Billy Corgan
is the alt-rock boy who cried wolf: he's threatened to return
Smashing Pumpkins
to their '90s salad days so often, nobody paid attention when he finally did it in 2018. A decade prior to that year's reunion tour and its accompanying album,
Shiny and Oh So Bright, Vol. 1/LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun.
-- a typically convoluted title that makes
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
as simple a title as
Gish
--
Corgan
reconnected with drummer
Jimmy Chamberlin
and revived the
name for the metallic Zeitgeist, but the difference in 2018 is that guitarist
James Iha
is back in the fold (original bassist
D'arcy Wretzky
is estranged from the group). This is the lineup featured on
Shiny and Oh So Bright
, which despite its lengthy title, runs a brisk half-hour. Brevity works in the
Pumpkins
' favor, as it becomes easy to appreciate how working with
Iha
and producer
Rick Rubin
has sharpened
's attack, not just as a songwriter but as a record maker. Filled with direct hooks and colorful -- but not florid -- arrangements,
lives up to the promise of its title: its shimmering surfaces and well-defined melodies feel welcoming, not alienating. Perhaps there are traces of angst within the lyrics to the album's seven songs, but they're overshadowed by the big, open-hearted vibe of
Shiny
, one that evokes the poppier elements of classic
, but never feels nostalgic or pandering. Instead,
delivers something unexpected: music that's rich but settled, music that plays to his strengths, music where he seems happy in his own skin. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine