Oceania

Being an album within an album, the 13 song "Oceania" is extracted from the far bigger, still unreleased 44 song "Teargarden by Kaliedoscope" : Billy, where the hell do you find these titles? This is absurd.

Being the first Pumpkins record without Jimmy Chamberlain on drums, the Pumpkins are now, to be strict, an extension of Corgans solo identity in the rock format. Less than the traditional idea of a band, more than a solo project, The Pumpkins of 2012 are now - 25 years on - a weird prospect : much like other bands of ever rotating members - where the identity sits not in people, but in sounds and rhythms. Would you know that this lineup shares only one person with the band that recorded 2000's "Machines Of God"? Would you care? When you're in the crowd of the London O2, or the Seattle Dome, or whereever, it might be irrelevant. At least one person told me they saw Pink Floyd performing "The Wall" last year, even though not one member of the final Floyd lineup was present.

"Quasar" opens : rampaging, angry rhythms, rolling bass, growling guitars. This is how Corgan does it. The lyrics are the usual stuff : questioning, semi-sixth form poetry (not that this is a bad thing), but also spiritually stuck, dealing with the same concerns and issues he was twenty years ago. Sonically there is not much progression - and this is no bad thing either. When the template is at a certain standard, there is little refinement to make. The production is clear and dynamic with slight compression in the mastering. Whilst lacking in killer hits that are instant setlist classics, there are 13 solid songs

To be blunt though, I started to get bored on first listen. The songs all sound roughly the same with similar tempos, structures, and with no ebb and flow : it is only when the set moves into second gear with "One Diamond, One Heart" and "Pinwheels", and the palette widens to a much larger canvas, that the record lose the one dimensionality and claustrophobia the first half has. No one can deny Corgans justified passion and artistic integrity in following his vision, but perhaps it might be time for him and the Pumpkins to spread their wings a little wider, to explore the world a little more.

Until recently I wished that Billy Corgan had never reformed the Smashing Pumpkins. As a die-hard fan, the mediocrity of Zeitgeist was hard to stomach - but not half as hard as the forgettable Teargarden material that followed. Only 'The Rose March' off the American Gothic EP hinted that Corgan still had the ability to pen a good song, but even then the rest of that EP was disappointing. With each new offering, I became more and more convinced that Corgan's creative juices had run dry.

Then along came Oceania, and Corgan's claim that it was the best thing he'd done since Mellon Collie. I bought the album more in hope than expectation, deliberately ignoring the growing buzz and the free availability of the tracks online. I went in almost totally cold (I'd heard a bit of My Love Is Winter six months before, but that was the only exposure I had).

I was promptly blown away. Corgan is right: this *is* the best thing he's done since Mellon Collie.

Stylistically Oceania contains hints of earlier albums; a touch of Gish's psychedelia, a bit of Siamese Dream's sonic fuzz, some of Mellon Collie's poetry and a few of the electronic beats and loops of Adore (thankfully there's none of Zeitgeist in there). There's even a touch of Zwan about it (Corgan's ill-fated post-Pumpkins band). Yet the end result is an album that sounds completely unique; it's unquestionably a Smashing Pumpkins album, but it feels different. It feels fresh - a new start, a rebirth.

Oceania mixes quite a few different styles. Quasar is a stomping rocker, a throwback to the Gish/Siamese Dream days. The Celestials showcases the classic soft/heavy dynamic that has always been the Pumpkins' trademark. My Love Is Winter is one of the more instantaneous tracks, and is driven by Mike Byrne's energetic drumming and Corgan's soaring guitar lines. One Diamond, One Heart is packed with melody and is led by synth. Pinwheels is as diverse a track as they've ever done, opening with an electronic loop before the sweeping guitars chime in, then elegantly morphing into something pleasantly surprising. The Chimera brings both the fuzz and the groove, and packs a melodic punch.

Despite the different styles and influences, the tracks all gel nicely and there's a real feel of continuity and consistency - which hasn't always been the case with Pumpkins records (Machina, for example, is a bit of a mess in this regard). It manages to rock without being that heavy an album, and the surprising amount of synth works perfectly and isn't overbearing. Corgan's voice sounds better than it has done for years - in fact, the production is vastly superior to previous albums. The new members of the Pumpkins bring a lot to the table; Byrne's drumming is excellent, while Nicole Fiorentino's bass and backing vocals add another dimension. Most importantly, Billy Corgan has rediscovered the creative spark that drove him to write the band's earlier classic albums. He's mined it to good effect here, and actually sounds like he's enjoying himself - Oceania is a surprisingly upbeat album. The Pumpkins sound like a rejuvenated band.

Hopefully this record will herald the start of a bright new chapter in the Pumpkins' chequered history, but only time will tell. What is certain though, is that Oceania is a sterling effort and a very welcome return to form for the Pumpkins. It may have taken Corgan six years since reforming the Pumpkins to produce something worthy of the band's name, but the wait was well worth it.

OK, so I am a HUGE Pumpkins fan, and have been a fan since I first heard Mellon Collie in 1995. That album blew me away, and they became my favorite band instantly. Since then I have bought everything I could find including all albums, demos, dvds, unreleased stuff, live albums etc. And for me every album is a 5 star album apart from Adore (4 stars) and the disappointing Zeitgeist (3 stars.) And so after Zeitgeist I had fairly low expectations for Oceania. I didn't enjoy previous Teargarden releases, and it seemed to me that the band's best day's were behind them. Billy has reinvented the band with new members after Jimmy Chamberlin left, including an excellent young drummer Mike Byrne. First of all Oceania sounds like a proper Smashing Pumpkins album. Billy has taken inspiration from his previous Pumpkins albums and somehow mixed them all together to make something new, but at the same time recognizable as the Smashing Pumpkins. Back is the emotion of Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie, back are the synth's from Adore. Back is the psychedelia of Gish etc. Yes Corgan has really brought the focus back with the new line-up. Oceania may not be a Mellon-Collie, but it is a very solid album. I have listened through the album 6 or so times so far and I am surprised at just how good it is. Oceania comfortably sits alongside other classic albums like Machina, Gish, and Pisces Iscariot as a very good Smashing Pumpkins album. And let's be honest, who saw that coming? I didn't!