Bizou : "Widow"

This is a post-punk all -star band that features former members of Wax Idols. Smashing Pumpkins/ Garbage, and Light FM.  There is a mix of influences; some of them lean their sound in a more dream pop direction. This is more pronounced on the synth wave-tinged title track that carries a dreamy glaze, though the guitars and vocals anchor it well. The vocals are performed andd produced in a manner that sounds like they could have come from a 4AD album in the early 90s. The drums add a bit of heft. The guitars are not afraid to add a more rock-like melody. 

"No One Can Have You" finds the band cruising on a solid groove, as the drums keep things flowing. The guitar dances around this with a crystalline patter of notes. I am not sure I couldd call this synthwave, as it is more like dream pop with a side of post-rock tension, though they get dancey at the end of this song."Death Mag" has a beat that is not unlike "Running Up That Hill". But the vocals bring things back to a more somber mood. It's not hard to be less dramatic than Kate Bush. The synths darken things coming out of the chorus. Even though this seems like the most synth-dominant song so far, it is still balanced out with guitar. This is the most dance floor-minded song I've heard on this album. \

Was not expecting a Wire cover, but that is what we are getting; it is a more electronic take on the song. The last song kinda drifts by and does not grip me as much as the others, but ya win some, lose some; it doesn't suck; they just raised the bar high for themselves already, I will give this one 9.5, which puts them at the top of the heap for this sort of thing. 

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Code Orange : "the Above"

 I have been pretty invested in this band's career since being blown away by their 2017 album "Forever".  They broke away from the conventions of hard core , which they continued to perfect with "Underneath". This set pretty high expectations for this album. The nu-metal elements have been dialed up . On a song like "Theater of Cruelty" this is exaggerated by the band moving in a more Deftones like direction. I prefer that to the more Ghostmane like feel of the opening track. There is plenty on this album that might take getting use to before I formalize my feelings about it. There is a delicate balance of not wanting them to recycle songs, but also not wanting them to abandon what made them who they are. 

"Take Shape" was one of the lead singles from the album. At first, there is an almost Korn-like feel, until you get to the chorus and they stomp into a more authentic take on their brand of industrial strength anthems. Billy Corgan's contribution is more of an exercise in vanity than adding value. "the Mask of Sanity Slips" works off more of a 90s alternative rock feel, just pumped up when it needs to be. The soft-to-loud dynamic flows well, and colors things in a Marilyn Manson-like hue .  When they hit the right grooves they really get them right. By my third listen to the Reba Meyers fronted "Mirror" that it connected with me. It is more like the female-fronted alt-pop of the 90s, like a less sexy version of Garbage. They remind you that they have not forgotten how to hit you with crushing heaviness on " A Drone Opting Out of the Hive" , which also reminds me of Deftones. 

Reba brings her voice back to the spotlight on "I Fly" .  "Splinter the Soul" works off a similar 90s rock vibe that we have heard earlier in the album.  They bring back their brand of heavy on "the Game".  They used "Grooming My Replacement" . The programmed drums of "Snapshot" creates a greater sense of motion, while embracing many of the nu-metal like elements they have flirted with already. While Billy Corgan was already on "Take Shape" they bang out something that sounds more like Smashing Pumpkins than the band Corgan parades around as the Pumpkins on "Circle Through". This might be the band's most rock n roll moment to date. 

I think what I wrestle with on this album, is how it is not as dark as the past two albums. This is not to say there is not a shadow cast by "But a Dream". A great deal of this is thanks to the bass line. They remember the band they use to be as the song progresses. The title track closes the album. This starts off with a more electronic pulse before building into something more like 30 Seconds to Mars, than the industrial menace that once flowed through the veins of their sound, I will give this album a 9.5, and see how it grows on me, given the changes that have taken place. Either way as it stand this is in the upper tier of mainstream rock music. 

Smashing Pumpkins : Atum -Act 1"

 This is a weird album, but it makes sense now that I looked into where the hell has Billy Corgan been, he has been hanging with shapeshifter and starting his own religion when he is not a wrestling promoter, so he finally found time to make music. With the exception of D'Arcy, this is pretty much the original line up as James Iha and Jimmy Chamberlin are back in the band.  Their 1998 album "Adore" is the last album I paid attention to. The first two are the ones I was the biggest fan of then they got too flowery and sounded too much like a gay version of Meatloaf on "Melancholy and the Infinite Sadness". I reviewed one of their albums a few years ago and it was god awful, things have improved by are on the flowery side. It opens with a grandiose instrumental, that has some decent guitar playing so I am not complaining about it.   

"With Ado I do" is the first song I really like so you have to sort through some sappy oddities, the most peculiar being "Butterfly Suite" which I had to listen to a few times to wrap my head around. Corgan's voice sounds youthful, but you gotta wonder about a man in his 50s sounding like a little British boy. He remembers they are a rock band on "the Good in Goodbye" which musically sounds like Lenny Kravitz covering Queen. Billy's doing what he does with little balls to it, but it still manages to work. I am not sure about the synths on "Embracer". The split the difference between who they are and this new turn to who they are trying to be on "Hooligan" with hooky songwriting. The fuzzed out grunge tinged guitar that has been toned down returns to some extent on "Steps in Time ". Then things take a questionable step back with the ballad "Where Rain Must Fall" 

The guitars get more rocking on "Beyond the Vale". These guys have always seemed like they were more influenced by T-Rex than Black Sabbath, the glam thing is more prevalent on this album than anything heavy, His vocals lines work, but as not supporting melodies that come close to the first two albums. "Hooray" is one of the bands worst songs ever, it's way too happy and sound little like the band. While the last so is not as ineffective at sounding like the Smashing Pumpkins as the previous song it is not their best work either. I will give this album a 7.5, they show at times the are capable of doing better and I have heard them do worse for sure. This is not the band that made "Gish" and that makes me a little sad.

