The band: 90s Alt rock icons The Smashing Pumpkins have been sporadically releasing songs taken from their forthcoming 10th studio album over the past month. Both ‘Being Beige’ and ‘One for All’ were met with a positive response and expectations are high for the new nine track LP. In typically unheralded fashion, the dramatic ‘Tiberius’ has emerged.
The sound: The track begins with a delicate piano refrain that is the basis for the recurring synth line that meanders in the background throughout, punctuated by a thunderous wall of guitars that evokes the spirit of 1993’s Siamese Dream. There is a sense of grandiosity to it, as has been the case with a great deal of their recent work. One notable deviation from the band’s classic sound is that Billy Corgan’s vocals are much higher in the mix than on their previous material; however it does not detract from its overall quality.
The lowdown: Monuments to An Elegy will be released on December 9th 2014 and features Tommy Lee on drumming duties, it’ll be followed by Day for Night which is slated for 2015. Its release will signify the end of their ongoing concept and album cycle Teargarden by Kaleidoscope that featured 2012’s critically acclaimed Oceania among other EPs and standalone releases.
