Pumpkins Mellow With 'Adore'
The Hartford Courant
May 31, 1998
by Roger Catlin
Thanks to Sachin Bansal for the article.
When Smashing Pumpkins finally wound up its epic tour for its epic mega- selling double CD, "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness," leader Billy Corgan vowed to create something different. Something quieter, he promised; but also more electronic - something, in the final analysis, that's far from the scorching neoclassic rock strains on "Mellon Collie." He succeeds on the new "Adore" (Virgin), the 15-track fourth album from the group, now a trio. It's not uncommon following the grueling noise of an arena-filling commercial blockbuster, to seek solace, a quiet contemplation, a reconsideration when the echoes fade. "Adore," to be released Tuesday, accomplishes that with its quiet ruminations and modest, personal songs of romance. Here the world is no longer a vampire; if anything, it's a staging ground for love. Its first album minus drummer Jimmy Chamberlain, who was kicked out of the band in 1996 because of drug problems, Smashing Pumpkins reverts to its earliest beginnings, when Corgan and bassist D'arcy performed around Chicago with a drum machine Now, including Matt Cameron of Soundgarden, Matt Walker from Filter (who filled out the touring obligations) and Joey Waronker of Beck's band, some songs are so quiet, drums aren't even required. And the lockstep electronic beat of the machine works well with the washes of electronica added by Bon Harris of Nitzer Ebb. The electronic touches are artfully handled; never does Smashing Pumpkins sound forced or genre-hopping as on last years "The End is the Beginning is the End." "Adore" is a pleasing, mature step for the band, although for the other original member, James Iha, who released a solo album earlier this year, it represents a greatly diminished role; he contributed no songs and few guitar solos. When the guitar steps in, though, as on the eight-minute "For Martha," which begins and ends with a beautiful piano, it makes a point. More often on "Adore" there is the odd instrumentation, as a banjo plinking on the quiet opener, "To Sheila," bare acoustic strums on "The Tale of Dusty and Pistol Pete," more solo piano on "Annie-Dog." The rocking single "Ava Adore" is misleading in this sense. Its unconventional love declarations - "It's you I adore/You'll always be my whore" - are just about the only words sung in Corgan's familiar howl. Drum machines aside, the power chords make it sound like the Pumpkins haven't moved much further. Yet its central chorus - "We must never be apart" - is retold in the number of the songs, simple and affecting in their vulnerability. And Corgan recognizes love not just in himself but in others. In "Daphne Descends" with its delicate harmonies, he sings "You love him for yourself, you love him, and no one else." It's one of several songs on "Adore with a darker, more menacing tone." Corgan's singing on "Adore" is improved on more demanding material; he has to step back from the scream to express the more direct, personal material. Throughout he shows a mastery of pop song format, creating catchy little anthems that make the songs radio-friendly even as he toys with the teeth- bared image of Pumpkins past.