The Smashing Pumpkins--Adore

After the explosion of Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, the world was The Smashing Pumpkin’s oyster. They had the artistic license to do whatever they wanted and take as long as they wanted, it was all their call. Yet the tragic drug-related death of tour keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin and the removal of drummer Jimmy Chamberlain was a deep thorn in the band’s side. Frontman Billy Corgan and the two remaining members (James Iha on guitar and D’arcy Wretzcy on bass) took the shift of mood, instrumentation, and their artistic license, to move in a new musical direction. While the result, Adore, is not a complete 360 spin from the Pumpkins’ previous work, it is a change. And not one people were expecting. Adore was released June of 1998 to the eagerly awaiting hands of alternative fans, and what they got was a softly touching, orchestral-blended work of pure sober emotion. Reviews were not as touching, especially from those expecting more "Bullet With Butterfly Wings" hits. Instead, Adore exposed the Smashing Pumpkins experimenting with technique: adding more acoustics, fiddling with electronic effects, and pulling back from their previous work. Blistering overlapped guitar solos - once the feather in the Pumpkins’ cap - could now be counted on one hand. In a different way though, Adore was heavy. "To Sheila" immediately shows where the record is headed, featuring soft acoustics, Corgan’s mournful voice, and ethereal effects. "To Martha," dedicated to Corgan’s mother who had recently passed away, is one of the best on the album, tying together the quiet fragility of Adore with a new spin on the Pumpkins’ old guitar work. "Ava Adore" was most experimental of all, featuring only a heavy bass beat and Corgan’s croons for the majority of the song, it showed that the Smashing Pumpkins could still achieve a pop hit without their trademark tricks. While not the most drastic of changes, it displayed the Smashing Pumpkins as an ever-changing force, and one that could - as it always had - come through great tragedy with brilliant music.

(Published at MusicEmissions.com)