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I had planned on posting my thoughts of the songs in order, but I simply need more time for a couple so I'm going to go in the order I want to. I will say that this is one of my favorites on the album. As usual, the epic of the album ranks among the best, Billy knows how to do a long and awesome song. I don't really have a problem with how the song transitions from section to section, I think the song manages to do it very well actually. Mike really kicks ass on this one proving he's on his way to becoming the best possible replacement for Jimmy. The soloing at the end is also equally great, probably my favorite guitar work on the entire album and then the acoustic section is just so beautiful.

However like many of you have noted, the ending is just rather abrupt. I'm not a huge fan of fade outs, and this is one of the examples why, it cuts it off when the song still has potential. A fade-out when a song has died down and is slowing is alright or even an abrupt stop can also be cool, but when the abrupt stop is the fade out it just ruins the ending of the song. I also miss the opening sequence the live version had last year. I'm still trying to figure out why Billy chose to get rid of those awesome opening this song and My Love Is Winter had.

Regardless the song is still great and probably my third favorite on the album behind Violet Rays and Pale Horse. It's an excellent epic, and in comparison to other epics it's still quite good. I think it beats any epic after the Adore era, but is still behind the likes Porcelina, Ruby, and (especially) For Martha.

I was really excited for this song, but I find it to be be really dull. I can't get into it. The only part I think is great is the drum and bass part near the end. But maybe I just haven't listened to it enough.

@Ryon: I know what you mean. On its own terms, I find this to be a very solid tune, but when comparing it to older Pumpkins epics (which is hard not to do) it comes up pretty short. If they could have made the transitions more natural and actually given the track a proper ending, it would be up there with the classic Pumpkins epics.

epitome wrote:

Each section should have lasted longer, making Oceania clocking in at 15 minutes for good.

DON wrote:
Yeah, with a good long outro on there too

+ Intro

DON wrote:
Don speaks the truth. Maybe at some point BC will release an alternate take of Oceania.

So this song is starting to grow on me. I think my biggest problem is that he tries to cram too many ideas into a small amount of time, and they don't seem to have any room to breathe. I think each section should be stretched out a little bit.

ryon wrote:
I think if BC found a way to transition them properly, this song would be an SP masterpiece. The ending really should've gone somewhere spectacular and it just didn't.

I do agree that the ending is too abrupt and that the whole thing could've been a lot longer, but am I the only one who actually thinks the transitions work really well?

epitome wrote: Nope. Although the transitions are kind of abrupt, I think it works. Maybe it's just me, but I felt like Oceania is kind of a medley of the 'central' songs/emotions describing Billy's career for the past few years. Did anyone else think that the transition right before the acoustic guitar part was kind of an homage to the whole Sky Saxon groovy 60's foray Billy went through briefly at the beginning of Teargadren?

It's no Mary Star Of The Sea or Gossamer, but it's no Widow Wake My Mind or Astral Planes. I rate it 8 / 10.

Glass And The Ghost Children wrote:
I agree. Oceania wouldn't do well as an energy filled live opener.

Everything has already been said on this one. I like the transitions, personally, but the ending is too abrupt, a longer intro would've been nice and each section could've probably been a bit longer too. I could easily see this pushing past the 15 minute mark and if that was the case then maybe I'd give it a couple of extra points.

8/10

This...may be my least favourite song on the album. I haven't quite decided on which song gets that honour, but this one just doesn't really thrill me. Usually I love SP's epic numbers, but for me this one is mostly uninteresting. It does have its interesting parts, in fact all the parts are interesting in a way I suppose, but still, it's probably the one I've listened to least out of the whole album. That said, if this is the worst song on the album (in my opinion), then it must be a bloody impressive album.

Hearing this song back in 2011, I thought it was going to be huge. At one time I rated the live cut in my top 10 SP songs of all time. That eerie orchestration at the beginning of the song, fading in and out throughout, sort of reminded me of a ship drifting through foggy waters. It has the whole definitive epiphany thing going on, which so few artists will ever come to, no matter how hard they try. That song was a masterpiece, full of transcendental truth.

So imagine our anger, when we get Oceania and listen to the studio cut (which should IMPROVE the song, there's no excuse), and it's almost an entirely different song. The best recent comparison I can think of is how Tom Tom began as this dark homage to Adore / Machina, and when it was released it had the cheery polished cream which smudged most Teargarden tracks. People always complained about Zeitgeist's production - it was too raw, grating etc. but Teargarden's was ten times worse in the completely opposite way. Really angers me too, because like Adore, I really loved Zeitgeist, but it goes down as not being what the fans wanted and causes Billy to rethink things. I mean let's not forget, Billy thinks album Oceania is better than any work he's done since Mellon Collie. Better? Or more likely to get great reviews and please the mainstream? I'd hardly think charts and sales were any indication of how good something is.

Getting back to this studio cut, well there's a lot they fucked up without piercing the surface. Minus awesome intro. Minus awesome outro. Then someone took a bucket full of Teargarden gloss and made a sad song optimistic.

Of course, parts of it do sound better. The acoustic guitar is the huge standout, and there is a liveliness to the guitars which almost improve.
But perhaps the real improvement is listening to Oceania within the album, and forgetting that masterpiece from 2011.

Basically, this song is awesome. It feels as though the band have gotten through the 'get your audience' part of the journey with:

Attention Getting
- Quasar
- Panopticon

Singles
- The Celestials
- My Love Is Winter

Sustainers
- Violet Rays
- One Diamond, One Heart

Capitalizer
- Pinwheels

So we're going to get a taste of what a jam session feels like with the band. Some of it feels truly organic and inspired, and it is one of the few times on Oceania where we can get lost in a song's 'deep waters'.

Other great bands I've been listening to recently have just filled their albums with this kind of work, no singles, no structurally designed songs, and I'm glad to see the new and growing trend. Corgan never feels too comfortable putting these types of songs on albums for some reason (Gossamer? Bit 5? March Hare?), but here's hoping that this turn of over-polish will be a strictly Teargarden affair, and he'll be more comfortable making more songs like 'Oceania' in the future.

Despite the flaws when comparing to it's superior live counterpart, still have to say this is the best song on the album.

10/10

Now I really must hear that live version I had not heard any of these songs live before buying the album.

And as for Oceania being the best music he's ever done since MCIS, um... I would have to disagree with the man himself, for sure!

But at least he acknowledges MCIS is his best (although I suppose he could be thinking Gish or SD are even better).

I feel like Billy likes MCIS the best.
He was never too happy with SD production and Gish was the raw indie rock debut.