Zeitgeist
by Smashing Pumpkins

Album details

US: 10 July 2007 on Reprise
UK: 9 July 2007 on Warner

The band’s first release since 2000 returns only head Pumpkin Billy Corgan and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin to the lineup, joined by three new members. Note that the tracklisting varies depending on whether you purchase the album at Target, Best Buy, iTunes, or elsewhere (if you live in an area that still has elsewheres).

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The critical consensus

Corgan–and the more political than normal subject matter–proved to be divisive for the reviewers. Some, like the Sun-Times’ Jim DeRogatis, couldn’t resolve the two sides of the Pumpkins even for himself: "Yep, it sure sounds like the Pumpkins of yore, veering wildly from laser-focused precision to wretched over-indulgence, and from pretentious, preachy pronouncements to simple declarations of heartfelt sincerity — all in one messy and confusing package that will prompt as many people to hate them as love them."

Although Billboard says, "Corgan’s rock tracks sound weirdly thin," Pitchfork and others disagree, althought he Fork also finds the disc "one-dimensional." All Music Guide calls Zeitgeist "the hardest, heaviest Pumpkins album ever," but also far from the best Pumpkins album ever, faulting both Corgan’s lyrics and the album’s "digitally dulled sound." Amazon disagrees on both counts, insisting that "Corgan’s grown into a more powerful wordsmith" and that the album is a "smashing success." Spin also hears a "blistering set of tunes" with Corgan "rediscovering his strengths," and Uncut opines that "it’s good to have him back." Rolling Stone calls Zeitgeist "the least self-absorbed record Corgan has ever written," which is actually part of a glowing review.

The Voice and The New York Times both like the harder-edged music but not the bald one’s songwriting, and the BBC similarly finds the album to be a success in spite of Corgan, saying that "the music pummels away with no mercy." The best the Guardian can say is that "there’s some fun to be had from Zeitgeist, albeit in small quantities." NME adds, "for those who grew up on ‘Today’, ‘1979′ and ‘Ava Adore’, you’re better left with your memories." Likewise, the Chicago Tribune’s Greg Kot finds the new Pumpkins inferior to not just the old Pumpkins, but to their latter-day successors My Chemical Romance, AFI and Fall Out Boy. Similarly, the Washington Post compares Zeitgeist to "a middling late-’90s Pumpkins disc without an iconic hit." The Hartford Courant laments that the "mostly hook-free" songs are "uninspiring," while Now calls it "no-frills rawk that’s been dumbed down for mass consumption." And Delusions of Adequacy determines that Zeitgeist is "easily on par with Corgan’s solo record as one of the worst things he has ever done."

If there’s any consolation for die-hard Pumpkins fans, it might be that virtually every critic praised Chamberlain’s drumming.

Never has [Corgan] seemed less relevant or interesting than he does here.

-All Music Guide

Review roundup

Tracklisting and media

1. Doomsday Clock
2. 7 Shades of Black
3. Bleeding the Orchid
4. That’s the Way (My Love Is)
5. Tarantula
   
   
6. Starz
7. United States
   (Live performance:)
   
   
   
8. Neverlost
9. Bring the Light
10. (Come on) Let’s Go!
11. For God and Country
12. Pomp and Circumstances

(Tracklisting varies by retailer.)

Also on the web

• Official Artist Site
• Smashing Pumpkins @ MySpace