Customer Reviews

Mary Star of the Sea (CD & Dvd)

5 star:		(83)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

It was a sad day when the Smashing Pumpkins broke up, but it seemed that we wouldn't be seeing the very last of Billy. After becoming one of the biggest 90's alternative rock bands, it seemed a bit too ambitious for Billy to start another great band. But ambition is something Billy has. I remember when Zwan started playing little shows across the US, and I saw hope of a great band. Sure enough, here they are! Zwan consists of Jimmy Chamberlin (Smashing Pumpkins) on drums (which he does with enormous and beautiful energy), Paz Lenchantin (A Perfect Circle) on bass as well as vocals, David Pajo (Slint and Tortoise) on guitar, Matt Sweeney (Skunk) on another guitar, and of course Billy Corgan on vocals and guitar. So what is Zwan? Billy Corgan described it best, as a group of musicians from a variety of backgrounds trying to create one complete harmony in a disharmonious world. It's precisely that. MARY STAR OF THE SEA is a beautiful combination of hard rock combined with an undescribable and enchanting feeling that will change one's mood to the very mood of the song. All in all, it's a great album. Perhaps the best of 2003. So far, it's gotten rave reviews all around, and it gets one from me too. Here's a description of the songs w/ a rating:
1.LYRIC-a perfect opening for the album, to set in an awesome guitar riff with a happy and toe-tapping rythm...9/10
2.SETTLE DOWN-the opening reminds me of Joy Division. A great song, fun vocals by Billy, I love the la de das...8.5/10
3.DECLARATIONS OF FAITH-the title described it all. a cool rock love song...8/10
4.HONESTLY-the first single, a great rock song, very catchy...9/10
5.EL SOL-means the sun, in spanish. this is my favorite song with some very deep writing in the lyrics...10/10
6.BROKEN HEART-so sad, so sad. a very depressing and heavy song, but a great one, very unlike previous live songs...10/10
7.RIDE A BLACK SONG-a great happy fast paced rock song with a catchy chorus, one of the best songs...10/10
8.HEARTSONG-acoustic lovesong, pretty good, not the best though...6.5/10
9.ENDLESS SUMMER-wow, it reminds me of summer. ha, this is a great song very fun...9.5/10
10.BABY LETS ROCK!-very catchy and fun to listen to, love the way the band works together in this song-9/10
11.YEAH!-i love this song, a guiter but kick[ing] song...10/10
12.DESIRE-a heartaching song, slower but still good...8/10
13.JESUS I/MARY STAR OF THE SEA-the peak of the album, a combination of two great songs with AMAZING guitar solos and work, a 14 minute masterpiece...10/10
14.COME WITH ME-a good ending for the album, and a great song, kind of sttange with harmonics but its all good...8.5/10
Overall this is a great album, and a must have. Definitly try and checkout the band live, as they are awesome live. There is a limited edition DVD with the CD, full of 40 minutes of unreleased songs, interviews with the band (hahaha), live stuff (a must have for their rendition of GODS GONNA SET THIS WORLD ON FIRE), the band riding bikes, and tons of backstage stuff. Great stuff for any true fan. A must have album.

A few years following the demise of the Smashing Pumpkins, Billy Corgan finally releases a studio album with Zwan, the band that magically formed less than a year after the Pumpkins swan song. The Zwan debut contains the signature Pumpkins layers of heavy guitar, but also includes more of the thoughtful songwriting that Corgan began to seriously explore on Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness and Adore.

Unfortunately, we are missing some of the great songs that the band debuted in several live shows (Crysanthemum and Glorious) in favor of more mellow fare. This new material is good, but after a few tracks you might find yourself wanting a "Quiet" or "Geek U.S.A." and that's not going to happen.

Overall, the album is solid from start to finish with the exception of the title track which is a little self-indulgent and could have been replaced with a couple of the rockers we are missing from the early Zwan live sets. Corgan and his new band-mates have matured in their outlook and songwriting, but sometimes you just want to RAWK!!

Given the wealth of songs Zwan has made in their 1 and half years of existence choosing the songs for their debut album, Mary Star of the Sea, must have been difficult. Hard-core were no doubt dissapointed to some extent when they didn't see rock anthems such as 'glorious' on the album. However what they got was a near perfect hook driven set of songs that do more for the soul than one would think after a first listen. Coming in at 65 minutes MSOTS is a hard album to appreciate after one listen. But give the album a week and you'll love it forever. With the album art and billy corgan's near-joyous lyrics Zwan can be seen as a deliberte and successfull departure from The Smashing Pumpkins. Mary star of the sea is a fantastic sonic adventure that gives it's listener many times the price of admission . The songs will soothe you and invite you to listen on. As billy corgan sends you on a guitar driven ride of a lifetime on track 13, the penultimate track "Jesus, I / Mary Star of the Sea" and then urges you to "come with me" on the album's final track, it is clear Zwan is a band with much more to offer in the future.

Choice tracks: Lyric, Declarations of faith, honestly, ride a black swan, endless summer, baby lets rock!, Desire, and Jesus, I / Mary Star of the Sea.

The Zwan CD totally lived up to my expectations and beyond. Every track finds it's way into the next with soothing and swirling distortion and exceptional drumming from Jimmy Chamberlain. It was very disappointing to see the Smashing Pumpkins laid to rest in 2000, but Billy has reinvented himself in a way not unfamiliar to those who remember the brighter days of past. Do yourself a favor and give it a try.

For all of us who knew the Smashing Pumpkins, for every one who gave in the the beautiful chaotic fuzzy wonder that became our anthem, here is something you could never have expected but will surely find familiar and comforting. Of course, many of us have already discovered Zwan in our own way - a live show, or maybe a bootleg from a friend. But here is the golden calf we have been desperately awaiting.

