Machina: The Machines of God

Smashing Pumpkins | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 29, 2000)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Virgin Records Us
• ASIN: B000042OI4
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (679 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,044 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #72 in Music > Alternative Rock > American Alternative > Post Grunge

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

With the doubters hovering round his band following the rock-is-dead pronouncement that preceded the flawed electronic dabblings of Adore, Machina finds Billy Corgan desperate to prove everyone, not least himself, wrong. On their fifth album, the Pumpkins attempt to reclaim the higher ground they dominated with the peerless Siamese Dream and the sprawling 28-track opus Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. As a result, they hit the ground running on Machina, exploding into life with "The Everlasting Gaze" and its firestorm of guitars and heavy metaphysical thunder. There are some quintessential Pumpkins moments here, notably "Stand Inside Your Love," which soars away on a spiraling guitar solo, and "Try, Try, Try," which taps into Corgan's ever-present melancholy. At 73 minutes long, Machina overstays its welcome, beginning to flag, ironically, at the self-aggrandizing "Heavy Metal Machine." No matter--the Pumpkins have made their point with brutal grace. --Mike Pattenden

Product Description

2000 album from this Al-Rock band led by Billy Corgan.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Everywhere you are - is everywhere you've been March 22, 2000

By "the_ninja"

Format:Audio CD

Machina / The Machines of God finds the Smashing Pumpkins returning to the familiar territory of beautiful, emotional rock n' roll. Although I personally love Adore and think it stands as a beautiful, artistic album, Machina returns to the Pumpkins old territory, and it is DAMN good. One of the best rock albums I've heard in a long time, in fact.

The album rocks. The opening track, "The Everlasting Gaze", is a stunningly brutal and powerful Pumpkins track, and one of their most straight-ahead rock songs. The spoken word segue in the middle is excellent and unexpected. "Raindrops + Sunshowers" reminds me a little of Adore but more rock-oriented, very nice. "Stand Inside Your Love" is a brilliant, uplifting song. "I of the Mourning" is superb and catchy. "The Sacred and Profane" is beautiful and almost hypnotic. "Try, Try, Try" is slower and more peaceful.

"Heavy Metal Machine" is a firestorm of guitar thunder and fury, yet it remains very melodic and has some truly great lyrics. "This Time" is one of the album's highlights. "The Imploding Voice", from which the title of this review is taken, is one of my favorite songs on the album, and a bit different. "Glass and the Ghost Children" is truly haunting (kind of in the vein of the Pixies "Where is my Mind?"). "Wound" is a bit calmer, very good. "The Crying Tree of Mercury" is also haunting and reminds me of "Tear" from Adore. "With Every Light" is very catchy and a great song. "Blue Skies Bring Tears" is one of the album's oddest songs, being slower and more distorted. "The Age of Innocence" is very very good and has similarities to "1979."

A big improvement here is the amazing drumming of Jimmy Chamberlain, who is one of the best modern rock drummers alive. Also the album often reminded me of My Bloody Valentine (which, by the way, is one of Billy and the other Pumpkins' favorite bands), what with the layered guitar texture, which sometime takes precedence over lyrics.

To close, Machina is an amazing, powerful album and there is no reason why you should not own it.

54 of 60 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars PUMPKINS AIM FOR LONGEVITY May 27, 2000

By Knyte VINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

Let me preface this review: I am more of a Pop/R&B/Hip Hop fan, HOWEVER, don't count me out just yet. Back in 1994, certain acts grabbed my attention because I found the music to be fresh and new. They included Candlebox, Live, Weezer, Soundgarden, Nirvana and of course, my `other' favorite, (besides Stone Temple Pilots), the Smashing Pumpkins.

The album, `Siamese Dream' was ruling the airwaves and MTV with songs like "Disarm", "Today", "Rocket" and even "Mayonaise". I liked the whole album and declared it to be good music. Then came `Mellon Collie and The Infinite Sadness' and I was instantly attracted to two songs my first listen: "1979" and "Tonight, Tonight". Although Billy Corgan can scream with the rest of the rockers, I prefer his softer voice - it's a unique style of singing that blends well with the band - and I think that's what made `Siamese Dream' such an enjoyable listen.

But you want to know about `Machina: The Machines Of God'. Well after a few listens, I hereby declare this album a worthy buy. Is it a `Siamese Dream' in my opinion? No, but it demonstrates musical growth. The album opens up on a strong note with "Everlasting Gaze", a rock track not unlike "Bullet With Butterfly Wings". Lyrically, "Stand Inside Your Love", is the album's most intense statement with lines like `Who wouldn't be the one you love and live for, who wouldn't stand inside your love and die for?". Sonically, "I of the Mourning" makes for a great listen and so does "Try, Try, Try" and "This Time". The other great rock track on here is "Heavy Metal Machine" with its furious, stomping bass line. One of my favorite songs on this album is "Wound". It has a folk music influence you can really hear when Corgan sings, `Last night I turned around and thought I saw myself turning'...it's a melody that borrows heavily from Gordon Lightfoot's 1970 classic, "If You Could Read My Mind". Despite the similarity, I love the song. My other favorite is "Sacred and Profane" because it is musically, the closest track to `Siamese Dream'. Incidentally, the name of the Pumpkins' tour is `The Sacred and Profane' so it is probably going to be a single.

Lastly, some say the album is too long and yes, there are some tracks that probably did not need to be on here. In my opinion, `Machina' could have ended with "With Every Light". The album cover artwork is mind-boggling to say the least, and warrants further study. What Corgan and the Smashing Pumpkins have achieved with this album is artistry to be respected. This isn't necessarily hit music. Rather, `Machina' is an artistic statement by a band, and an artistic statement that I can appreciate - how about you?

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A mature album for the mature music fan March 7, 2000

By Jesse Greever

Format:Audio CD

When Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness emerged on the scene in 1995, it was an album for the masses, and the stellar record sales are highly indicative of that. But now, with the release of MACHINA, the Pumpkins have released an opus that transcends the "songs-for-the-masses" genre. While including songs that are ripe for radio "abuse", this album is more about musicality and growth, than about selling millions of records.

It begins (somewhat deceivingly) with the familiar riff of "Everlasting Gaze", and sets the record off into the stratosphere, but quickly returns to earth with "Raindrops" and "Stand Inside Your Love" which probe the melodic abilities of Billy's voice. The album continues to amaze with the beautiful melodies contained within "I Of The Mourning" and "The Sacred and Profane", and just when the album appears to be falling asleep with "Try, Try, Try", it spiral back into the outer atmosphere with "Heavy Metal Machine", an ode to the power chord. The rest of the album effectively returns the listener to the ground softly, with songs that are ripe with mysterious lyrics and melody lines that are reminiscent of the "prog-rock" of the 1970s. But, before the album closes, "Age of Innocence" reasserts that the Pumpkins are still the monarchs of deep, dark, brooding rock.

While this album will not necessarily appeal to the fanbase that is defined by the Mellon Collie period, it allows the band to flex a stylistic muscle and metamorphosize into an even better band, both musically and lyrically.

A must have for anybody that is tired of the status quo that has so dominated the airwaves for the past few years.