Customer Reviews

TheFutureEmbrace

5 star:		(58)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

To be honest, this album is excellent. Billy Corgan, in all his long career, has never once disappointed me. Every Pumpkins album was fantastic, including the Aeroplane boxset and other b-side collections like Judas O and Pisces Iscariot. We shouldn't be surprised that TheFutureEmbrace sounds akin to the Pumpkins because Billy was the driving creative and musical force in the band. You can think of TheFutureEmbrace as belonging somewhere right between Adore and Machina, musically. The album has very fine polish and poise, and each song evokes a different feeling or emotion from the listener. The songs have a wonderful balance of electronica and rock to make this album fit nicely in a very niche genre of synth rock. The songs range from upbeat, like All Things Change, to very dark and sombre, like Mina Loy and the single track, Walking Shade. If you're a fan of Billy Corgan and the Smashing Pumpkins, especially the Adore album, then you will absolutely love this album, as I do. However, if you think that the Pumpkins peak work was Siamese Dream or Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, you will not likely see eye to eye with Billy on this new work. If you consider yourself a true fan of music and someone who likes to hear new and different ways of expressing time honored sentiments, then you owe it to yourself to pick up this album.

The Smashing Pumpkins, that earthshaking rock band of the 1990s, broke up in 2001. Most of the members -- James Iha, James Chamberlin and Melissa Auf Der Maur -- have embarked on solo careers, with varying successes. In the meantime, frontman Billy Corgan put out a book of poetry and started a new band, the sadly short-lived Zwan.

Now Billy Corgan has gone solo for real, with "TheFutureEmbrace," with his usual mixture of self-examination and brooding music. It doesn't exactly forge new territories, but the echoes of the Pumpkins merely enhance the dreamier, softer sound.

"All things change/never rest, never sure/what is worth/fighting on for?" Corgan asks in the dream-rocker "All Things Change," over a bed of buzzing guitars. That dreamy sound continues throughout the album -- sometimes it's laced with synth blips, sometimes with airy distortion.

In fact, "TheFutureEmbrace" might have simply floated away if Corgan hadn't included some grittier songs to ground it. "Mina Loy (M.O.H.)" kicks it off with some twisting synth, drum machines and a dark bassline. The songs in that vein are catchy and gritty, so it keeps the whole thing from seeming a bit too art-rocky.

Who will like it? Fans of Corgan will more or less know what to expect, and will probably enjoy it. Those that don't like Corgan's past work probably won't like this either, because it has Corgan's style written all over the album.

With "TheFutureEmbrace," Corgan has taken a slightly different musical turn. The harder rock of his old days has been replaced by a haze of synth and some murky dreampop guitars. All the songs feel softer and more comfortable, like shoes that have been broken in. Corgan's vocals are still a bit nasal, a bit high, but he puts so much passion into his singing that sooner or later you get yanked in.

The odd thing is, he seems to be at peace. There is pain and unhappiness, sure -- at one point he seems to be explaining his past work, by announcing "a naked soul just has to grieve/if I bleed, the camera cries." But Corgan also sings that "we can change the world," and announces, "only you remind me/that only love can find me." It's not really Corgan's best work, but it's still very good songwriting.

Billy Corgan's return is not a smashing rebirth, but a quieter triumph that takes awhile to fully sink in. A solid solo album, and definitely one worthy of praise.

I did not know what to expect from this CD. I expected it to be enjoyable and I expected it to sound like Billy, but beyond those two things I was clueless. What I found was a very interesting collection of 12 songs that are familiar yet somehow different from anything Billy has given us before.

Stylistically, the CD is unclassifiable. It's not necessarily rock, it's not electronic, it's some hybrid between the two. The sound is different from Zwan, Billy's last musical outing, and different from the early and late Pumpkins music. If I were to compare this CD to anything Billy has produced musically, I would say that musically, this CD is closest to the Pumpkins CD, "Adore." Lyrically though, the CD is much different. The lyrics on "Adore" were typical Pumpkins lyrics. They were full of love, sadness, pain, rage, etc... The lyrics Billy wrote for "The Future Embrace" seem much more uplifting. There is a feeling of hope to these songs that seems to almost go hand in hand with Billy's book of poems and some of the Zwan songs. The music is not necessarily the most uplifting music I've ever heard, but I caught myself smiling multiple times when I sat there and actually listened to the words. Billy is a poet. He's a very interesting writer, and I recommend that you take the time to buy this CD, sit there for an hour, and let the lyrics and music he has put together take you somewhere different.

If nothing else, this CD is an escape from everything else on the Billboard 200 charts today. It's different in a way that's intriguing, fun, and worth listening to. Is it as "good" as the mid-90's Pumpkin rage that Billy is known for? Yes and no. If you want angsty-rage, look elsewhere, but if you want music worth listening to, look right here. Billy Corgan is an awesome musician, and as long as he's putting music out, we should all buy it.

