The Pumpkin Kings (Pr. 4)

Photo by Paul Elledge

Hey everyone! Today I wanted to share some news with you that I was really excited about, and I think most millennial alt-rock fans will be too. With their famously distorted guitar tone and heavy, impactful lyrics, Smashing Pumpkins have been back on their game lately, launching a new website called The Panopticon. Referring to it as Smashing Pumpkins’ Official Nexus, it’s a blog of sorts that started just last week, back on March 25, with a special announcement. Come 2015, we can expect the release of two new albums, currently running under the titles Monuments to An Elegy and Day to Night. This was published in the very first post on the website by frontman Billy Corgan. He went on to describe what they were trying to do with their new ‘nexus’, which has since included daily updates of writing, editing and recording.

“Additionally, this stands as the initial post on a new nexus: The Panopticon, which through its simplicity should better address the speed of modern life. A continuing feature, items regarding each day’s recording will be shared that same evening, with song titles, lyrics, poetic impressions, pictures, sound clips, studio gear and the like offered for a circuitous, bird’s eye view of the process as it unfolds,” writes Corgan in his inaugural post. The step towards a more modern, immersive approach to interacting with their fans and updating them in real time is sure to be well received and build the anticipation for the future of the band.

They announced they’d again be working with producer Howard Willing who produced their 1998 album Adore. This was the bands fourth album, and while Corgan would later go on to describe it as “a band falling apart,” it was extremely liked by critics and was even nominated for a Grammy. Fans of this should definitely keep an eye out for their two new LPs next year. In the meantime, since recording has already begun, the band expects a single to be released by year’s end. We’ll be anxiously awaiting the Pumpkins’ follow up to their wildly successful 2012 EP Oceania. If these next two albums share anything with the last, my only hope is that it maintains Corgan’s original grungy, vicious sound he introduced us to in the early 90’s*.


*While we wait, let's go back and remind the world why they're such a killer band - maintaining originality while still giving Fleetwood Mac a run for their money with one of the best covers to date.