Zwan - Mary Star of the Sea
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Music CD Cover
Artist: ZwanEdition: Music CD
Published: 2003
CD Release Date: 2003-01-28
Music Label: Reprise / Wea
Soundtracks:
- Lyric
- Settle Down
- Declarations Of Faith
- Honestly
- El Sol
- Of A Broken Heart
- Ride A Black Swan
- Heartsong
- Endless Summer
- Baby Let's Rock!
- Yeah!
- Desire
- Jesus,I / Mary Star Of The Sea
- Come With Me
Free Music Notes for Mary Star of the Sea
Free Music Review: Billy Corgan's best work since Siamese Dream...or is it even better?
Hit: 5 Stars
The rebirth of the Smashing Pumpkins band name in 2007 unfortunately wedged the short-lived Zwan as a side project, or to the less generous, an afterthought in Billy Corgan's varied career. Corgan had denounced the band when he embarked on a solo career that proved even less successful and lasting than Zwan, and despite the band's sole album receiving critical acclaim, by this point Zwan is all but forgotten, which is a shame considering that they were a stronger musical unit than the Smashing Pumpkins ever were in their heyday (the Mellon Collie era arguably excepted).
None of the Zwan members seem to look back all that fondly on the experience, but they should at least be proud of Mary Star of the Sea, regrettably their only full-length release. For my money, the only Corgan release that's better and more consistent is the Smashing Pumpkins' sophomore release Siamese Dream...and as blasphemous as it sounds, there are some days where I actually prefer the Zwan record.
Most Smashing Pumpkins albums needed a couple of listens before they grew on me, but almost all of Mary Star of the Sea attracted me immediately. From the catchy, upbeat (is this really Billy Corgan?) singles "Honestly" and "Lyric," to the epic title track (mixed with an old hymn, "Jesus, I"; it certainly doesn't feel like 14 minutes) to the slower ballads like "Of a Broken Heart" and "Heartsongs," this album really delivers from one track to the next. You'll quickly find yourself playing air guitar to "Declarations of Faith" and bobbing your head to "Settle Down" and "Ride a Black Swan." But the highlight for me is "El Sol," which the credits say is a traditional hymn, although I've not been able to track down any other recordings. Certainly, they won't pack the same punch as the Zwan arrangement, which is a jaunty rocker that is sure to get stuck in your head.
Get the edition packaged with a bonus DVD--this disc essentially is a sampler of outtakes and songs that didn't find their way onto the album, and the snippets will make you hope that Billy Corgan will eventually allow bygones to be bygones and someday issue the "tons of music unreleased that will just sit in a box until [he] can stomach it."
Mary Star of the Sea Poster
Billy Corgan is back - and he smashes all rock hype into understatement with Zwan. Arena-folk-metal-punk, a rampaging triple-guitar attack and pop melodies, glam grandeur and sophisticated twists, Zwan is the band he's wanted from the moment his Smashing Pumpkins hit the big time. Reprise. 2003.Having dramatically misjudged their audience's loyalty to skewed, art-damaged heavy metal, the Smashing Pumpkins called it a day shortly after the release of 2000's low-grossing Machina/The Machines of God. Three years later, frontman Billy Corgan returns with an all-star team of mostly Chicago indie rockers at his side, including Slint/Tortoise guitarist Dave Pajo, Skunk guitarist Matt Sweeney, A Perfect Circle bassist Paz Lenchantin, and fellow Pumpkin Jimmy Chamberlain on drums. But Zwan has not blunted the singer's flamboyant edge. His bonkers vocal gymnastics and whisper-to-a-scream choruses remain at the black heart of Mary Star of the Sea, as the group works its way through the rich melodies of new classics like "Honestly" and "Endless Summer," and pleasingly shifts into downtempo mood on the gorgeous "Of a Broken Heart" and gripping "Desire." And while Corgan's tendency toward self-indulgence results in the tedious 14-minute "Jesus, I/Mary Star of the Sea," it is just a minor lapse considering the rest of the big, glamorous rock on display here. --Aidin Vaziri
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