The Smashing Pumpkins have released their surprise album called ‘Aghori Mhori Mei.’ It marks the 13th album from the alt-rock icons and follows on from ‘Atum: A Rock Opera in Three Acts’, which arrived in May last year.
The Smashing Pumpkins’ new album
The new album consists of 10 tracks and it is about 45 minutes. The mission statement of the album is impressive. It is going back to their roots in an almost experimental fashion rather than in a pandering way. It is an intriguing artistic statement and gratifying for those of us who love all eras of the band.
The album is great. Well, it isn’t a direct analog of Siamese Dream-era Smashing Pumpkins. However, that is completely to be expected and fine. It is needless to say that tastes vary of course, and understandable if some fans don’t care for the current vocal style. Shiny didn’t do much to excite but Cyr and Atum are enjoyable, even acknowledging that they weren’t what I expected when they came out.
‘Edin’ had some interesting elements with the climbing guitars and amazing vocal work. At one point it can take you back to the 2008-2009 sound. However, overall it sounded a bit close to Solara / Beguiled.
With ‘Pentagrams,’ there’s subtle synth work but the guitar takes the main stage here and Billy’s vocals sound outstanding, lower in the mix and less ‘delicate.’
‘Sighommi’ consisted of major chords, a relatively straightforward riff, and Katie’s backing vocals in the first half. The upbeat and energetic without camp was fantastic.
‘Pentecost‘ among other songs was amazing. It has a little Birch-Grovey element, pulling in some elements of Oceania (specifically Pinwheels / Pale Horse). Lyrically this is the most interesting song and it’s built well.
The album has superb drumming from top to bottom and some guitar plays are remarkable with exemplary solos throughout. ‘War Dreams Of Itself’ breaks down into a 2/4 drum beat toward the end.
‘Who Goes There’ hits differently and it’s something fresh. This is the path Pumpkins haven’t gone before. They took a more of carefree approach but with Jimmy’s unmistakeable push/pull rhythm.
The vocal and guitar melodies are nice in ‘999.’ It’s ground has been tread heavily and in the final 90 seconds, it breaks down and picks back up with a strong lead guitar
In ‘Goeth the Fall,’ Billy’s vocals is a bit grating and it continues to sound like that. James playing some softer guitar licks. The vibe of the song is something to like about and has a touch of more of a lullaby/love song.
With ‘Sicarus’ Jimmy has let the hands loose and Billy’s vocals back down in the mix. It sounds way better and musically it’s very guitar-oriented. The song takes a few turns before bursting into a solo halfway through. However, it simmers back down and then takes another turn before a strong finishing section with some cool Billy vox effects.
Great musicianship has been on display by all the members working on the album. ‘Murnau’ starts with piano, which is the first of the album. It builds cinematic synths that settle into some pretty strings. Halfway through the song it slows into one of the most beautiful Smashing Pumpkins melodies, something fans would certainly love.
The constantly shifting dynamics of the longer songs have been enjoyable. It makes it so interesting and the future listens will be rewarded by that complexity. There isn’t a lot of immediate hooks like Spellbinding, but there are parts that will stick.
The songs have been given more room to breathe from a songwriting perspective. At times in the recent past, it has felt like the songs were cut down to their shortest form with vocals covering 98% of the song runtime. Fans would certainly enjoy every one of these songs live and they would translate incredibly well.
The ‘Aghori Mhori Mei’ tracklist
1. ‘Edin’
2. ‘Pentagrams’
3. ‘Sighommi’
4. ‘Pentecost’
5. ‘War Dreams Of Itself’
6. ‘Who Goes There’
7. ‘999’
8. ‘Goeth The Fall’
9. ‘Sicarus’
10. ‘Murnau’
