Zwan- Mary Star Of The Sea Review (Smashing Pumpkins in general)

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Product:	Smashing Pumpkins in general
Date:	26/01/03 (43 review reads)
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Advantages: Lush harmonics, Hit Singles, It sounds like Ash

Disadvantages: Too epical?

This album is out mid-February, and may well be the first truly GREAT record of 2003. Not only a welcome return for Billy Corgan back to musical heaven but also a huge step forward from Corgan's old band The Smashing Pumpkins musically, lyrically and in scope.

In essence, this is actually a re-working of the bible, ending with the birth of Jesus. Now, if you ask me, that is as thematically big as it gets. I mean, although Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness (The Pumpkins' celebrated double album) was a tour de force of brilliance and excess, it boasted not one single common theme. It just makes you wonder what is to come from Zwan, after a debut album that is so full of scope as this. Mary Star Of The Sea is a rock masterpiece, up there with Ok Computer, Pinkerton and Nevermind.

It is packed full of huge ideas, rollicking guitar solos like they used to make them and heavy handed grunge riffing. To cut the crap, this album will become a classic in the next few years. Now, on to the review.

So, what do Zwan actually sound like? Well, I personally was very eager to know as well, after Billy left us with the acoustic/electric double whammy of The Pumpkins' last two efforts Adore (highly underrated) and Machina/The Machines Of God. Well, Zwan sound nothing like The Smashing Pumpkins. Put your mind to the poppiest, most radio friendly songs on Siamese Dream (i.e. Today, Cherub Rock) and mix that in with the bubblegum punk of Nirvana (Nevermind-era) and add a slap-dash of Ash's pop sensibilities, Radiohead's scope and Weezer's hectic guitar solos and out of the blender comes Zwan, but only with original songs that could have only been made by somebody as bloated as Billy Corgan.

Starting with Lyric, we immediately know we are in for a religious ride. Over Beach Boys harmonics and a riff that sounds like the musical brethren in spirit to Ash's A Life Less Ordinary, Corgan announces "Here comes my faith,
to carry me away". And then the true distortion, drums and basslines kick in with a rollicking mid-section and emerging into a rhythmic chorus of "A Lyric, A Time" with Corgan finishing with "You'll never get out". The song sounds fresh, abundant and bursting with the life that was so lacking from The Smashing Pumpkins' records. It is neither morbid, nor feel good. It is more of a confident, serious opener that sets down the pagan-like spirit of this record.

Further excellent tracks follow but when this album really becomes a true classic is when on track 2, Settle Down, Corgan emerges with the best chorus, most melodic hook line he has ever produced. "Settle down, settle down without you, settle down, I'll settle down for good" under a pulsating bass riff, a spiralling guitar note progression and screaming guitar lines. Soon crazy guitar solos emerge, spiralling out of control, flying off in all directions and occassionnally colliding to create beautiful twin guitar melodies.

And if crazy rock is your thing then look no further than this album for pure pop pleasure. The lovely, opening guitar jangle of Baby Let's Rock morphs into a huge blues guitar riff before gospel choris kick in towards the chorus "Baby it is time to love, so go and grab your new shoes, baby let's rock". The lyrics such as "baby i'm the greatest thing you got" an the lovely, tune is reminiscent of, as previously mentioned, Ash while the stop start nature comes straight from Rivers Cuomo's mind.

Yeah is a lovely ode to '60s pop starting with just a jangly Telecaster guitar with Corgan repeatedly ushering in "Yeah", strings soon follow briefly until the song breaks into distortion back by a spirally guitar solo sonata. The chorus "You are my fault" and the ending line "What I want you can't f**king kill" sound so great backed bythe feel-good music a
nd serious charm and the charisma in Corgan's voice.

Ride A Black Heart starts with just guitar and Billie singing "A black swan rode me into" and then army-style drums kick in. The real power though come in the chorus, with another ode to saving your love and keeping your faith: "as the world goes round, it's got me thinking, that the things i want, just keep me sinking down". The song is just beautiful pop music with distorted guitars. However, it does have a tinge of emo.

The emo sound really comes out on show-stopper Declarations Of Faith, the flip-side to The Pumpkins' Today. Starting with the depressing line "this man you love, this boy you hate", it emerges into the line "I declare myself of faith" before emerging into a huge, bellowy, summer-tinged chorus of "maybe we were born to kiss one another, maybe we were born to love one another, whatever". The world has no justice if when this song is released as a single, and it will, that it will become a huge hit.

However, the album's two biggest radio friendly tracks are first single Honestly and Endless Summer. Compared with the other tracks on this album, Honestly is a disappointing choice for first single but good nonetheless. Another huge stadium chant of a chorus, backed by a mid-tempo beat and lush guitar melodies follow but it is Endless Summer that happens to not only be one of the best rock songs Corgan has made, but one of the best rock songs of at least the past twenty years. The opening line is beautiful, tinged with tears and love and warmth. It seems like Endless Summer was what pop was made for, pure emotion. And by the time the chorus is reached of "an endless summer", backed by huge monstrous guitars the song has already become a classic. But just as the chorus finishes, an even more beautiful chorus emerges immediately afterwards of "let me go and waste some time" over twangly guitar
s, and vibrato guitar solos.

The rest of the album is divided up into either semi-ballads like the beautiful, lush, orchestral Desire ("Northern Star, am I frightened, where can I go to rest") which even surpasses The Pumpkins' own Tonight Tonight or the acoustic ender Come With Me, that is strangely reminiscent of The Beatles and Bob Dylan. Utilising a harmonica to full effect, and having some electronic effects the song buildsup into another massive chorus of "stay the night, stay all your life, just come with me".

However, it is left to Jesus I/Mary Star Of The Sea to become the most epical, hardest and technically magnificent song, heralding the birth of Jesus. It is a sourteen minute epic, building up from acoustic guitars to the hardest riffs on this album, boasting at least twenty different lush harmonies. It is a wonder, like the feel good version of Radiohead's Ok Computer.

Ok, I've dragged on a bit. All in all, religion or not, this is one of the most feel-good, hit packed and strangest albums of the past few years. When this is released February 11th (or something like that), it would be a good idea to buy it before it becomes a huge hit and becomes hugely overpriced (for example, Nevermind HMV price is now £16.99)

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Chow, Pinkertonisrad

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