Throughout the course of its long career, The Smashing Pumpkins intrigued fans with its mystifying originality, unparalleled commitment to musical integrity, and facility for reinvention amongst changing musical trends, growing into a nearly divine icon of alternative rock.
Helping define the genre, frontman Billy Corgan triumphantly led the band to worldwide fame, writing hauntingly beautiful music with the Pumpkins for over 13 years, selling 25 million albums.
Since the dissolution of the Pumpkins in 2000, Corgan began a project of reinvention, forming a quartet that performed an extensive collection of new music in 2001 after only a few months together as a band. Zwan was born, and Corgan’s new crew consisted of guitarist Matt Sweeney (formerly of Chavez and Skunk), guitarist/bassist David Pajo (formerly of Slint and Tortoise), as well as former Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlain.
In April 2002, bassist and backup vocalist Paz Lenchantin (formerly of A Perfect Circle) joined the group, lending her talents to performances showcasing the band’s repertoire of 60-plus songs. The November release of the band’s first single “Honestly”– now continually receiving significant airplay on alternative radio stations — and a recent half-dozen sold-out shows at Chicago’s Metro have created a buzz. These events undoubtedly fueled anticipation of the Jan. 28 release date of Zwan’s debut album, Mary Star of The Sea.
The band’s sound generally resembles some of the more wistful Pumpkins tunes, recalling the many blissful moments on Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness and Siamese Dream. Corgan has almost abandoned the concoctions of dark, ominous lyrics with the violently stunning guitar overlays he gleefully frightened us with as a Pumpkin.
Corgan’s writing for Zwan’s Mary Star of The Sea leans towards a variety of melodic dream pop that lifts you high — a more psychedelic approach. Zwan’s lyrics are a far cry from the mantras we’ve grown familiar with that often relished an intentional mystery inside the emotional outpours (“Disarm you with a smile/and cut you like you want me to/Cut that little child/inside of me and such a part of you”) regularly accompanied by intense defiance (“Despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cage”).
Billy has since changed his outlook, focusing on sunnier moments (“Honestly/I feel love”) and frequent positive references to spirituality, initiating the album’s very first song with “Here comes my faith to carry me on.” With song titles like “Baby Let’s Rock!” and “Endless Summer,” Zwan’s relentlessly optimistic music finally lets Billy show us his lighter, and even ironic, side.
Although Smashing Pumpkins fans will surely like this record, basking in Corgan’s pained crooning and ease at writing pleasing chord structures and melodic lines, Mary Star of The Sea has mass appeal.
Zwan’s music is straightforward, each song confidently executed in a tightly constructed moment. Every chorus lingers in your ear; every melody is idyllic and instantly gratifying. Jimmy Chamberlain’s drumming exhibits a kind of controlled hysteria that compliments the heavenly interweaving guitar lines.
Bassist Paz Lenchantin’s backup vocals are just right — a lovely airiness overlaying Corgan’s melodic vocals. Thankfully, Corgan’s Zwan is a product of reciprocity, favoring an ensemble vibe versus a glamorous one-man show with great backup players. The music clearly reflects this solidarity.
It may be too early to predict the initial success of Mary Star of The Sea. “Honestly” has already helped Zwan gain a top-10 spot on modern-rock charts, yet a lack of promotion and currently infrequent touring may affect public awareness of the project.
Rolling Stone’s Nathan Brackett points out “This is a real accomplished album, but I don’t think it will do that well sales-wise,” perhaps not taking into account the current state of alternative rock. A market littered with generic one-hit wonders and mind-numbing teen pop rock is surely clammering for an act like Zwan.
Brackett added that Corgan “might be at the beginning stages of being consigned to a status similar to Baby Boom rockers, where people love his past because it was an important part of their youth and pack concert halls to see him but aren’t so eager to pick up his new stuff.”
After listening to the album, however, this kind of cynicism appears misguided. In a sense, Zwan has already succeeded. The band has already won praise for its early artistry and cohesiveness, starting from scratch while purposely avoiding a ride on the wave of the Pumpkins’ enormous popularity. Despite spending less than two years together as a band, Zwan’s profoundly accomplished first album indicates a bright future.
Grade: A/B
