Smashing Pumpkins: Monuments To An Elegy

Updated:

August 17, 2021 9:25 am

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Smashing Pumpkins
Monuments to an Elegy
(BMG Rights Management)
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Smashing Pumpkins frontman/founder Billy Corgan may not have released many albums over the decades; this is only his eighth under the band’s name in the nearly quarter century since 1991’s Gish debut, although a solo set and another band called Zwan also vied for his attention. But he has doggedly crafted his distinctive widescreen thunder over the years. Those love ‘em-or-hate ‘em constricted vocals meshed with cascading washes of guitars, synths and thundering drums pounding out songs about … well it’s tough to understand what they are about … but you get the impression Corgan knows. What he hasn’t been is concise. Double albums, box sets, extended songs and complex, prog-like arrangements make listening to some Smashing Pumpkins albums a chore, albeit one that yields occasional sonic pleasures.

But on the tiresomely titled Monuments to an Elegy, Corgan tightens up his tunes, keeps his wandering lyrics in check and loosens his overall approach with impressive results. Only one of the nine songs breaks the four minute barrier with the whole album clocking in at just over a half hour. Previously, there were outtakes and B sides that were longer than that and the deluxe edition of Adore ran 6 discs. Although tagged as a Pumpkins project featuring drums from Motley Crue’s Tommy Lee, it remains, like most recent Pumpkins’ releases, a Corgan solo venture in all but name.

The auteur seems happier as his tunes have shortened, and there is a freer, almost spirited vibe to the album, something that wasn’t typically associated with Corgan in the past. He appears to be enjoying himself and isn’t as concerned about making a “big statement” with music that isn’t as overcooked, some might say pretentious, as much of his catalog. The sound remains big and husky as on the rocking “One and All,” but it’s more direct, less cluttered, over-dubbed and tedious, especially noticeable on the flowing ballad “Being Beige,” the first single.

At this stage, you’re either a fan or have decided to leave these pumpkins squashed on the porch of rock history. For those in the former category, this is Billy Corgan at his most playful and, well, enjoyable. It’s a side of the too-much-is-never-enough musician that we have seen far too little of.