Smashing Pumpkins - American Gothic
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Free Music Notes for American Gothic
Free Music Review: A--mazing
Hit: 5 Stars
I love this EP! I wish the last CD was all like this. Classic SP. No electronic bs.Free Music Review: So grab my hand, should you believe there's a destiny?
Hit: 4 Stars
The Smashing Pumpkins (or at least half of them) reunited last year for new album "Zeitgeist" and a new tour.
And you know what that means -- when the Smashing Pumpkins make a new album, they usually have a bunch of discarded B-sides. While "American Gothic" is very brief -- only four songs -- it's a solid little EP that serves as a musically lighter addition to "Zeitgeist."
It starts off on a poppy note: "I love you/I don't even care/If it takes my life for heaven unaware/Sin for sin, I've let you in..." Corgan sings lightly of painful love, over ringing loops of guitar and a rather gauzy, elusive melody. "The atrophy, the cruel enough/this vision of oblivion/And when it ends it all begins... Before the world should end/When will I see you again?"
It's followed by the light, shimmering "Rose March," with Corgan rather incongruously singing "la la la" over a strummed guitar. And "Sunkissed" takes a more electronic approach, starting on a similarly acoustic note, but soft streams of synth start creeping in, giving it a hollow organ sound. It softens the plaintive lyrics ("If I'm gonna live/Without you/I've never chased a brighter sun than you'll become").
And as "American Gothic" winds down, the EP ventures back into rock'n'roll territory with "Pox," a sharp little song that bristles with angular riffs and cynical disdain. "We're giving back the dream," Corgan sneers. "Put up your dukes/You're not so strong.... another dumb kid/his shadow..."
"American Gothic" is basically a postscript to "Zeitgeist" -- these songs didn't fit on there, but Corgan and Co. played them on tour, and released them as part of a special edition. But to be perfectly honest, "American Gothic" sounds a lot better when you listen to it just for its own merits, and don't compare it to the blazing fuzzy rock of "Zeitgeist." They just don't sound similar -- this is more acoustic and low-key.
In fact, "American Gothic" sounds very light and sunny much of the time -- lots of acoustic guitars strummed in a mellow back-porch manner, but hung over with smashing drums and airy organ. But there's spare, angular rock'n'roll that simmers in the last half of "Again, Again, Again," and it finally gets to express itself in "Pox's" sharp riffs and drums.
And Corgan seems to be straddling love and despair ("So put my heart on your chopping block/And feed me fire/But don't let go") and musing on how a doomed love will destroy you, even as he casts a jaded eye on the world around us. His smooth, slightly nasal voice has a new passion that I haven't heard from him in awhile, especially since these songs are quieter, more personal material.
"American Gothic" is a nice little EP for the Smashing Pumpkins, though its quietly brokenhearted sound should be taken on its own merits. A pint-sized triumph.
Free Music Review: One of the more overlooked releases of 2008
Hit: 4 Stars
Much like Alice In Chains followed two of their albums with quieter, acoustic work, the Smashing Pumpkins do the same here with their four-song acoustic EP "American Gothic" (2008).
I'm not really sure what the title "American Gothic" refers to. Unlike its immediate predecessor, the highly underrated "Zeitgeist," (2007) there's no grand political statements, no protest songs, and no social commentaries to be found. Rather, with "American Gothic" we get much more personal, reflective work, with Corgan's more familiar themes of love and broken relationships, etc.
"The Rose March" has a sort of medieval feel, and with the opening "la-da-da-da-la-da-da," one would think something like that would sound corny, but Corgan pulls it off. With the pretty "Again, Again, Again (Crux)" Corgan sings of wanting to meet someone "again," after stating "I love you, I don't even care," as though he is confessing his love despite previous letdowns.
While the first two tracks are good, if not great, the EP really starts to pick up with the final two songs. Incredibly catchy and cynical "Pox" sees Corgan referring to "giving back the dream" several times and I'm not exactly sure what he means by this. Corgan sounds quite cynical here, yet the song still manages not to sound too bitter, as the song, paradoxically exudes a sort of strange optimism, despite lyrics like "another dumb kid shot him, another restless b#@h still f*#@s."
The EP's closing "Sunkissed" is by far the best moment on "American Gothic" and is, in this reviewers opinion, simply one of the finest songs Corgan has ever written. Incredibly pretty, lush and bittersweet, Corgan sings of, presumably, some estranged girlfriend. I'll be honest here, some of Corgan's lyrics I just don't understand and that's how I feel about this song ("Chase the bees of the death song's wings, There's no crying anymore, Crystalline, the bridges burn outside, Stitches will all come undone")? Still, I get the feeling/message here and the song is quite beautiful.
One of the more overlooked releases of 2008, with two good songs and two outstanding ones, "American Gothic" is definitely worth the time and money of any Smashing Pumpkins fan. "Sunkissed" alone is worth the 12 bucks.
Free Music Review: The Pumpkins do not dissapoint, acoustically.
Hit: 4 Stars
Many fans of any band hate when that band changes its style. For the Pumpkins, there have been many critics and fans that have given negative reviews of their music since Adore. The truth is, they always seem to evolve. One song sounds totally different from the next on every album. That is what is so great about this band in my eyes. This little EP entitled 'American Gothic' has 4 acoustic songs that shouldn't disappoint a true Pumpkins fan.
'The Rose March' is a great song with mood and tempo changes and great lyrics.
'Again, Again, Again' is catchy and you will be singing the chorus in no time.
'Pox' is the odd ball to me, which doesn't make it bad. Again, I enjoy the lyrics.
'Sunkissed' might be my favorite here. I just like the rhythm of the acoustic guitar played here.
Corgans lyrics seem to display lots of love, well more than normal. I would say this started with their album Machina.
It is ok to evolve. If a band were to stand still, I would be quite bored with them. The Pumpkins never leave me feeling bored.
Billy Corgan is over 40 now, and his music has changed along with him. It is a more mature sound for the most part. Maturity does not necessarily mean boring. These four songs are really good. "The Rose March" is the best song here and should have, could have, been a single on the radio. They didnt attempt it though.
Sunkissed is also a beautiful peace of work. The guitars are melodic and these songs will definitely stick in your head, and those are usually the best kind of songs. Give this a chance. You will enjoy it. The new music put out by the pumpkins is fantastic... just some of it is not commercially available.. yet.
Free Music Review: Sunkissed indeed
Hit: 4 Stars
Being one of my favorite bands, but reserved at the fact that half of the principal band was not returning, I was hesitant at embracing the "return" of the Smashing Pumpkins. Zeitgeist had it's moments, but is, for the most part, in the lower regions of my Pumpkins favorites list. I just picked up the import of American Gothic though, and I'm pleasantly surprised. Besides being mainly the stripped down tender Pumpkins stuff that I've always favored, it's more genuine and heartfelt than the bulk of the album it was omited from.