Zeitgeist: The Early Review

There’s an inherent problem with band reunions, reformations, and renovations. Expectations can fly around everywhere, soaring and plummeting like vultures on crack. Chris Cornell and the majority of Rage Against the Machine put together? What could go wrong? Oh wait…there was that complete lack of creativity and passion, leading to Audioslave becoming one of those gateway bands you listen to in middle school and look back on years later, thinking, “This was what I adored?” Then there’s the likes of the New Pornographers, a band so random in its main elements (Neko Case’s gorgeous country vocals, A. C Newman’s love of old-school pop, and Bejar’s pseudo-Bowie insanity) that it’s a wonder that it’s become arguably the best supergroup on the market.

So when Billy Corgan placed that ad in that Chicago newspaper right after his shitty, shitty solo album debuted, Pumpkinheads around the world were all chattering amongst themselves. Will D’Arcy be back? Have Corgan and Iha buried the hatchet? Slowly everyone realized that only Jimmy Chamberlin would return, because he’s the only person who doesn’t have an intense hatred for Corgan, and that Random Bass-playing chick #3 would replace D’Arcy, and a John Cussack look-alike would replace Iha.

But enough of all of this introduction bull, what about the album? What about the album that the world has been fighting itself over, one half hoping for a return to the mid-90’s Pumpkins and the rest not caring? Finally, about a week prior to release, it has leaked, and despite the early promise of the lead single “Tarantula,” Zeitgeist does indeed disappoint. The problem is that the Pumpkins originally had this sort of underdog feel to them, this outsider vibe that Corgan based his strange views of love and lonliness upon. Yes, he was emo, but the way in which he expressed his angst, through a bizarre mix of brutal area-rock and soft, playful love songs, was fresh and in the end, uplifting. Headbangers could ignore numbers like “Tonight, Tonight” and “Thirty-Three” and still be pleased by the monstrous riffs of “Bodies” and “Zero.” The freaks and ghouls appreciated Corgan’s acceptance of his eccentric tastes, even when he put down the guitar and took up the goth pop of Adore that incredibly underrated album that signaled the end of the Pumpkins’ mainstream success.

So how is it that Corgan, who once made the gigantic 28 song Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness and the five EPs that followed, who wrote an incredibly song about his mentally troubled brother, and who could even make a song titled “Mayonnaise” into a fantastic rocker, make an album that makes the listener feel so little? It’s obvious that Corgan wants to be popular again, the predominance of the guitars and sing-along choruses on Zeitgeist make that obvious, but he’s trying to attain popular success only by retaining the superficial elements that made the Pumpkins popular. The guitars are just there; hitting the same notes on every song, seemingly a distant echo of solos and riffs long since delegated to the past. The lyrics are bland, with Corgan channeling Earth, Wind, and Fire by reassuring us that “We all are stars.”

Since the cover art of the statue of liberty drowning in a red sea debuted, I had been hoping that perhaps, Zeitgeist would be driven by the themes relevant to this era, isolation in an age of connectivity, fear of the future, paranoia about the present. Instead, he sings about loving someone because he’s alive on “That’s the Way (My Love Is)” and shouts “(Come On) Let’s Go!” Just so Mr. Corgan knows, parenthesis in song titles is nearly always retarded, no matter how many white robes and capes you may wear. I’ve been listening to a lot of Eels lately, and though E may have some cheesy lyrics, at least when he sings about the way he loves on “Ugly Love,” it seems earnest and heartfelt. Corgan, throughout the album, verges on near parody, seemingly reading the lyrics off of a teleprompter and yelping, whining, and growling at all the appropriate times without the actual soul that gave his voice such conviction years and years ago. Even MACHINA II, that never released sequel to the disaster that was MACHINA I had more soul and more energy in it than Zeitgiest does.

So for a quick rundown of the album…
1. Doomsday Clock- A rather simple rocker, but still likeable nonetheless.
2. 7 Shades of Black- A very good chorus highlighting Corgan’s big-headed, do-it-yourself attitude split up by up-tempo verses that get the job done.
3. Bleeding the Orchid- Other than Tarantula, this is easily my favorite track off of the album. It’s the only one that actually seems to contain any sort of buildup and emotional weight, with Corgan attacking those who bleed whatever the orchid is (I’d like the think it’s a political metaphor, but knowing Corgan, it’s probably about people being mean to him). Also, Corgan sings along with himself, leading me to question whether or not he’s been cloned.
4. That’s the Way (My Love Is)- Despite having stupid lyrics, it reminds me of the lighter songs off of MACHINA I like “Try, Try, Try,” and “This Time,” both of which I thought were great. Plus 10 points for sounding like a song I like.
5. Tarantula- Everyone’s heard it, it’s all over the radio, and it’s a great song.
6. Starz- I don’t want Billy Corgan to tell me I’m a star. I want him to tell me that emptiness is loneliness and loneliness is cleanliness, etc. However, the guitar is pretty good.
7. United States- A 10 minute deluge of boredom until the last third, when the pace picks up, Corgan stops saying “revolution” over and over again, and you know it’ll soon be time for a new song.
8. Neverlost- The opening riff for this is so stolen from a Red Hot Chili Peppers song. It has to be. I can’t place it right now, but it’s totally from a Peppers song. And, since Peppers aren’t Pumpkins, this song feels very out of place.
9. Bring The Light- Yeah, we get it Corgan. You’re happy. You’ve never felt so good. Honestly, I think this song is probably going to be the second single. It just feels right. It’s not the old Pumpkins, but it’s catchy enough to be respected. The riff feels like U2 though…
10. (Come On) Let’s Go!- What do you get if you mix Mellon Collie’s guitars with a poorly written song? This.
11. For God and Country- It’s good enough. Not much really to say about it.
12. Pomp and Circumstances- Dumb song, singing stolen from the Flaming Lips, but somehow it kinda works. Don’t ask me how.

FINAL VERDICT: 6/10, a bit above average simply because I loved the Pumpkins. At the end of the album, you’ll be hard-pressed to remember one moment when you went “WOW! That’s amazing!” or even, “Wow,” for that matter. And then you’ll queue up Siamese Dream and it’ll be all okay.