still great) and Machina was full of bad vibes in my opinion tdue to D'arcy leaving and them not being album to create the album they desired.

SO, Zeit was basically in the vein of SD. Billy and Jimmy. But obviously, that was sort of a flop. TGBK is disliked through majority vote also but that was mostly Billy.

Oceania = the first time in a very long time that Billy is happy to say he's in a band. From the way he acts on stage, in interviews, when he talks about his band mates, everything about the album feals positive. In Billy's track by track breakdown of the album (www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/intervie...rack-by-track-548578), he talks about band members contributions, and how working with young people such as Mike has inspired him to create some of his best work (in my opinion) ever.

Now that I have written all this down, it sounds like im just pointing out the obvious and it sounded loads better in my head. But heres what I was trying to get across...

I love most of everything the band "The Smashing Pumpkins" have ever done. Whatever form they have taken. But people seem to be reacting in a good way to this album, and i think it proves Billy need never work on his own again. With an active band of people that he musically connects with, there is a chance that he could fully return to glory so younger generations can enjoy what the man/band have to offer. This is the first "SP2" album in my eyes. And I hope we see many more over the next few years.

Bravo

PS: sorry to waste your time with my nonsense......

JonnyDaycase wrote:
Very well said. That's not rambling at all.

kjrain12 wrote:
It's a good thing

Yes Jonny .
That is what I always have been preaching.
Billy needs a good band to support his visions.
And that, for some parts, is why SD and Zeitgeist failed in my eyes.

DON wrote:
well my opinion of SD kind of goes against everything i just said, because i adore that album. But I know what you mean about Zeit. I think like Billy said, him and JC work amazing together, but they need to be backed up by different ideas. And i think thats why I see a good future for and hope that people appreciate what they do more than they have for recent work. im a strong believer

I have just red this www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/intervie...rack-by-track-548578 and it seems like Billy has totally changed. I did neither know that even full parts were written by the members nor that Jeff would get the first guitar at some points.
Awesome! A real band

Seems like the first reviews turn out to be optimistic aswell:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oceania_%28album%29#Reception

DON wrote:
My point exactly. This is a band now! For the first time in ages!

Since I'm currently revisiting every fart Billy has ever let out for preparation I'm wondering a few things:

Firstly - Am I the only one who thinks The Future Embrace minus the horrendous I'm Ready+Pretty, Pretty Star makes the most solid and best release of Billy since Pumpkins split (not considering Oceania of course)?

Secondly - How is it that everyone hates the acoustic song Communion Billy used to play live in late 2008/early 2009 and it still remains to me as the very best SP song since the "reunion" that should have made the studio/a release?

Thirdly - Why on earth was Billy insane enough to record an album of the 14 worst ZWAN songs when there were so many A+ live songs by them like "Friends & Lovers" which is part of my Billy Corgan Top 10 ?

________________________________________

Fuck me!
In this serious review Oceania is compared to THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON :

www.artistdirect.com/entertainment-news/...-of-5-stars/10124920

DON wrote:
I love Communion! I put it with my IAGW rehearsal songs because it fits so well. That review comparing it to Dark Side of the Moon was a little extreme

I can't stop listening to Oceania. I think it is fantastic. The songs are constantly stuck in my head.

Dorovo wrote:
Can we play it backwards to the Wizard of Oz too?

BigBigBenny wrote:
Communion?
Imagine the scarecrow and the lion dancing down that road while we're listening to odd lyrics like "With the lights out, and with the lights on..." backwards played

I've been drumming a lot to Oceania, just getting a feel for the songs. It's gonna take me a little while to get them all down, haha. Mike's style is very...unorthodox, at times. Keep in mind that I play my drums the way I want to. I'll play parts of a song that are detrimental to it (like the toms in Oceania, main grooves, etc), but most of the time I don't play exactly along to the song (especially fills). My progress, so far:

Quasar - I've got the tom triplet groove to this down, more or less. There's more than one way one could play it. Rest of the song, not so much. The fills and time shifts are really tricky.

Panopticon- I learned the main groove to this a while ago. Fills are really rapid though.

The Celestials - I can play pretty much all of this.

Violet Rays - I don't really play this as much cuz it hasn't clicked with me as of yet. I can play the main groove though.

My Love Is Winter - I find this to be a weird song to play. I can play the main groove, but it doesn't feel natural yet. Needs more practice.

One Diamond, One Heart - Easy.

Oceania - Learned the tom groove to this a while ago. Needs a little practice but I can play along to the record. The beginning part of that song isn't hard, but I play it the way I want. Fun song, probably the one I'm the most confident to play to be honest.

Pale Horse - Haven't actually tried this song, it seems interesting but not too complicated.

The Chimera - I have the beginning groove but that moment where the beat picks up into the tom shuffle never fails to get me. Fills are fast.

Glissandra - Has a cool groove, but I can play most of it.

Inkless - Pretty straightforward. Fun to play though, allows for a lot of expression. Cool groove.

Wildflower - Fucking crazy. My fucking god. I could never play this in a million years.

Now...anyone up for some Oceania covers?

Jaxx wrote:
I hope he's not being serious. I don't think they need to do a double album anymore. They don't need to prove anything with a double plus it would take longer! I'd rather have another album in 2 years than a double album in 3 and a half.

It's great that Oceania is getting love though! Fucking great! I wonder what Pitchfork will think of the album?

I wonder if Pitchfork could finally close their doors.
Since they gave 0.0 to Sonic Youth's NYC Ghost & Flowers which was the most experimental album, even for Sonic Youth, I've got a feeling they better should stay with the Paris Hilton album and away from music.