The Smashing Pumpkins, SHINY AND OH SO BRIGHT, Album Review
The Smashing Pumpkins
SHINY AND OH SO BRIGHT
Album Review
Fully named "SHINY AND OH SO BRIGHT VOL 1/LP: NO PAST. NO FUTURE. NO SUN.", this is the newest full length record from The Smashing Pumpkins; a band who I more or less remember fondly for their older hits such as "Today", "Cherub Rock", "1979", "Bullet With Butterfly Wings" and many more. I admittedly hadn't been listening to their more later work, most notably their 2014 release "Monuments To An Elegy" which was their previous full album to the one I am reviewing today. I saw "SHINY AND OH SO BRIGHT" as an opportunity to rekindle my interest in the band and discover if they've still got what it takes, and for the most part, I was impressed.
I loved The Smashing Pumpkins for the way that their musical library was so abundant with a mixture of both heavy and softer tracks with some of their hits even being a masterful blend of both. And I would argue that this specialty continues with this album. It has a solid range of tracks with the different qualities I had earlier mentioned. There was also a high level of nostalgia that I felt when listening to this record, reminding me of when the band was relatively new to me and I was discovering and enjoying their greatest hits one by one. However, there is some sense of a more current sound. But whether this is a refinement or a sense of loss in terms of what the band really wants is yet for me to figure out.
The teaser track that I was lucky enough to find before the albums release also happens to be the albums first listed track, so I shall begin with said track. Titled "Knights of Malta", it most likely caught my attention thanks to my Maltese heritage. It has a very positive energy as well as a hint of epic ness to it thanks to the strings that can be heard mainly throughout the songs respective choruses. The bass riffs are also very good and Billy Corgan's vocals sound a lot clearer (but also a tiny bit softer). But all in all, I found that it did a brilliant job in terms of setting me up to be in the kind of mood that would let me enjoy the rest of the album easily.
The next track, "Silvery Sometimes (Ghosts)" also has quite a feel-good energy to it, but more so in the rhythm this time around. Speaking of which, said rhythm as well as the strings reminded me a little of "1979". I think this led to the track feeling a lot more nostalgic. I also really love the vocal melody in this track as it really give's the track a much catchier quality. There are also some elements in the melody however that do feel a little melancholy as well, giving the track this very captivating bittersweet atmosphere.
The following track "Travels" does also carry the same sort of quality as the last track and does feel genuinely pleasant to listen to. However, I just feels like its a little bit overextended just for the sake of being so and furthermore, felt like a track that overstayed its welcome a little. I would enjoy it a lot more if only it was a verse shorter. But for those who do really enjoy any kind of heartfelt ballad, I would still recommend giving this track a listen.
"Solara" is another new track that reminds me of an older one. With a type of buildup similar to that of "An Ode To No One", its fair to say that this song definitely carries through a similar level of energy as some of their more energetic classics. It definitely has this sort of post-grunge element to the whole thing that honestly rivals a lot of official post-grunge songs (or those that try to be) released in recent years. In that respect of being "grunge", this track executes it in a very authentic way, which is only another element that contributes to the whole nostalgia-factor of this record.
I also really enjoyed the next track, "Alienation" despite it being possibly the furthest in terms of style from anything the band have done prior. It feels like much more of a ballad and something one might imagine them playing to a bustling crowd at their next festival show. It also has a very nice sense o progression, with a clearer rhythm kicking in only in the second verse. The way I feel about the vocal melody is also the same as what I mentioned about "Slivery Sometimes (Ghosts)". And despite only being a little bit shorter in duration than "Travels", I feel that this song has enough going for it to be a bit more of a longer one.
"Marchin' On" has to be the best of the energetic tracks on this album. I can't ignore just how engaging this track is while also having some various melodic elements that make it a lot more epic. Those kind of tracks that are both epic and heavy seem to come very rarely nowadays in my mind. In short, this is just an awesome track and I love it!
From one of my favourite tracks to one of the least, "With Sympathy" feels very dull to listen to. Its dreary riff, its less fluid vocals and its basic rhythm all contribute to this song lacking any form of spirit that I had grown so accustomed to at this point. Pretty mush the whole album before this just felt full of life, and this was unfortunately a moment where the immersion dwindled for me.
This albums final track "Seek and You Shall Destroy" ends the record on a more energetic note, being the third and final "heavy" track. Beginning with a pretty cool guitar riff, this leads into a good verse with some pretty engaging vocals. And while I thought the choruses were a little less effective, it still didn't stop me from enjoying the track. I honestly could think of better tracks on this album but nevertheless, this track was a pretty good way to finish the experience of.
Overall, while this album felt a little bit on the short side (being only just over half an hour) and felt like they only just fell short of achieving their former glory, I am hoping that given this albums title, the band aren't finished just yet.I am excited to find out if there is a potential sequel album on the way. Furthermore, I guess this means I will be keeping my eyes peeled for what hey might have in store for the future, which probably means my interest in the band has been revived. So in that respect, this album has been successful.
Thank you for reading,
Booth Boy
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