Zwan - 'Mary Star Of The Sea' (Reprise)
4/5
By: Joshua K
Let's face it. Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlain could have simply made Zwan 'Smashing Pumpkins without the Other Two' and shifted more units around the world than most averagely noticeable start-ups. And that album probably wouldn't have been half bad. Yet it also wouldn't have been very interesting.
So, instead, Corgan went for a rethink - re-emerging as 'Billy Burke' (according to the liner notes) with his most consistent full-length LP since 1993's 'Siamese Dream'. Yes, the Pumpkins' poppier moments (name-check: '1979') are the blueprint. And yes, Corgan's nasal delivery and Chamberlain's rock-solid backbeat make us feel at home. But despite this comparison, we're dealing with a much different animal.
Musically, Zwan is driven by a three guitar attack - led by legendary Slint/Tortoise man Dave Pajo, not to mention Corgan's own axe work - that manages the difficult trick of never sounding forced or, more distressingly, prog. Almost bizarrely, every track is reserved to a tidy length, with clear verses, hummable choruses and crisp hooks lending a '1970s radio' pizzazz (as suggested by song-titles including 'Endless Summer,' 'Baby Let's Rock!' and 'Yeah!'). Even the title-epic's fourteen minutes are forgivable for blending three separate songlets, inclusive of a fuzz-toned dirge that's easily the most Pumpkins-esque moment.
As for the lyrics, we're in faith, love and devotion territory - a clear change from the creeping doubt, paranoia and uncertainty of Corgan's old band. For example, the album opens with 'Lyric' - a paean to both religion and the art of songwriting. And 'Settle Down' introduces the repeated refrain of 'Whatever I can do, I will/'Cuz I want to' in an alternative form: in the Cali slang, 'Whatever I can do, I will /'Cuz I'm good like that'. Rarely has Corgan been more playful; the joy he takes in performing this new material is evident throughout.
Consequentially, 'Mary Star of the Sea' has little to do with the so-called 'new rock revolution', then. It just rocks. Isn't that all we were hoping for, originally?
Artists in this article: Zwan
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