Sometime since 2007's hopeful, yet underwhelming last full length "Zeitgeist" sole surviving Pumpkin Billy Corgan had some kind of emotional quake to invoke this much yin & yang of beauty and fury, which has always been the key combination to the most dearly loved of Smashing Pumpkins anthems. Yes... this is the album Pumpkins fans have been waiting for. Fans of "Gish" & "Siamese Dream" take notice. Guitars wail in distortion amid tribal beats ("Quasar", "Panopticon", "The Chimera", "Inkless"). Heart strings are yanked at and torn off by the teeth ("The Celestials", "One Diamond, One Heart", and the phenomenal "Violet Rays"). Progressive electronic elements explored on previous albums like "Adore" are borrowed from, but never overwhelm, adding to the beautiful sonic atmosphere ("Pinwheels"and the amazing closer "Wildflower"). The entire album flows easily cohesive and satisfying. A concept album of the heart. A simple, age old concept which seems to get more and more lost within this digital age. It's ironic how just a few years ago Corgan was so vocal about releasing only downloadable singles, shying away from the full album mentality, to produce something that makes you remember why the album as a whole is so vital in the first place. One of the best of 2012.
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