Chicago-native band, The Smashing Pumpkins, have embarked on their most ambitious project yet: a triple album. “Atum: Act Two” serves as the middle entry in this trilogy of “Atum: A Rock Opera” albums. This bold project aims to continue the story of their 1995 record, “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness” and their 2000 record, “Machina/The Machines of God.”
The Smashing Pumpkins are a rock group that traverse a broad range of subgenres, from progressive rock and metal to psychedelic rock. “Atum: Act Two” once again sees the band dabble in different styles and it works extremely well. No two songs sound sonically similar here. This results in an engaging first-time listen.
A lead singer’s vocals can truly make or break a listening experience. Regardless of the weight of the lyrics or brilliance of the musical composition, if the vocals singing the lyrics over said composition is grating on the ear, the overall listening experience is severely dampened. This is ultimately how I feel about the lead singer, Billy Corgan, on “Atum: Act Two.” While I would be amiss if I said that his vocal performance is downright bad here, I simply do not find his vocals appealing. The whiny, nasally nature of Corgan’s vocals becomes very grating, very quickly.
The overall production of the album is very good and broad throughout the record. Every song has a distinct sound that remains coherent in relation to the album as a whole. It rides the fine line between being too sonically different and sounding the same on every track. Some songs feel much heavier than others while some feel much more ethereal. I really like the balance that the album strikes throughout the 11-track runtime.
Corgan described this triple album as esoteric in an interview with rock magazine, Kerrang; I cannot think of a better way to describe it. “Atum: Act Two” is dabbling with so many different sounds; it makes the listener question where the record is going – in a good way. There is some great use of synth in the opening track, “Avalanche.” This electronic sound carries over to “Neophyte” and “Night Waves.” These tracks have a very ‘80s rock feel.
On the other hand, The Pumpkins are also leaning towards a metal sound too. “Empires,” “Moss” and “Beguiled” are extremely heavy. These overdriven, guitar-lead tracks are a key breakaway from the lighter, electronic-centric sound of the other tracks.
“Space Age” is one of the aforementioned ethereal tracks. The production is simply gorgeous, giving the listener the feeling of floating in space. The very spacey production coupled with some nice synth and violin additions sounds wonderful. The lyrics, focused on stars, are very fitting with the production and title.
Overall, “Atum: Act Two” is an album I respect more than I truly enjoy. While I think it is a gorgeously produced album full of unique sounds and implementation, I don’t see myself ever listening to it again. There are some standout tracks “Space Age,” “Avalanche” and “Neophyte.” However, I couldn’t fully get into the album due to Billy Corgan’s vocals. This is a very unique, experimental album that is sure to please fans of The Smashing Pumpkins as well as fans of alternative rock.
6/10
Comments