Zwan delivers a lot with this their first studio album - hope, joy, harmony, peace, and most of all a lesson in love. It drips with religious overtones, screams of musicianship, and greets you with the feeling that nothing in the world could be smoother than this music coming from your speakers.

I am sure many reviews will follow this one. Some will go into explicit per-song details. Some will say that Billy Corgan should, well, whatever. But my simple observation is that you, you should listen, take it in, and enjoy. Open your mind, heart and soul. Breathe Zwan once and you'll understand what I am only trying to say.

Zwan, Billy Corgan's baby since the breakup of the Smashing Pumpkins, is a mixed success. The album is more radio-friendly than anything of the Pumpkins, with Billy's (guitar, vocals) voice more mellow and tempered by that of Paz (bass, vocals) and obviously influenced by Euro and J-Pop. The guitar trio is a sonic overload, but a welcome one as the complexities are intricately blended to create an intense package of harmony. Yet, for old Smashing Pumpkins fans, the edge and the angst seem to be gone, making for a rather bland and almost chipper sound compared to the dark and contemplative tastes of the Pumpkins. It is a bit of a disapointment in this regard, as Billy's depression and brooding always seemed to produce intrinsically deep lyrics and emotive sounds. For the old-school Pumpkins fan, Zwan may sound superficial, albeit refined.

Zwan is a 5 piece band based in Chicago. The band was formed shortly after the final Smashing Pumpkins shows in Chicago. Billy Corgan (guitar/vocals) and Jimmy Chamberlin (drums) moved on to expand their horizon. Matt Sweeney (guitar/vocals) is formerly of an indie band, Chavez. David Pajo (guitar) is formerly of an indie band, Slint. Paz Lenchantin (bass/vocals) came to Zwan from A Perfect Circle.

Billy, Matt and Paz takes turns with the lead/backgrond vocals duty even if Billy wrote most of the songs. The album has a very strong texture to the music. The guitars are pretty heavy. Paz's bass playing style is strong and heavy. Jimmy's drumming is heavy. The band has been together for about a year and a half. It must have been very difficult for them to choose the songs for this album. Their rock anthem, "Glorious" isn't included on the album. It seems like the whole band found their personal Jesus and it's probably the most "religious" album I've ever heard. This album would do any true Smashing Pumpkins fans proud by their first spin on the CD. Give this album at least 2 days to get a good listen and you'll fall in love with it, your personal Jesus forever.

This album would definately do James Iha and D'arcy (formerly of The Smashing Pumpkins) proud. Melissa auf der Maur (formerly of Tinker, Hole and The Smashing Pumpkins) would be very pleased with this album. The CD itself is almost 66 minutes long.

Essential tracks on this album are: "Honestly", "Lyric", "Settle Down", "Declarations Of Faith", "Ride A Black Swan", "Baby Let's Rock", and "Jesus, I/Mary Star Of The Sea".

My copy of this album comes with a bonus limited edition DVD. The DVD includes some tracks which doesn't appear on the CD. It contains interviews, live footage and studio footage. The interviews with band members are kinda funny. If you get this CD/DVD edition, you'll enjoy the DVD. It's only 40 minutes long.

This album is strongly recommended along side with every Smashing Pumpkins releases and Paz's former band's (A Perfect Circle) album.

After a mere decade and the Smashing Pumpkins calling it quits in 2001, Singer Billy Corgan remerges with a great new band and release of the album "Mary Star of the Sea". The other members that he got together with also have had their own successes, like guitarist David Pajo (ex-Slint, Tortoise), guitarist/vocalist Matt Sweeney (Chavez) and bassist/vocalist Paz Lenchantin ( A Perfect Circle). It features the fourteen minute epic (in the typical Smashing Pumpkins vein) titled "Jesus,I/Mary Star Of The Sea" a somewhat overblown epic.

With their three guitar line-up it's not surprising that the songs on Mary Star of the Sea have a Big guitar sound, but unlike Corgan's previous releases he sounds more a peace with himself. Songs like "Honesty", "Settle Down", "El Sol" get better and better the more you listen to them. The song "Come With Me" ends the album in an anti-climatic manner but the overall vibe of the album is that it is a great album.

I don't even know where to begin, I've enjoyed this album so much. I am a Pumkins fan from Glen Ellyn,IL ... funny, I didn't even know of them until a few months before they where big, didn't even know that they were there, playing in my home town (I wish I had!). As an angry teen struggling with family crud the Pumkins music really hit me where I was, and it was great to sing along and yell about the [stuff] you see when you're not sucked into the "idealic" G.E. perspective.

I've moved beyond a lot of that anger now that I'm in my mid-twenties and a lot has changed and grown, and this album couldn't be better. Once again, meeting me where I am.

Not to mention the incredible talent of all these musicians and the fantastic music that flows from them. This album has such a great variety of songs. It's nifty cause with the Pumkins you felt and heard the anger and pain coming through (especially in Billy's voice), now you can hear a greater spectrum of emotion. Some songs you can even hear him smiling, it makes me smile too. Everytime I listen...over and over again. Enjoy!

I was sad when the Smashing Pumpkins broke up, and was a little apprehensive of buying this album, considering that since the Pumpkins were so great, Billy Corgan's new band couldn't be as great. Well, I have to admit, they aren't as great as the legendary Smashing Pumpkins, but are still headed in the right direction. The songs are easy to understand (for once!) and are fun to sing along with, and in cases like the first track, easily get stuck in your head. Plus, since Billy Corgan is the main singer, ya gotta expect great songs and music. So go buy this album, you'll be hooked :D.