Billy Corgan: The Future Embrace
So I finally have listened to The Future Embrace a few times and I thought I'd post some thoughts on it.
First, Billy, thanks for the freakiest cover ever. Put a shirt on, man. Moving on...
Of all his albums, The Future Embrace sounds the most like Adore in that it's very electronic -- but really, it's a beast of its own. Very strange stuff. I'm predicting that this won't be climbing too high in the charts... And that's not a bad thing.
The sound is very thick and thin at the same time. Layered, distorted, reverb-drenched guitars on the high end, drum machines and keyboards on the low end. And, of course, Corgan's voice in the middle of it all.
The highlight of the album for me is also a highlight of musical weirdness: Billy Corgan singing with Robert Smith, covering a BeeGees song. It's great.
Other songs I'm liking:
- Walking Shade. Watch the insanely cool video here
- Mina Loy (My Old Heart). This is one of the more instantly enjoyable tracks on the album.
- To Love Somebody. The previously mentioned Robert Smith duet. Probably my favorite just for its improbability.
- The Camera Eye. A wierd number in the vein of The Pumpkin's Eye from The Lost Highway soundtrack.
I'm not sure how I feel about this album overall. There's some great songs on here but there's also some that -- at first listen -- fall flat. But, then again, I'm rarely enamored with any of Corgan's music at first listen. It takes a while to work under my skin.
We'll see how The Future Embrace fairs over time. Until then, I'm statisfied.
13 Comments:
Hrm, I've never heard of Billy Corgan before. However, I have heard of Robert Smith, and I love him and his band oh so much. In fact, I just wrote a post with his picture in it. So, Ill have to check out this song.
What is going on with our youth? Amber, you don't know who Corgen is but you love Smith? Have you ever heard of a little band called the Smashing Pumkins? That was Corgen. I know this not going to be a popular remark but I don't get this new love for the 80's. I was around and the only good thing about it was that it was fallowed by the 90's.
Levi:
I think I like it but I'm not in love with it. I'm hoping that it will grow on me. One thing that is true about Corgen is that he always reinvents himself. Over all I like it and I think that it might be on it's way to being a fan classic but it is not going to set any sales marks. Like a Pinkerton or something.
BRIAN A
OH, I like the smashing pumpkins...however, haha i didnt know he was from that band. sorry :S
I agree. The cover is hard to look at. He seems as though he's never seen the light of day. Like someone kicked over a rock and he scrambled out and someone snapped his picture.
*laughing*
That's sound sweet that he did a song with Robert Smith. I would have never thought to pair those two up, but I bet they sound great together.
I don't know about you, Levi, but Corgen has a voice that I could listen to for awhile, but not for the duration of an entire album.
It's not that I don't enjoy his sound, it's just that it's too much of the same intensity for every song--no, that's not it because some of his songs are slower and quiter...hm. I can't explain it. Good review. I probably won't be buying it.
Sadie you crack me up. That was the perfect decription of Corgen. It's not his fault that he looks like that but he should most definetly leave his shirt on. I think that he is that white becuase he lives in the studio layering track after track. I don't think there has ever been an artest that layers more tracks then he does. It would take forever to produce the sounds that he does.
BRIAN A
Brian: Hi man, good ta have you on the blog! I agree with your asessment of the album, it's definately a cult-album. I can't picture it playing on 107.9 THE END.
I have to say, the reason everyone loves the 80s is because they were great. I was just talking with Suzanne about what a good decade that was... But if you despise the 80s, that's your choice. I can only lead you to the truth...
Sadie: That's most people's complaint about Billy Corgan and I understand it. But his voice is always what made me love his music. It never gets on my nerves, for some reason.
I don't despise the 80's and there are a few bands from that era that I love, but the obsession with style (Flock of Seagulls) over substance was, in my opinion, what it was all about, very much like the end of the 90's(Backstreet Boys). And I don’t believe that everyone loves the 80’s and it is only now cool because in the early 90’s everyone hated the 80’s and loved the 70’s. In the 80’s the guys that liked 70’s rock were the outcast. It always works that way, something has to be so un-cool that it then becomes cool again, and around and around it goes. I will give you this; you have always had a soft spot in your heart for 80’s, even when it was not cool… and you’re the cool guy.
BRIAN A
"I don't think there has ever been an artest that layers more tracks then he does. It would take forever to produce the sounds that he does."--Brian
Hmmm...layering tracks as an art? Beck. Beck does it really, really well. Moby does it too, but I'm over that guy. He doesn't do it for me anymore. He had like a few good dance tracks and then he lost me.
I LOVE THE 80's
Yes, Beck does layer but very differently then Corgan. Corgan will take like 100+ guitars and lay them on top of each other. It makes for a very rich sound. Moby just sucks... but I love Beck. Please don't mention a guy like Moby with Beck; it is disrespectful to Beck.
BRIAN A
*head bowed in shame*
I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. We were talking about the 80's and then I was reminded of some of the horrors from the 90's...one thing lead to another--I apologize. It won't happen again.
I'm glad you like Beck, though. It just makes you that much cooler of a person.
It redeems you for liking to stomp on kittens (hey, you said it, not me.)
*I kid*
How many kitten stomping people can you say you think are cool? I had a lot to overcome but now I am in your good graces of a local blogging legend!
BRIAN A
Billy looks like a huge fetus. Is that a birthmark on his arm? I'm glad he's so comfortable with it. You know he's always scared me.
i agree with brians assesment of the 80s. there is 80s music that i like, but that is just a reflection of good bands, not the era. the pop music of the 80s sucked and sucked bad. there should never be as much reverb on a snare drum as there was in almost every 80s song.
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