Billy Corgan has never been one to shy away from epic statements. Some of the most revered songs of the Smashing Pumpkins catalog were showcased in sprawling double-album-length productions, and even more concise releases wore Corgan's specific brand of grandiose arrangements and deep, unfiltered emotionality. Cyr, the 11th studio album to bear the Smashing Pumpkins name, is another example of Corgan's knack for creating massive albums, only this time translating layered guitar rock into dark, moody synth pop. Longtime ...
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Billy Corgan has never been one to shy away from epic statements. Some of the most revered songs of the Smashing Pumpkins catalog were showcased in sprawling double-album-length productions, and even more concise releases wore Corgan's specific brand of grandiose arrangements and deep, unfiltered emotionality. Cyr, the 11th studio album to bear the Smashing Pumpkins name, is another example of Corgan's knack for creating massive albums, only this time translating layered guitar rock into dark, moody synth pop. Longtime followers of the band will recall them overhauling their sound in a similar way as early as 1998's Adore. Unlike the electronic tinges that added to the cold elegance of that album, however, Cyr puts the synths front and center. Guitars are mostly buried under warm synth pads, buzzing electronic bass, and a mixture of programmed beats and lockstep live drumming. Original Pumpkins guitarist James Iha and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin rejoined the band for 2018's Shiny and Oh So Bright, Vol. 1, and are on board again for Cyr, adding drive and dreaminess to Corgan's dark synth pop ruminations. Songs like "Confessions of a Dopamine Addict" and the sinister title track combine shadowy background vocal harmonies and stacks of Cure-informed synth lines for the kind of tense, trembling atmospheres the Pumpkins excel at. It's uncanny how easily the group's angsty guitar daydreaming translates into computerized rock. Their distinctive songwriting ache is present in the huge, glowing chorus of "Save Your Tears," just as their unique catharsis is communicated through the pounding four-on-the-floor rhythm and sinister synth stabs of "Adrennalynne" or the dizzying electronic polyrhythms of "Schaudenfreud." The angry metallic grooving of "Wyttch" is one of the few moments on Cyr where the band lean into the loud guitars and organic drums of their earliest albums. There's a grim intensity to many of the record's 20 tracks, but for every moment of brooding, there's one of sensitivity that's equally powerful. Gently melancholic tunes like "Dulcet in E" and "Birch Grove" are built with the same synth-heavy arrangements as the rest of the album, but their soft loneliness recalls other sadly beautiful songs the band have offered up since the early '90s. The desolate synth sounds and uneasy atmospheres of Cyr complement Corgan's narratives of tortured love and outsider perspectives. It's another epic statement rife with troubled beauty, presented from a slightly different angle but true to the spirit of longing and restless wonder that has defined the Smashing Pumpkins for over 30 years. ~ Fred Thomas, Rovi
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