Billy's first solo since the glory days of the great Pumpkins took me by surprise. I thought surely this would be some hard metal album but instead it's much more mellow! If you like Pumpkins tunes like Daphne Descends, Apples + Oranjes, Adore, and most of Disc 2 for Mellon Collie then you'll like the solo. Mina Loy (M O H) is the best I'd have to say but they're all good. If you're looking for Gish or SImese Dreams era screaming and guitar bleariness forget it. This is a mellow, intense, serious album. Lots of emotion. Great job!

I love it! Billy Corgan explores territory where I've never seen him, including vocally. I love the ethereal washes and layers of sound. For these characteristics, I often read people comparing it to "shoegaze" rock (quick, everyone to their Wikipedia!), which is fine, but I think that's a pretty lame tag to stick to this album (nothing against shoegazing). Rather, it sort of leaves the alt-rock world behind (which he did 7 years ago anyway).

Whatever you call it, here are some other characteristics I've noticed:
1. It's darker (in mood) than Zwan, but brighter than any SP album. If you think you have to be depressed to write good music, you might not like it for this reason. Obviously the songs vary in mood throughout the album.
2. It shows his 80's new wave influences (big hint: his cover of ToLoveSomebody, including a duet with The Cure's Robert Smith). If you are iffy about electronic music or the Adore sound, you might not like it.
3. It's addictive! If you give it the time, this album will suck you in. Maybe it's the soul. Or the cool electronic sounds. I dunno.

In short, Billy has some different toys and stylistic leanings, but it has the same soul that all of his Pumpkin songs have had, and that seemed to be stifled in Zwan. His heart is back on his sleeve. His perfectionism is evident. I'm very excited about his professional future. Obiously, though, this is a fan's persepective. I wouldn't except *everybody* to get into it. So, try it out for yourself.

Favorites: Now (And Then), I'm Ready, Mina Loy, The CameraEye, Walking Shade

Billy Corgan is by far my favorite musician of all time. The Pumpkins rocked, ZWAN had one helluva album, and now this. Billy, in my opinion, is the best lyricist of all time. His lyrics are extremely profound and this album is just a reminder of why I feel this way. Mina Loy (M.O.H.) is my favorite track on the album, while the song DIA, with Jimmy Chamberlin (from both of Billy's previous bands) doing drums somewhat reminds of his past works. While not every song is memorable, the far majority are. All in all, I would definitely recommend this album to fans of Billy, just don't expect something the quality of the Smashing Pumpkins.

This may seem like a simple techno/pop/rock whatever album but it is not. for me this is Corgans most soulful and heartfelt cd. with memories of his past that chill me to my inner core. it was the lyrics that truly put this cd over the 5 star limit. songs like the cameraeye, mina loy, now and then, and pretty pretty star all attest to Corgans wonderful writing style. and the music is creative and fresh. this style of sound is not new to Corgan. he did similar work with the Pumpkins on Eye, and in his soundtrack works like stigmata.
beautiful, interesting, well written, well put together, and refreshing -

a must buy

Since the breakup of the Smashing Pumpkins and then the formation and the subsiquential breakup of Zwan I have been awaiting to hear this album. Billy Corgan has always been a progressive artist. Just take a listen to all the Pumpkins other albums, each one has its own unique sound and feel while maintaining the signiture sound of the Pumpkins. Zwan on the other hand was a guitar laden mastery of echoing sound with religious heartfelt lyrics thrown into that sound. So what does THE FUTURE EMBRACE sound like...about what a pumpkins/corgan fan would expect none of the above. Corgan continues to push the limits of music and pulls at the strings of artistic comformity in everyway. The only pumpkins album that sounds anywhere quite like this was adore and thats only because of the electronic sound, cross adore with zwans album "mary star of the sea" and throw in some hopeful, sorrowful, and personal lyrics, dash some of the guitars out and cross it with more electronics and you have the sound of The Future Embrace. I'll go out on a limb here and say there are NO HIT SONGS on this album. It's not a mainstream album, the sound is too rough and unpolished for radio play. Walking Shade is the catchiest song, followed by tracks 2 and 3. The other songs are great works of art and will take quite a few listens before they conform to your mind. I really didnt "GET" this album on first listen but ive now listed to it quite a few times and im liking it more now, but that is the way with most great artists, they take a few listens. Is the future embrace revolutionary? no but it is a remarkable peice of work that true pumpkins/corgan fans will grow to enjoy.

I'm not sure why the man has turned to squishing the words of his song titles together, or why he feels "z" is an appropriate replacement for "s" in indicating the plurality of something, but all that aside, Billy Corgan is back.

Before I start the review, I have to admit: Billy Corgan is my favorite musician/songwriter of all time. Over the years, he has been able to do no wrong in my eyes. So when I review his new solo effort, I may be a little biased...

