An Invigorated Smashing Pumpkins Showcase Past and Future in Solid Return to the Studio

Words by: Tyler Hypnarowski

It’s tough to say what the expectations were for the Smashing Pumpkins new album, Shiny And Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 / LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun. It would mark the first time the trio of Billy Corgan, James Iha, and Jimmy Chamberlin (3/4 of the original Pumpkins lineup) would enter the studio together since the Machina records in 2000. The album would also come as the follow-up to 2014’s Monument’s to an Elegy, a record that had its moments, but left a bit to be desired. Then add in the fact that the band, freshly reunited, embarked on a massive arena tour this past summer, a tour that certainly held more hype than the upcoming album would. And their tour surely was able to deliver on those expectations big time.

So could they harness all of that momentum and capture the energy from the tour and translate it into a killer Smashing Pumpkins record?

Well, yes and no.

Shiny And Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 / LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun. is really a bit more like an EP than an LP, with eight tracks clocking in at just over 31 minutes. And there’s nothing wrong with that. The band surely could have added 4-5 more songs if they wanted, but decided to roll with what they thought was their elite 8. The mouthful that is the album’s title does however elude to the possibility of more music on the way.

Den9 — Smashing Pumpkins Live in Denver Sep. 5, 2018. Photo by Bruce Moore via After the Grunge Rush

The result is an exploration into their past while evolving enough to show they still have some songwriting gas left in the tank. Corgan’s sinister sounding vocals and Iha’s soaring guitar lines give “Marchin’ On” an “XYU” and Melloncollie & The Infinite Sadness vibe, while “With Sympathy” sounds a bit like a cut from the Adore recordings. The band took a chance right out of the gate with opening track “Knights of Malta”, a bouncy, poppy offering complete with a choir of singers to bring it all together. “Travels” also gives a glimpse into a different, softer sounding Pumpkins. It will be interesting to see how those latter two songs age.

Pound for pound though, the strongest tracks on the album may be “Solara”, the only new Pumpkins song featured in the band’s setlists this summer, along with “Seek and You Shall Destroy”, a short rocker that balances a catchy hook with their signature loud guitars and aggressive drumming. Nothing show stopping, though.

Without even 24 hours to digest, it’s not easy to give a fair assessment of any album. When 2012’s Oceania was released, I wasn’t too excited after my first few listens only to now sing its praises as an extremely strong, deep, and under appreciated record. While I don’t see Shiny And Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 / LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun. surpassing Oceania on the Smashing Pumpkins’ depth chart, the new release does have some redeeming qualities that make it worth a listen. Or three, to really give it a shot.