ThePumpkins.net

I feared that this would happen, now that they're almost complete with the original lineup.
It's uninspired and soulless stock alt rock with Chamberlin underused and Iha not even being there. It's the same ass-sordid crap that was the Zeitgeist album.
Corgan used to be a fantastic songwriter with a fantastic vision - even his Ogilala solo album was better than this.
Hard to believe they'd come up with something as lazy - a band that recorded gems like Thru The Eyes Of Ruby, Behold! The Night Mare and Soma.
What a let down, I hope this was just a throwaway for them relearning playing together.

That was more or less my feeling about it as well. But I think I'm too exhausted to be disappointed at this point. Sure, it's not very good - the music retreads the same territory as Zeitgeist, with vox too high in the mix, cringey vocals, and pointless lyrics... but I think at this point after Zeitgeist, after Teargarden, after Monuments.... I don't feel like I can bring myself to care one way or the other anymore.

But! Why I'm bothering to respond at all, is that I do find myself still excited for seeing the band live, and hoping they can put on a powerful and special show. If new material isn't very good then, well... 'so what' at this point. I'll see the band live, I'll buy the reissues (should they ever continue), and I'll just settle in. I think at this point, for them and for me, that just feels like the natural course... And maybe future new songs will be better (as I was impressed with Ogilala). In the back of my mind I still have a flickering hope that maybe the 2007 Residency songs could make their way back, and Corgan did say those "Dust and Ruin", or whatever they were called, songs from 2000 or so are being worked on, so we'll see.

I can't get too excited anymore, but then, I also can't get too outraged either. It just is what it is. And as long as the Pumpkins are doing something, I'll always be willing to at least check it out.

As someone who rates Zeitgeist rather highly, Solara is a win for me. Yeah on first listen I didn't like it - dismissed it as song without substance that goes nowhere, thought about what the kind of song they should have done etc. But on relisten I changed my mind.

Solara isn't a "great" song by any means. It reminds me a bit of As Rome Burns - a transitional headbanger usually thrust between two longer songs in a setlist. I guess it was Zero for Mellon Collie days. One and All for Monuments.

I did notice though the production is really good - better than Zeitgeist. Listening to One and All after this - arguably a better song with more hooks - but One and All is like a little kid compared with Chamberlain's drumming and the dark, heavy wall guitars. It's from this place we got As Rome Burns, G.L.O.W., Doomsday Clock, Starz etc. But also the same place as United States and Gossamer (and Superchrist which grew on me eventually).

I definitely don't hear Iha on this song, and of course in the context of Smashing Pumpkins and what a Smashing Pumpkins single should be - there's zero emotion, complexity, surprise or iconic pop about it. And it would indicate the rest of the Eps won't go down the road of Machina, Adore or Mellon Collie.

But while I'm not thrilled with Solara it has at least shows some promise that maybe the other songs will be heavy metal and actually have some balls. Which Corgan's music has been lacking since Chamberlain's departure 10 years ago.

First: I don´t like the topic name.. that should be without some rating.
But it´s good (and also sad) to see that there are some pumpkins left in this Forum, so
it doesn´t make a scene to start a new Topic under the name "What do you think about the nex SP song?"

Hello again, i´m happy this Forum still lifes!

To me all "Solara" passages are typical Pumpkins-like (7 of 10 Points)
That´s a good way and so the song is quite good.
But otherwise I expected more risc,, more epic. So it isn´t a masterpiece for me.
I can here Billy and Jimmy, but don´t here James in this song.

I don´t know if it´s true, but "Solara" was written for "Monuments..." and is here "only" in the reunion Version.
If this is true, perhaps we can here more influences by the next Songs.

It's very generic. Similar to an Anti-hero in the Zeitgeist era.

Hey. Here´s a live Version from the Tonight Show:

I really like it!! Even without a guitar solo Solara is the best thing to come from the band since 2000, in my opinion. While there may be issues with the mix, I think the song at its core is a great one. It's great to hear some doom and gloom again, and I would say Billy's voice is the best it's sounded since Zwan. I loved James' guitar work, especially the drone at the end, classic Pumpkins. Overall the song reminds me of The End is the Beginning is the End mixed with Starz...

I know we're all wondering why his voice had to change, but in an interview a few years ago I recall him saying that he really messed up his body when he was younger, and a lot of people don't realize that his "signature" vocal style actually damaged his vocal chords. While I miss his old voice I enjoy how his new voice is more controlled and consistent.

I've always loved the original live band, but let's face it, a lot of the "glory days" of this band featured Billy croaking into a microphone. One of my good friends always loved SP but hated the live band, even back then. But if you listen to the live version of Solara from Jimmy Fallon it sounds almost exactly like the album version.

Can't wait to hear the rest of the tracks! I'm seeing them live in Seattle AND Portland!!!

I really wanted to like this song and it isn't bad, but, like DON and Billy B said above, it's a generic alt-rock song, with pointless lyrics. The pumpkins mystery and magic has been absent for a while now and this song doesn't change things. But it's only one song, I suppose. I'll reserve judgement until I hear the entire album. But they're making it difficult to get excited about new pumpkins stuff.

And the new tour is even less exciting than the new music could be.

glass wrote:
This is bad
I was hoping for some magic happening with Iha and Chamberlin back on stage, but well...
Still couldn't bring myself to listen to Solara a second time ever since I posted it here.
50-year old music is way more interesting than this half-assed snooze-fest.

Edit:
Those EPs, that should have happened in May...where are they?
It never changes I fear, SP consistently stay an entity of broken promises and the beating of a dead horse.

Here´s the Video to "Solara"

I can totally understand the Zeitgeist comparisons with Solara. Like Frank, I'm a big fan of Zeitgeist (although Oceania had its moments, I would say Zeitgeist was the last really great SP album). After one listen I have to admit I was a bit underwhelmed, but it only took a couple more listens before it was growing on me. I think it would hold its ground as a very solid track off Zeitgeist; similar to Starz in some ways, which was actually one of my favourite tracks from that album. The drumming is excellent and reminds me just how good JC is. I watched a live performance that was posted on FB and it had more energy than the studio recording and sounded even better.
Any idea when the first EP is out?

The video is pretty cool, it has a strong 90s vibe to it. Maybe it has a message that Billy feels trapped now in his 90s persona, unable to break free from it and is left feeling confused and isolated in the modern world / music scene?

DON wrote:
Zeitgeist was a fucking revelation, ass-sordid crap? Please. And what do you mean "even" the solo album was better than this, of course it is, easily Billy's best material since the Residency. But yeah Solara sucks man, what a shitshow.