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Andrew Johnson Layout Editor Young and with an uncertain future, Billy Corgan makes a promise to Matt Sweeney that the two of them will, one day, grace a stage together. Once the Smashing Pumpkins began making hits, one would think that this promise would be lost, as if it were nothing more than a dream. However, Corgan capitalized on SP's demise (in 2001) and fulfilled his promise.
Zwan boasts a resume as expansive as Corgan's hair (OK, maybe a little more expansive). Members of Zwan have played in, Smashing Pumpkins, Chavez, Papa M, A Perfect Circle, Slint, Tortoise, and King Kong. Many writers have theorized that a large part of Pumpkin's break-up was that Corgan felt constricted in writing songs that followed the Pumpkin's style. Consistent with this idea, Zwan's debut disk, "Mary Star of the Sea," trails back to a basic rock sound. However, true Pumpkins fans will undoubtedly notice a resemblance to, SP's first album, "Gish." Also tying Zwan with the Pumpkins are the slightly toned down, jazz-inspired flurry of drums that Chamberlin is famous for. All in all, classifying Zwan is an almost impossible task, there is little doubt that Zwan will satisfy any Pumpkins fan. Reprise Records released the long-awaited "Mary Star of the Sea" Tuesday, and it lives up to all expectations. Beginning with "Lyric," this album is quick to boast, not only Corgan's, but also Lenchantin's unique voices. "Lyric" has the usual first-track rhythm and beat. Quickly following this is "Settle Down," a graceful and "feel-good" song. This song reminds me of the Christian Rock-style of soft guitars in the background and a repeating chorus. Following this style is "Declaration of Faith," the first obviously "worship" song. Corgan repeats, "I declare myself, declare myself of faith," then enters into a chorus which gets you feeling good all over. This is also the first song that highlights Chamberlin's thunder, if even in the background. The fourth track, "Honestly," has received much air time on local stations. "Honestly" is the first track to highlight the diverse guitar sounds that should have played a much larger part of "Mary Star of the Sea." "El Sol" and "Of a Broken Heart" are perhaps the most poetic songs on the track, assuming you consider Corgan's style of writing poetry. "Ride a Black Swan" has a great melody to it and also is a bit of flexing for Chamberlin. This is the type of song that, while listening to it, you will inevitably find yourself making drumming motions on your dashboard. "Heartsong" is a welcoming ballad that reminds the listener of the smooth style that began this disk. While a great song, it is not stretched at a little over two and a half minutes. As quickly as it slowed down, "Endless Summer" speeds the CD up. This song is about summer vacations and summer loves. "Baby Let's Rock!" is the best on the album. The short, repetitive melody and lyrics, "Baby I'm the greatest thing you've got, in a good way, I suppose," could sit on repeat for hours in my truck. "Jesus I/Mary Star of the Sea" is basically the farthest from Smashing Pumpkins the disk ever gets. With the length of the song, some will think that Zwan was trying to fill up the CD before the end of the album. In closing, "Come With Me" offers a subtle harmonica/guitar background. It is a return to the soft feel that I now associate with Zwan. For all summation, yes Billy Corgan has returned, with fires-a-blazin'. Yet, with the track record that these five musicians bring to the stage, who is really surprised? © 2003 Shoreline Community College™ |
