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July 25, 2007

Smashing Pumpkins – Zeitgeist – Reprise
There’s definitely more to this album than its cover, and with a cover so profoundly cool, that means you can expect quite a bit. The return of the Pumpkins, with yet another revamped lineup, luckily still focuses on frontman Billy Corgan and his world of fiercely delivered, emotionally poetic indie-isolation music. Produced by Corgan himself, along with longtime SP drummer Jimmy Chamberlin (now substance-free and back on his game), the set is anchored by stacks of layered guitars, Corgan’s piercing vocal delivery, and a rhythm section that’s subtlely bombastic right when it needs to be. It might’ve been over six years since the last official Smashing Pumpkins effort, but with songs like “7 Shades of Black,” the challenging “United States,” the surprisingly wistful “That’s the Way (My Love Is),” and the album’s first politically-aware single, “Tarantula,” it’s like they merely took a short but pivotal vacation and came back refreshed and ready to rock.


UNKLE – War Stories – Surrender All
UNKLE’s brought in quite the impressive roster of guest musicians to spice up their newest set, and, while these tracks could’ve most likely stood just fine on their own, thank you, it does add more interest to hear what performers like Gavin Clark, The Duke Spirit (who appear on peppy prog-rocker “Mayday”) and Cult singer Ian Astbury bring to the mix. On the trip-hoppy “Chemistry,” UNKLE adds a lush piano line to perfectly complement the string sounds, while “Price You Pay” gives off a clambering-out-of-a-dungeon tone that is nicely offset on the following track (“Burn My Shadow”) by Astbury’s intentionally-exhausted sounding vocal lines. UNKLE’s James Lavelle sings here for the first time, too, on the propellant and soulful “Hold My Hand,” and, as if that weren’t enough variety, Autolux show up on “Persons and Machinery,” 3D adds a twist to “Twilight,” and Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme contributes vocals to “Restless.”


Silverchair – Young Modern – EMI International
Experimental, dense, and even a little zany every once in a while, Daniel Johns and Silverchair have made yet another departure from their original alt-rock sound with their latest collection. Assisted by their longtime team of producer Nick Launay, composer Van Dyke Parks (Beach Boys), and mixer David Bottrill, the band has once again stretched their sound and tried a variety of new approaches to their pensive compositions. Frosted by Parks’ pretty orchestral arrangements, the songs here range from the Silverchair-of-yore-esque opener, “Young Modern Station,” to the poppy “Straight Lines,” the many-faceted “If You Keep Losing Sleep,” and the catchy “Mind Reader” - yes, fans, Australia’s mood-swinging band is back in great form, and with an album so complex and carefully structured/produced that you’ll have to listen many times in order to gain a full appreciation for just how far this group has pushed themselves.


Kings of Leon – Because of the Times – RCA
Big overseas but still trying to crack the sheen of the fashionable indie-rock market here in the U.S., Nashville quartet Kings of Leon offer up a third set of their unique fusion of garage alterna-rock and Southern punk (don’t ask, just listen) as produced by Ethan Johns. Up in the front seat are several straightforward rockers - among them “Charmer” and “On Call” - but as the album moves forward, it’s apparant that this is a darker and yet more raffish set than earlier takes. “McFearless” recollects early U2, “Black Thumbnail” thrashes around in an appealingly careless fashion, “Ragoo” sprinkles an unsuspected hit of reggae over the rock, and back in the “Trunk” you’ll find a forboding feel, courtesy of the echoing guitar; and “Sympathy for the Devil” reminiscent of the backing vox in the chorus. Some of the arrangements are a little predictable at times, but the effect overall is one of growth and songs that you’ll crank up whenever you hear ‘em pop out of your car radio, should radio be smart enough to play ‘em.