I don't think any of you will be surprised to know that I am madly in love with this album. Even with all of the potentially amazing releases this year (Radiohead, Deftones, Catherine Wheel, ON), I'm still habitually drawn to anything and everything the Smashing Pumpkins release. After the lukewarm response to the last Pumpkins album (which I liked, but that's not shocking), it was quite logical to assume that Billy and Co. would be back in full rock mode. Sort of...
I've been reading all of these other reviews of this CD, and the reviewers say Billy returned to the Pumpkin wall of sound because Adore was such a flop. However, what these people forget, and what most Pumpkins fan seem to be forgetting too, is that before Adore was even released, Billy said the next album would be a loud, kickass Pumpkins cd. So that obviously discounts the theories about him doing this album to just have commercial success.
Ok, enough of dealing with pre-Machina, let's get to the cd. I've been listening to it almost nonstop since I bought it last Monday night. It is just as catchy as any past Pumpkins cd, only the hooks are a bit slower to get into. On first listen, it doesn't catch you, but with successive listens, the hooks just build and build. The songs are gorgeous at times ("Try, Try, Try"; "This Time"; "With Every Light"), violent and brutal at others ("The Everlasting Gaze"; "Heavy Metal Machine"). The songs ebb and flow so well without ever seeming overbearing. Even when Billy is being his most pretentious ("let me die for rock and roll") or confusing himself with god, the songs still manage to work.
However, the biggest difference, and improvement, for that matter, is the attitude of Machina. This is the happiest Smashing Pumpkins album to date. While it's certainly not 100% joy (what the hell would that be?), it seems as if Billy Corgan is finally have brief moments of happiness. Whether it's addressing his mother who passed away ("look ma, the sun is shining on me") or proclaiming the powers of love ("only love can win"), Billy seems like his life is finally turning in the right direction. I doubt he'll ever be considered an optimist, but this is certainly a good start.
All in all, Machina is an outstanding album, not just some haphazard collection of songs. While many people will undoubtedly dismiss it as Billy copping out and making a "love me" album, Machina is actually the logical next step for a band in constant flux. The edginess of Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness has been fused with the experimentation of Adore to create a magnificent album.