Smashing Pumpkins
Adore
(Virgin)
Even though I've always been a big fan of this group (way back since their first EP "Lull"), for some reason or another I decided to wait awhile before picking up their new album. First, I read some reviews (quite varied) on the disc and chilled-out until the talk about their different sound had subsided. After getting the disc home and listening to it a couple times (at 74 minutes, it takes more than one listen to let everything sink in nicely), I really don't see what all the hype about the group changing their sound is about. As a whole, the album is more mellow than their past releases, but it's not as if the group hasn't ever written slow songs before. The thing that is different about Adore is that instead of relying on sonics and filling with ballads, it's the other way around.
The new disc is simply a logical progression to lighter sounds heard before in songs like "1979" and "Thirty-Three" off their previous release. While a couple tracks aren't that engaging, the majority of the album is very well crafted and although quieter than normal output of the group, still very emotive. It's a solid release from a group that refuses to be pigeon-holed and puts them into ranks of the most consistent (and prolific) big-label bands out there.
Rating: 6.75
