Newlywed, Old Flame

Yes, indeed, Alison and I were married on 07.07.2007. It was a great, amazing day. For more details, check out my Facebook, as many people have posted pictures and such.

But now, as I celebrate my 3-day anniversary, an old flame has turned up at my doorstep. After dumping me rudely in 2000, he has spent the last 7 years giving me the runaround, and more often than not making a fool of himself. Now, he's back again and is asking my forgiveness, and I'm not sure if I can:

Billy Corgan has always been known to be an ego maniacal control freak when it comes to his intellectual property. Rumors of him overdubbing his band mates tracks on albums in order to achieve the sound he wants were rampant, probably true, and his micro-management was no doubt the downfall of this great band. But up until now, it was never admitted in print.

On the credits page of the liner notes of Zeitgeist, it says: "songs by William Patrick Corgan, performed artfully by Jimmy Chamberlain - Drums/Billy Corgan - All the Rest."

So be forewarned, you are getting unquestioned, unfiltered, unadulterated Corgan circa 2007, and he is not the same monster he was 10 years ago. 13 years of angst-ridden, rageful wailing have left his voice thin and unresonant. Having overcome all of his personal problems -- thanking first and foremost "God, Jesus Christ, Mother Mary," in the liner notes --, the lyrics, once poetic sonnets of personal strife are now half-hearted, 5 years too late political statements and passionless love songs.

That's not to say that Corgan and Chamberlain aren't still formidable musical powers. I still consider them tops at what they do, and consider them able of retaining the respectable image of the Pumpkins by finding new ground to break on future efforts, but Zeitgeist is nothing more than a half-baked re-hashing of sounds from the past.

It's not the worst album in the world. It's not always painful to listen to. There are a few good tracks on it. It will probably grow on me more after some more listens. However, to listen to their other studio releases, you will see 7 unique opuses, each with their own different attitude, and that ingenuity is what made the Pumpkins amazing. This album is stuck in nostalgia, afraid to tread new ground. With any luck, B&C are still shaking the rust off after 7 years, and will remember what it's like to be the Pumpkins again. Maybe they'll have it figured out when I see them in concert in October.