Billy Corgan - TheFutureEmbrace
By: Mark Runyon | Category: Album Archive | 06/30/05 | 11:51 PM
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Grade: B- |
Genre: Alternative Rock
Summary: TheFutureEmbrace marks a decent entry into Corgan's catalog, yet one that will no doubt be overshadowed by stronger works as the years peel away.
Billy Corgan is most recognized as the front man for the 90s grunge outfit, the Smashing Pumpkins. By most reports, he was the Smashing Pumpkins, writing all the songs and playing all the instruments on the studio albums. He just needed a band to back him up on the road and look sporty during the photo sessions. After the Pumpkins were hammered on the heels of the lackluster Machina, he formed Zwan, which proved an interesting fusion of sounds from the heroes of the Chicago indie underground. The album showed plenty of promise though it almost didn't feel like a complete thought. Ultimately, we were left without the remainder of that sentence as Zwan suffered the same fate as the Pumpkins. Now Corgan is treading the waters of electronica as a solo artist on TheFutureEmbrace. Don't kick off your shoes and flip back in the recliner just yet. I've got another chapter to crack open in the Corgan saga before it's all said and done. |
In reality, this is simply well crafted semantics because whatever suit he ends up wearing to the party, it is ultimately Billy Corgan's show. At least TheFutureEmbrace is up front about it, tattooing his name right across his arm, shielding his Mr. Clean shine. TheFutureEmbrace is the embrace of electronica years after its day in the sun. If Corgan wants to explore this musical artery, then have at it.
"Mina Loy (M.O.H.)" proves a bright entry to start us off. Its lyrics feature the throat catching longing and feverous desire that follow him throughout the album. Verses like "can I give my old heart to you? / cause when this feeling starts / that's when I rip it all apart" highlight this internal struggle. He joins forces with the Cure's Robert Smith to cover the Bee Gee's "To Love Somebody." This isn't the 70s ballad that you sing in the shower when nobody is looking. Corgan has given it a facelift, coming across as mystical and a few shades dark. Smith's vocal undercurrent is an interesting twist to this soft rock anthem. "A100" follows to tease us by Corgan threatening to tear up a couple guitars. Instead, he pulls back, in keeping with this record, and strings together a very compelling melody that, without the scratchy distortion, may have found its way onto Adore.
If you are looking for Corgan to rock out in "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" mode, you are barking up the wrong tree my friend. He's embracing his more mellow tendencies on Embrace without really throwing back the covers to revel everything in his sheepish heart. That reluctance starts to show in the later half of the album that doesn't fare as well. These track prove mostly lackluster as we just walk by them without recognizing they were there.
The best track of the set is the one that doesn't play well with others. "Strayz" is a dedication for the broken hearted. It is stripped of the fuzzy guitars and electronic ambiance to zero in on Corgan's sober voice, busy reflecting on a heart left ruthlessly abandoned. It's never more evident than in lyrics like "the love I kept inside for you / there's no one there but failed soldiers / and dare we feel / we shared a light that won't go out / but goes on." It feels very similar to Pisces Iscariot's beautifully quiet "Soothe." It captures the naked emotion that can't be feigned. This quieter side, held hostage by his introspection, is really what I would like to see him explore more fully. Adore was an intriguing step in that direction, but he needs to let himself go even more. Throw that heart on the table. Feel it thump, watch it cough out the remaining blood and listen intently as it whispers its deepest secrets.
TheFutureEmbrace marks a decent entry into Corgan's catalog, yet one that will no doubt be overshadowed by stronger works as the years peel away. Certain songs, like "Strayz" and "A100," really pack a wallop, sticking to your bones. Others seem content to not make too much of a fuss over themselves. It isn't the solo album I expected, but it does offer a new perspective on this cornerstone of music. I'm afraid we may not get to see what his second solo work fleshes out to be since he took out a full page ad in the Chicago Tribune saying he wants to piece together the smashed Pumpkins. He didn't say which of the original clan would be signing on, but it was an interesting call since it fell on the day this record was released and he had barely started promoting it from the road. Give us a chance to digest this thought before you kick us off course to revisit the past. Whatever you're searching for brother, I hope you find it.
Be sure to check out the featured track "Strayz" along with the best in cutting edge music on Live365's Innovative Radio.
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