Pros: Seamless. Painstakingly crafted soundscape. Corgan's voice compliments the music.
Cons: That this album was released after I'd endured a Pumpkins concert; by the speakers.
The Bottom Line: The only Smashing Pumpkins album I'd recommend because it's the only one I own (I think). Great album, even for someone with little or no knowledge of the Pumpkins' music.
dxbari's Full Review: Adore by The Smashing Pumpkins
This is the only Pumpkins album I own, and may ever own. Okay, I think I own two, the followup to this one I think. It was dirt'e cheap for some reason so I picked it up on a lark, but who knows where it went. But back to this one, or the band rather. How much do I like the Smashing Pumpkins? Back in the mid-90's, I walked out of one of their concerts after cringing for an hour. I just took that as my punishment for running late and missing Garbage's opening set (got there just in time to hear them clapping as Shirley marched off). Wound up sitting right by the upper deck speakers after I bought a shirt or two and decided to stick around so it wouldn't be a total waste of time. Some nights, when it's really quiet, I think my ears are still ringing with that sound of a cat being wrung through a strainer. No, wait, that was singing. Anyhow, so, yeah, that's how much I like the Pumpkins...
Except, for the album known as Adore.
I can't exactly type for you the according to Hoyle history of the Smashing Pumpkins, but there are plenty of fans who've written stellar reviews here that can tell you that. I'm just going to talk about what made me pick up an album by a band that really was not on my happy list because A) I wasn't crazy about there music, ever and B) The little happy trails anecdote from above. From my standpoint, it's purely a question of mood. The album is relentless on atmosphere. It's dark, it's lush, it's complimentary to his voice. About the voice thing, I like a lot of bands that have a singer with a "unique" quality to the singing. Heck, I'm crazy about Lush's music (long after their demise)and they had to have been tone deaf. There was just something about the voice that just made my skin crawl. Before I go any further, here's my disclaimer: "To all Smashing Pumpkins fans, I am not Pumpkins bashing. I just got off on a rant. I agree the band deserved the accolades it received, but they're just not my cup of tea."
Now when the album cues up, the first song is a little suspect. When I saw the "Ava Adore" video on tv (back in 1998, I suppose) I was not expecting to hear that sort of song when I hit the listening booth. The fact I was at the music shop with the album in hand was shocking enough, but there was something in "AA" that really struck a chord in me at the time (and still does once in a great while). Back to "Sheila", I wasn't too keen on it when I first bought the CD, but having had the album for several years and a chance to absorb it, it's a great way to start. But when the next track, yes, "Ava Adore", hits it's like a tidal wave slamming on shore. The song absolutely kicks [all kinds of things] and I could play it on repeat for hours, trust me, I've been doing that the last few days. The beat is infectious, and Corgan's voice is about as good as it gets if you're not a fan of it. The key is if you can imagine it sung by anybody else, and the answer on this track is "nope". It also helps that the beat reminds me of "Let's Go All the Way" from the mid-80's. I'd forgotten who did the song, but a quick web search reveals a Sly Fox circa 1985. "Perfect" really isn't my kind of song, which figures since I hear it's the track most like vintage Pumpkins. "Daphne Decends" has really grown on me, and is now on the "repeat list". The driving pulse of the beat really picks it up notch.
A few of the other reviews on this album cite a sense of monotony because the songs blend so well, but hey, did Van Gogh paint half of the Starry Night orange just for contrast? "Perfect" was a contrast and personally I think it's the only black mark on the album. "Once Upon a Time" is nice if a little trite, but only because three seconds into the gloomy "Tear" it's forgotten. "Tear" is a full-on dirge that will give you 'tude if you didn't have one before it started. The next three tracks are good but not great (compared to the genius at work all over the album), and "Pug" does pick things up a bit. It's catchy, but it's not one I'll settle on for any length of time. It reminds me a bit of a Garbage track I can't quite place, but knowing Vig and co. the influence is probably the other way around. Now the second half of the album is where things really hit their stride. It's dark, quiet, and a little disturbing. But great. Take out "Shame" and it would be flawless. "Shame", Track 12, isn't a bad song but it brings the album to a halt before rolling into the beautiful piano laden "For Martha". "Pistol Pete" and "Annie Dog" (fairly grisly imagery, that one) are a great pair if a little cryptic, Track 13 is a nice bridge and "Blank Page" is stark and real heading out to "17"; the super short ending track. I personally don't have any beef with the 17 second finale. There's something very compelling about how the music glides off somewhere in the distance before it abruptly ends. Almost haunting. It's as if the album is saying it's taken you on this expansive and visceral journey within its vision and yours, and there's still more out there, somewhere--but not right now. Some folks have written that the album is too long, but I'd say the album was solid and could've even stood to have been longer if they'd wanted to flesh out the last track.
Complete Tracklist:
1. To Shelia - [4/5]
2. Ava Adore - [5/5]
3. Perfect - [3.5/5]
4. Daphne Descends - [5/5]
5. Once Upon A Time - [4/5]
6. Tear - [5/5]
7. Crestfallen - [4/5]
8. Appels Oranjes - [4/5]
9. Pug - [4.5/5]
10. The Tale Of Dusty And Pistol Pete - [4.5/5]
11. Annie-Dog - [5/5]
12. Shame - [4/5]
13. Behold! The Night Mare - [4.5/5]
14. For Martha - [5/5]
15. Blank Page - [5/5]
16. 17 - [NR]
It's my understanding that this band is actually no longer around. I still read enough about the goings-on in music to have picked up that much. I think Corgan fronts a band named Zwan now. For this album, if the Pumpkins are really through, this isn't a bad piece to the puzzle that comprised their careers. It's the Pumpkins album for folks who don't like the Pumpkins. Somehow I think someone will read this and be able to make sense of that statement. From "Ava Adore" to "Daphne Decends" and "Tear" straight on through the second half of the album, it's tough to go wrong. This is the Smashing Pumpkins' Monster, and it is unapologetically the album that dared to be different. The subsequent album they released may have gone further in this direction, but I am not at liberty to say one way or the other based on the once or twice it was listened to halfway through. For me, lightning didn't strike twice. However, Adore is worth the price of admission and more. I'm not saying I was "wrong" about the Pumpkins all that time, but I will say that this is a time capsule-quality album, imo. Worth a place in any Modern Rock collection, fan of the band or no.
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