As a fan of the the Smashing Pumpkins, I feel that Billy Corgan simply cannot make it with the full band. While this album reminds me of Adore, it is lacking a quality and uniqueness that comes with the band. This album is relaxing and good for driving, I suppose, but nevermind just sitting down to listen. It's merely mediocre.
September 13, 2007 |  | Marches to his own electronic drums |  |
The song "All Things Change" could sum up just about anybody's life, and for Billy Corgan, it seems to sum up his new musical direction as a solo artist. The clipped electronic drums and Cure-ish background synth that drenches the first track indicates this won't be the The Smashing Pumpkins - Greatest Hits. Still, with its shrill background guitars and exciting yet downbeat aura, the following tune, "Mina Loy (M.O.H.)," does have a latter-day Pumpkinesque vibe: "Can I give my old heart to you?" wails Corgan, just above the din of a swirling mess of guitars.
Speaking of the Cure, Robert Smith adds his morbid background vocal to the interesting cover tune "To Love Somebody," written by Barry and Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees. And Corgan's old pal Jimmy Chamberlain of the Pumpkins provides the sparse drumming on "Dia," one of the album's more unremarkable selections. "Now (And Then)," however, might be the best song on the CD, a slow dirge with pleasingly atmospheric guitars and echoey vocals.
Despite the sheen of "TheFutureEmbrace," the album's grittiness comes from Corgan himself, who bares his soul in the lyrics and sound. This isn't a very commercial CD, for the most part, and Corgan seems just fine dabbling with cutting-edge music that's different. On the album's sparse and simple closer, "Strayz," he sums up the bold mentality that's always served him well: "You know I'm true/I wasn't born to follow." Still, though Corgan's heart-on-his-sleeve approach has always worked for him (and his fans), "TheFutureEmbrace" might suffer some from a sonically impersonal style, with lyrics that have become too introspective and claustrophic. Perhaps the best remedy for Corgan's next solo or group project would be the addition of outside musicians to give the record a more open and inclusive feel. Nonetheless, this is commendable music, and true fans of Corgan and the Pumpkins will certainly get what he was going for here.
April 15, 2007 | | Just Takes Some Getting Used To... | |
"TheFutureEmbrace:" A little musical oddity that is heavily overshadowed by earth-shattering news. On the very same day Billy Corgan released his first solo album, he also took out an ad in the "Chicago Sun Times" declaring his desires to reform the Smashing Pumpkins. Great news for Pumpkins fans everywhere, but definitely a poor promotional move for this album, which has since been overshadowed by the hype and anticipation for a new Smashing Pumpkins album (which is, as of this date, slowly in the works). Best known for his bald-head, nasal-whine, and most importantly, his incredible song-writing abilities, Billy Corgan takes advantage of a solo album and really lets himself stretch out -- even in ways that the later Pumpkins albums didn't.
The first, second or even third listen to this album might not yield satisfactory results. Truth be told, "TheFutureEmbrace" is an album that takes much time to appreciate, to grow on you and stick in your head. Most of the music Billy explores here is even more experimental and dense than that of "Adore" or "Machina," but thankfully, Billy's signature touch is not lost in the mix. Songs like "Now (And Then)," "Pretty, Pretty Star" and "Walking Shade" are classic Corgan, even if they are steeped in synthesizers and effects. "A100" and "Dia" are probably the most Smashing Pumpkins-esque songs, with the latter featuring Jimmy Chamberlain (who as of now is the only confirmed bandmember involved in the reunion). Meanwhile, the ever-prolific Robert Smith of The Cure makes a subtle appearance on "To Love Somebody." Smith's vocals blend perfectly with Billy's, without overshadowing or taking away from the vibe of the album, while he even contributes some guitar parts and makes one of the most memorable moments of the album.
The only downside to "TheFutureEmbrace" is there isn't much variety to be found here. From the start of "All Things Change," the album seems to follow a steady pattern, and if you're not in the right mood or frame of mind, it just won't work for you. Like stated before, it's far more ambitious than any of Billy's other projects. But if you felt like Zwan laid the fluff on a little too thick, you'll feel like Corgan is redeemed with "TheFutureEmbrace." All in all, an excellent album, a perfect showcase of Billy's talents. Maybe now that he's gotten all of the studio-tinkering and perfecting out of his system, the next Pumpkins record will sound a little more organic than the later releases, which wouldn't be a bad thing.
January 25, 2007 | | Thom Yorke and Billy Corgan | |
If you like Radiohead/Thom Yorke then the musical style of Billy's album is right up your ally. This has nowhere near the style of the Smashing Pumpkins, but its still good...ONLY if you like stuff like the new NIN and Thom Yorke electonic rock albums. If you are expecting hard guitars and Smashing Pumpkins then buy a Pumpkins album for crying out loud. If you want to hear Pumpkins meet Radiohead and Trent Reznor, this is the album for you. I like it.
December 3, 2006This record takes time, but its so worth it. Most seem to blow this record off without giving it a chance. At first listen MOH immediatly impressed me, but the rest were so unexpected. After seeing the video from the Letterman show where they played MOH live I was sold. Now that I own the record, I'm hooked on it. I grew up with Siamese Dream and Melancoly and the Infinite Sadness, so comparring this to Smashing Pumkins I'd say its Billy's brilliant writing with sythesizers. He still has some great guitar parts but its not really guitar rock. More like synth rock. The Pumpkins fell off in later years but perhaps their new record(in progress now so I've heard) will make amends. In the meantime, get this, soak it up, and enjoy.
July 14, 2006More reviews at Amazon.com ...
