Smashing Pumpkins — Adore

I'm a huge Smashing Pumpkins fan; I love 'em the way Dawson loves horror movies. Consequently, my hopes were extremely high for this album, which had been hyped prior to its release as a huge departure for Billy, James and D'arcy. The first hints at the new sound popped up on soundtracks last summer, with songs "The End Is The Beginning Is The End" and "Eye." Both revealed Billy using a drum machine, as well as dabbling with new wave synthesizer sounds and melodies. Oh the promise! Oh the possibilities!

Well, the much-anticipated fourth album has finally arrived, and while it's certainly a departure from its predecessors, the change is most certainly a progression; Billy Corgan has succeeded in bringing the Pumpkins to the next level.

While fans of the hard-grinding guitar work of the previous albums may feel as though they've been left high and dry by Billy's move to pianos and keyboards, the album shows Corgan taking great risks in form, if not in content. Girls, Goddesses and Love still occupy most of Corgan's attention, but his odes have taken a stranger, poppier turn, as he shows off his fondness for the records he listened to in his youth: The Cure, Depeche Mode, Fleetwood Mac.

Adore is, quite simply, just about the best new album I've heard this year. It's bold and gentle, with beautiful songs and lush production all built around a heart that is dark, but full of love and hope. Outstanding

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