Niki N. Phaser

                  Smashing Pumpkins have premiered a new single, Widow Wake My Mind, through MySpace. The song is the second installment in Billy Corgan & co.’s 44 tracks project, entitled Teargarden by Kaleidyscope. It’s quite a different kind of tune than first single, A Song For a Son, which was made available as a free download last month. Maybe it’s just the infectious hopeful sound of this new track, but this diversity promises an interesting project. It is not set yet, but if this will be a one-by-month kind of venture, Smashing Pumpkins might become a favorited show, though waiting 30 days for a new episode is a bit frustrating. Anyway, it’s nice to always have a little pleasure to look forward to. Like the rest of the tracks which Teargarden by Kaleidyscope is comprised of, Widow Wake My Mind is a free download.

LISTEN TO THE WIDOW

          A Song for a Son marks the beginning of Smashing Pumpkins’ new album, Teargarden by Kaleidyscope. If that sounds slightly weird, we can ‘blame’ Billy Corgan for it. After remaining the last original Pumpkin in the band, the singer decided to give up on the idea of a standard album and instead release a series of 44 singles. When they’re all done, they’ll be put together in the mega-album Teargarden by Kaleidyscope. Till that happens, the band are offering the songs as free downloads, as well as four EPs, for those of you who still need to read liner notes, while listening to a freshly bought record. This new song is not quite a revelation, sounds more like a recent recorded try at a shelved project. No worries, there are still 43 to come, though it’s still unclear when.

Listen or Download (or both) Here

It seems that Smashing Pumpkins frontman, Billy Corgan has found a new drummer for his outfit in the person of Mike Byrne, a 19-year old student and they are currently working on new stuff. It doesn’t really matter who the guy is, but the question that’s on my mind is: will that band still be The Smashing Pumpkins? I mean, now there is only one original member left. The Cure have undergone some changes over the years, some many changes in fact, but, with some pauses, Simon Gallup was pretty much all the time by Robert Smith’s side.

source: www.washingtoncitypaper.com

The answer I choose to sponsor regarding the Corgan-Pumpkins dilemma is: I don’t really care, as long as the music is still good. With their Zeitgeist album, the controversy was pretty much based around the same issue: is it still Smashing Pumpkins without James Iha and Melissa Auf der Maur (who did nicely by herself, by the way)? I don’t know, but the album was part amazing (Bleeding the Orchid), part good (For God and Country) and after all, the music is all that matters. So, Billy, do your best and let us know when it’s done!

On the other hand, I must admit that this whole situation must be really nasty for a hardcore Pumpkins fan. It must be really frustrating to keep changing the posters on your wall… (just joking, sorry).