This Departure Is Not So Smashing

The Smashing Pumpkins “Adore”

The Smashing Pumpkins last album, “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness” undoubtedly left a mark on the epic rock album chart. But that’s not all. It also carried the loose theme of mimicking the volatile moods of a 15-year-old.

I just happened to be caught in the middle of this age when “Mellon Collie” was released and I found solace in this particular band and all their albums as well. I have since become the transcendental Smashing Pumpkins fan.

Lead singer Billy Corgan’s shoe size? I know it. Guitarist James Iha’s favorite food? I know that, too. I currently own somewhere between 50-60 Smashing Pumpkins recordings. Hopefully this will give you somewhat of an idea as to the degree of anticipation on my part for the release of the Pumpkins latest effort, “Adore.”

The release date has come and gone and, sadly, I’m still waiting for “Adore” to grow on me.

It’s not hard to see why “Adore” is the way it is: quiet, contemplative, modest. After selling millions of records containing hard, neoclassic rock, there comes a time for change and reconsideration. “Adore” departs from furious, roaring guitar on “Tales of a Scorched Earth” and enters into “Once Upon a Time” with lockstep drum machine beats, banjo and romantic piano. The band actually seems to reminisce back into the formative days when there was only a drum machine accompanying Corgan, Iha and bassist D’Arcy. Maybe it’s because currently the Pumpkins don’t even have a full-time drummer.

After Jimmy Chamberlin was kicked out of the band last year, it has seen quite a few sit-in drummers, including Matt Walker from Filter, who filled Jimmy’s spot on last year’s tour, and Matt Cameron, from the late Soundgarden.

The electronic additions (there are many) are certainly well-handled, but when I listen to “Adore,” I keep wondering, “So when is this gonna start rocking?”

So there’s no fat-bottomed rocking guitar-and-drum powered songs. All is not lost, though. Well, no one can say that Corgan has a typically beautiful singing voice either, but this is pushed aside by the impact of his lyrical talent.

Death and love parallel each other on “Adore.” The song “To Martha” is attributed to Corgan’s mother who died of cancer last summer. Most of the songs battle over whether love is good or evil, like the deceivingly intense single “Ava Adore.”

“Adore” was written to be completely different from anything that the Smashing Pumpkins have ever done. Corgan has stated this in numerous interviews. When this is taken into account, “Adore” can be respected. It is a mature step in the band’s career. The songs are wholly simple but not unaffecting.

The biggest thing that this album proves to me is that the Smashing Pumpkins can master a huge range of formats and do it relatively well.

To the casual listener or the devoted follower, “Adore” will be a shock. While I enjoy it for what it is, I’m wishing for at least one more serious rock album from the band.