ThePumpkins.net

Please use this thread to post your impressions or opinions of track 5 of Oceania, My Love Is Winter.

Might be my second favorite song. The chorus is so damn catchy.

The one song off the entire album I was looking the most forward to. I can say I prefered the live version because it was a bit darker. Honestly, the studio version has grown on me and become one if my favorites off the album.

I don't love this song yet. I quite like it, but at the moment it's one of the weaker ones for me. It feels slightly bland compared to most of the others - reminds me too much of many of the Teargarden songs. I'm hoping it will grow on me though.

epitome wrote:
This is pretty much the same post i was going to put. Although i wouldnt say teargarden. Its better than that. Just a bit average in general for Billy. Prefered the ballad-y original live version

epitome wrote:
I agree with you. I think it would've been better had it been a bit longer/ had more sections in it.

This was actually my favorite track from the start. It was my favorite back when I heard a handful of new songs during the fall 2011 tour. I know it's changed quite a bit since then but I still like it a lot.

There are many similarities to Sacred & Profane to me.

I dunno know, this one's growing on me. Just a great slice of pop rock from the giant tasty cake that is Oceania!

DON wrote: Hmm, maybe that's why I like it, though I never made the connection. Sacred & Profane seems to be one of those songs that people either really like (me) or they don't like it at all.

I´ve wondered, why the version changed so much. Billy said in the german alternativ-magazine "visions", that the reason for this change was the influence of the band working for example the "new-wave-groove.
For me the new version is very good, but the half-beat version would have been deeper and a little bit better for me.

Even though I don't love this song, I feel like this would be the best choice for the first single from the album. I could definitely see this fitting in on a modern rock radio station.

When I first heard this I felt it was a bit too much like the earlier Teargarden stuff. It's grown on me, but it does still feel a bit mundane compared to most of the album. I do find it sticks in my head a bit though, so maybe slightly generously I'm rating it...

8/10

ryon wrote:
Definitely would work as a single. Catchiest song the album's got, plus it's got a good single runtime.

My Love Is Winter, is my favorite track from Oceania.

The beautiful crunchy guitars, Billy's vocals, Jeff's shredding, Nichole's backing and Mike's fantastic drumming really shine in this track.

The Celestials, Panopticon, My Love Is Winter, and Pale Horse should all be singles. They should be released on CD with about four of five B-Sides.

I do think As Rome Burns, Lonely Is The Name, and Gossamer should have been on the album.

Glass And The Ghost Children wrote:
Or just give us an Oceania outtakes album!

I dunno, this song is my least favorite on the album...I can't seem to connect to it and nearly forget it the moment the song ends. That and I just can't stand the line "my love is winter, my love is lost".

Glass And The Ghost Children wrote:
As much as I'd love to hear studio versions of As Rome Burns and a condensed version of Gossamer, I don't think they would've fit well on Oceania or worked well if they were recorded in a style that would've fit on the album... well, maybe Gossamer, but I think As Rome Burns has to be raw and heavy and I don't think that would fit well on Oceania.

This is a good, fun song. This one's been around since forever (2010, I believe), and it's had a few different incarnations.

Have to say the synths in this version are a huge plus here. The guitars are pretty strong also.

But overall this is still a bit too sped up and generic for SP. The ominous intro from the 2011 shows really promised something new and special about this song, and about Oceania overall.

Getting a glimpse into the idea Oceania would be this sweeping collection of sad songs, caught and chained together likes waves in the ocean ... I guess that was just too ambitious for BC. I have no doubt he could have created that kind of record if he wanted ... so I guess it just comes down to a question of laziness / rushing the work, or a misguided view of what a masterpiece should be. Don't get me wrong, I love Oceania, but aside from a few tracks (Oceania, Pale Horse and Wildflower), virtually all the songs here work in conjunction with the 'song at a time' single idea, and less about creating unconventional album based songs. I guess in the end it's all Teargarden, so it's what it is.

8/10

@Frankie: I think BC didn't set out to make Oceania an "album lover's album" like Adore. Like you said, this album has to sort of work in conjunction with TGbK as an "album within an album". I think BC tried to make this a quick and enjoyable pop song and, at least on that level, he more than succeeded. I don't think BC will ever be able to make a whole album of sad songs again, unless he forces it, as I just don't think he feels that much sadness anymore.