UP NEXT!
I'm kicking off the weekend with Four-For-Friday featuring the four bands that I will see this weekend.
Despite all my rage about my age, I’m kicking off my birthday weekend with Smashing Pumpkins’ Bullets With Butterfly Wings (aka Rat In A Cage).
I am kicking off Riot Fest weekend with a band that I have never seen and have always hoped would play at Riot Fest, Smashing Pumpkins.
And I’m seeing them Tonight, Tonight!
Well I think the new Smashing Pumpkins album is not too shabby. With Billy Corgan reuniting James Iha and Jimmy Chamberlain from the original line up, and including Jeff Schroeder from the most recent line up, the album Shiny and Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 / LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun. has a nice sound compacted into a quick 8 songs and about 30 minutes. (So I guess maybe one can presume this is really a half-album, with Vol. 2 forthcoming.) I was a bit surprised to see a number of articles panning the album. (Particularly the one from Pitchfork, which never seems to pan any albums.) I think the key for me is that when they were at their Rock-god peak back in the early 90′s, I listened to them but thought they were over rated. Since they have put that era behind them, I found I can simply listen to them as a good Rock band and appreciate most everything they release, rather than expecting them to return to a perceived one-time greatness. I think perhaps early hard core fans set the bar a bit too high.
The article in Spin is a positive one.
I’m kicking off the weekend with the Smashing Pumpkins song Quasar from their fine album, Oceania. PLAY IT LOUD!!!
Yes I understand Yes I know thy will Yes I am one man