TOP PICKS
THE SMASHING PUMPKINS
No Past. No Future. No Sun. (Napalm/Warner)
Billy Corgan’s wishes have finally been granted: The Smashing Pumpkins (as in, the actual Smashing Pumpkins, not the bastardised rehash Corgan whipped up in ’06) have reunited… well, mostly. The first chapter of their Shiny and Oh So Bright saga, NPNFNS is a bright, booming and buoyant—if somewhat understated at times—masterclass in how to make a comeback. It feels nostalgic but never dated, the dustiness of and bubble and brew with a youthful fury, guitars pounding and powerful and decently furry. Iha’s noodly, introspective fretwork is on show as he doles out dazzling chunks of crystalline riffery both under four and six strings: he steals the show almost everywhere on this album.