A Perfect Circle : "Eat the Elephant"

It opens with a piano ballad. Production wise it feels different like everything  is more compressed despite not using more rock styled instrumentation here. Maynard's vocals is what you would expect from him, though there are a few phrases where the using a more delicate almost androgynous head register. The guitar shows up for "Disillusioned". Lyrically its more of a social commentary, which splits the difference between Tool and what we have heard from this project in the past. The overall sound is more middle of the road like they are going for what was once called "adult contemporary"...think solo Phil Collins with none of the soul . Marginally more moody, Keenan's vocals are higher on "Contrarian". It has more in common with the Pet Shop Boys than Tool. There are some interesting guitar textures which is more than can be said of the first two songs.

They finally find the edge that has been lost for the first three songs on "the Doomed". The guitars get much more metallic. In fact its a more of a clear cut metal riff than we have heard from them before. It trades off with a tinkling synth riff. There is even tension in the guitar when the distortion pedal is not being so trod upon. "So Long and Thanks for All the Fish" is not the song from "Hitch Hikers Guide". It feels like post-90s David Bowie musically, with harmonized vocals. In fact they name drop both Major Tom and Willy Wonka in this state of the union. "Talktalk" is more of political statement about the "alt-rock" who they ask if they are going to talk like Jesus, to try walking like Jesus. The bloated glut of piano that I would be fine with on a Depeche Mode album continues on " By and Down By the River". Maynard's vocals take on more familiar melodies that will make long time fans a little more comfortable. Though if you have stood by this band over the years I don't think there is enough of a difference in the more middle of the road direction to shake you from their tree.

"Delicious" is more of a traditional rock format. It's also more traditional rock song writing which is odd for this band as it would sound more at home on an Hoobastank album. As if there was not enough ponderous piano on this album they have to include an interlude of more. I think my favorite song on here might be the weird electro groove of "Hourglass" that sounds more like a Puscifer song. "Feathers" is the kind of atmospheric rock power ballad that these guys tend to dish out owing equal parts to the Cure and David Bowie. The guitar tone is really dialed in here and maybe I just pushed my ear buds in further , but the bass on the past few songs in more present in the mix. "Get the Lead" out confirms the piano is here to stay. So lump them in with Tori Amos. There is a weird hip hop element that becomes an undercurrent to the song , but in more of a Massive Attack manner. The song cruises on it's atmosphere rather than building into anything substantial. I'll give this album an 8.5, which is better than most bands on the radio, but their first album and "13th Step" would both be 10s if you want some perspective on how it measures up.

Smashing Pumpkins: Oceania

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Well... Smashing Pumpkins isn't metal, but then again neither is Royal Thunder and they were just covered on here, so chalk this one up like the Marilyn Manson review a pacifier from my friends sense of nostalgia. I enjoyed the Pumpkins uptil around 96 or so, dipping back into the drum machine years , is hit or miss, some songs i like other not so mucjh , all of the re-union years have been underwhelming and so far as I am listening to this album their doesn't seem to be alot thats going to buck that trend.
I have always respected Billy Corgan's guitar work and this album is no exception. The song writing seems to in question. The album opener "Quasar" is not bad but it doesn't sound like the pumpkins as if Corgan had a run in with Moron 5 while exploring a more mature vocal style. I can say by the second track "Panopticon" I began to notice a Jeff Buckley influence in some of the phrasing. Though this has not aided this ability to write melodies as they range in level of embrassment. Some of these melodies Crogan should re-think marketing them as childrens songs.
By the time the song "Pin-wheels" rolls around I am wishing I could un-hear some of this though this song takes the prize for Fisher Price plastic Muzak. If not for illegal downloading, people might be wasting their hard-earned money in this eccnomy.
The title track sound like a left over from a sequel to the Crow and thats a good thing. the it floats away in a wash of synths even, Katy Perry's more tender moments boasts a bigger pair of balls. The disjointed guitar solo at the end can't even save it.
I found myself in disbelief hoping the album would some how pull it together , but the song writing gets so lazy even the well recorded sounds make this something on par with post-Kilroy was here Styx or "Ambominog" era Uriah Heap though that would imply there is actuall rock going on in the albums later portions,then hope began to fade into counting the mintues until I could delete this from my hard-drive. Literally o.k 4 songs to go I can make it through this . "Chimera" starts with a hopeful guitar riff but like the rest of this album fails half way into the verse and is followed up by a chorus so bland i'm not sure how this made it place management and label, which goes to show you how out of touch the record indursty is and after listening to this I can only hope for the dying breath of corporate rock.
"Glissandra" raises the hope again until you get to a chorus that never find the muscle to break out into any kind of dynamics.

the albums gets a generous 2 if you find youself liking more than 3 songs this album please delete me from any form of social media as you are part of the problem, if you love it suicide is an option you might want to consider and something Billy Corgan might want to consider if he refuses in 2012 to get honert with himself and come out of the closet and make childrens musicals.

Honest I did not imagine this album would be this bad when I started .