The easiest way to describe "TheFutureEmbrace" is to label it "Adore: The Sequel". Just as I had envisioned when The Smashing Pumpkins broke up several years ago, Corgan has continued on by himself with the electronirock that he gambled away his career with on "Adore". For a fan who considers "Adore" his favorite SP album ever, this is good news.

"TheFutureEmbrace" seems to be the lost rock songs people were yearning for on "Adore". The songs are still dark and drenched in synth with the guitar pushed to the back edges, but you can actually dance to these tunes. And unlike "Adore", Corgan seems to be a happier and more hopeful individual on this record. "Adore" was a heartbreakingly emotional album. While TFM is not the happy-go-lucky Corgan of Zwan, he is clearly a man who is looking forward to the new challenges his life will bring. He is no longer a "rat in a cage". He is changed, and he embraces that.

Before I get carried away, let me just say that this album is not perfect. Far from it. There are several songs in which Corgan seems to be trying to be different just for the sake of being different. Corgan has always had a knack for writing very melodic songs, but it seems when he gets bored, he crosses a line to where most of us can't follow. It results in a few songs that just don't seem to make musical sense. The bass lines go places where you weren't expecting, the synth sounds seem to be colliding with each other, and you're waiting for a hook that never comes.

Don't get me wrong, I'm an intelligent music fan. I'm perfectly capable of understanding and enjoying types of music that most would just dismiss as rubbish because they don't "get it". But there is a universal tie that binds music lovers, and it's called melody. If a song has a good melody, it doesn't matter how it goes about portraying it, it is going to be good. But on several songs, namely the opener "All Things Change", the melody doesn't do the pleasant things you are waiting for it to do. It seems to be saying, "I know I should do this, but I want to do something else so I will be considered different". That's fine when that "something else" is something that grabs your soul. This just doesn't.

But you know what's funny? It's still a good song. A bad song for Billy Corgan is like a bad day at the beach: it's still better than any day at work. And Corgan at his worst is still better than any of the crap being released today. But when you find him at his best...wow.

Take, for example, "Mina Loy". This is the most radio-friendly song Corgan has written since the Mellon Collie days. I don't know if it is the current single or if it ever will be, but it should. This song could revive Corgan's commercial appeal in a heartbeat.

And, of course, there is that trademark Corgan voice. He seems to get better and better with each album. Here, he may have reached his peak. Gone is that piercing whine we knew from Siamese Dream. Corgan has become a full-fledged good singer. And unlike Zwan's only album, "Mary Star of the Sea", the production here is great. You can finally HEAR Corgan's voice. And you can listen to the album straight through without getting ear fatigue. Things are finally right in the world.

I will admit, however, that I would love to hear these songs with a full band behind them...with Jimmy Chamberlin (he does play on one song but his talents are wasted) doing his thing and James Iha matching Corgan note for note. Synthland is a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. These songs scream out for the out-and-out rock band treatment. And hopefully, with the news of The Smashing Pumpkins possibly being revived, we will get that chance.

Regardless, if you're a Corgan fan at all, you will love this album. If you're new to the man, start with Siamese Dream and work towards this. It's been a long journey and the ending doesn't make sense without first seeing the beginning.

Billy's solo offering is not even a mixed bag. With its constant relying on cliché electro-percussion and frustrating to make sense of layers of noise, "The Future Embrace" manages to have not enough and too much of everything at the same time.

The mood of the music rests somewhere between "Adore" and "Machina" with its brief sputtering glimpses of optimism though remaining much darker than, say, his work with Zwan. (You know you're going to be disappointed when you start treading back in the artist's catalog to say, "Well, he did this already back on (insert song here), and so much better at that")

The organic feel of a talented band is sorely missed as well. It is difficult to embrace (pun intended) Billy's lyrics and emotion when the music is so devoid of human spontaneity, never escalating to any sort of release.

An acoustic album may have better suited Corgan and, at least, this fan. With "The Future Embrace", one gets the feeling that he has sold his soul to the machines and was forced to lace lyrics within their emotionless noise rather than over their nuances while an actual band provided the soul.

The album, though, is not without its highlights. "Mina Loy (M.O.H)" works quite well in a "1979" progression sort of way and "The Camera Eye" utilizes an audible guitar and displays Billy's gift for songwriting, though it is nowhere near his best work.

As a huge Pumpkins fan, it was difficult reading the poor reviews for this album before picking it up and I kept thinking to myself, "It can't be that bad... it's Billy Corgan." Then I forced myself to make excuses like, "The media just cannot stand his pretension." Well, I'm here to tell you, though it is not "that bad", it is a deep disappointment and it is going to take a lot to not acknowledge his pretensions (I point at the cover art as Exhibit A).

Key Tracks: "Mina Loy (M.O.H)" & "The Camera Eye"