Atum by the Smashing Pumpkins

lolobugg · May 2023

Hey there. I just received my box set of ATum with 4 discs and 5 singles. It is a lot to digest. I have currently listened to Act 1 and 2. i have also listened to the singles. It is a quality package. I am enjoying it more than i thought i would after hearing the streaming version. This album needs to be cranked. It is a wonderful recording and the singles are all mono and sound fantastic as outtakes. Please share your thoughts good and bad on what you think of this ambitious project. Thanks.

elvistheking44 · May 2023

Agreed it’s a lot to digest/ I’ve been listening on and off to acts 1 and 2 and just started dabbling in act 3. I have the capabilities to listen to music all day at work and will be doing a full listen next week. Say what you will about Billy but he pushes his own envelope and hits more than he misses.

CarryTheZero · May 2023

Just got my cd in last week. Been enjoying it. Listened to the podcast, but I’m enjoying hearing the music on my own and all in one go. Would love to hear the 10 extra songs (enjoyed Scimitar on the podcast).

lolobugg · May 2023

CarryTheZero said:

Just got my cd in last week. Been enjoying it. Listened to the podcast, but I’m enjoying hearing the music on my own and all in one go. Would love to hear the 10 extra songs (enjoyed Scimitar on the podcast).

The singles are surprisingly good for b-sides. They sounded good at first listen and are still going strong on second listen. I wish i had a way to send you the files but my setup is all analog.

CarryTheZero · May 2023

Appreciate, but based on the language on the site, I think he’ll make them available in 2024. Thanks though!

RoeDawg13 · May 2023

The singles are all part of Shiny 3 which is why there's a different vibe to them. Zodion At Crystal Hall is what it's been referred to. If I recall correctly there's 6 songs from the album and 4 b-sides on the singles. Couldn't tell you which are which though. Haven't heard any yet other than the one on the podcast but looking forward to when they get released.

lolobugg · May 2023

RoeDawg13 said:

The singles are all part of Shiny 3 which is why there's a different vibe to them. Zodion At Crystal Hall is what it's been referred to. If I recall correctly there's 6 songs from the album and 4 b-sides on the singles. Couldn't tell you which are which though. Haven't heard any yet other than the one on the podcast but looking forward to when they get released.

i need to look into this chapter. thanks

HughFreakingDillon · May 2023

given that Billy releases so much goddamn music, I try my best to give his releases everything I've got. I just can't get into this. I've read fans say that Act 3 is much better than 1 and 2. I'll try the whole thing again this weekend with headphones on.

HughFreakingDillon · May 2023

i am, however, interested in the box set exclusive tracks. He seems to have a tendency to leave the best unreleased (at least for me).

Attaway77 · May 2023

There's some good stuff on this, I dig a few of these songs. Gonna pass on this one for vinyl, I just don't think I will listen to each side all the way through enough. Hopefully we get Machina reissued next now that this record is out. Kudos to Corgan, dude is still getting it done and keeping creative....

HughFreakingDillon · May 2023

zwan box set is coming soon apparently. 60-some unreleased songs that Billy is finally "ready" to release.

We All Believe · May 2023

I hate it. It's hot synthesized garbage, on top of the hot synthesized garbage that was CYR.

There are maybe 4 or 5 of the 33 songs that are worth it, IMO.

I love the Pumpkins. They are my second favorite band after PJ, and their music will always be part of the soundtrack of my life.

That being said, for him to call this a sequel to MCIS is a spectacular insult to MCIS, which is top-to-bottom perfect, and a lesser insult to Machina, but still an insult nonetheless.

Barely any guitars. He's so underrated as a guitarist that he might actually be overrated.

And he's got the best drummer this side of Bonzo and Keith Moon at his disposal, in Jimmy Chamberlin, and JC is largely on the sidelines, except for Intergalactic.

His singing style has also changed for the worse. I know he said he had to change because his old style was killing his voice, but it's tough to make out most of what he's saying on Atum, between his enunciation and the fact that his vocals are fairly low in the mix.

I get that bands need to evolve and shake it up once in a while. But Shiny Vol 1 was pretty good, IMO. CYR might have been semi-tolerable if it was a one-off. But this is a horrible new direction. He's said recently that the new stuff will be more guitar-driven. We'll see.

That's another thing. 53 songs in 3 years, 63 including the ATUM extras. And another new album on the way. And the Zwan extras. And the Machina reissues. Plus the NWA. Plus Madame Zuzu's. Plus two young kids. He needs to chill out and relax lolol.

RoeDawg13 · May 2023

We All Believe said:

I hate it. It's hot synthesized garbage, on top of the hot synthesized garbage that was CYR.

There are maybe 4 or 5 of the 33 songs that are worth it, IMO.

I love the Pumpkins. They are my second favorite band after PJ, and their music will always be part of the soundtrack of my life.

That being said, for him to call this a sequel to MCIS is a spectacular insult to MCIS, which is top-to-bottom perfect, and a lesser insult to Machina, but still an insult nonetheless.

Barely any guitars. He's so underrated as a guitarist that he might actually be overrated.

And he's got the best drummer this side of Bonzo and Keith Moon at his disposal, in Jimmy Chamberlin, and JC is largely on the sidelines, except for Intergalactic.

His singing style has also changed for the worse. I know he said he had to change because his old style was killing his voice, but it's tough to make out most of what he's saying on Atum, between his enunciation and the fact that his vocals are fairly low in the mix.

I get that bands need to evolve and shake it up once in a while. But Shiny Vol 1 was pretty good, IMO. CYR might have been semi-tolerable if it was a one-off. But this is a horrible new direction. He's said recently that the new stuff will be more guitar-driven. We'll see.

That's another thing. 53 songs in 3 years, 63 including the ATUM extras. And another new album on the way. And the Zwan extras. And the Machina reissues. Plus the NWA. Plus Madame Zuzu's. Plus two young kids. He needs to chill out and relax lolol.

Shiny 1 and Atum have a good number of tracks that are pretty decent. I am definitely interested in hearing the box exclusives since I've seen comparisons to the acoustic side of Zwan. Cyr wasn't for me at all though. For the latest project, I think if the took the best parts of songs and put them together to make a more condensed album that might help. Or perhaps just focusing on 10 instead of 40. The vocals buried in the mix under layers and layers of guitars was always a draw for me and I even liked the more poppy 1979 or electronic experimentation on Eye. It doesn't have to be a complete rock album for me to enjoy it but a lot of the output just isn't my cup of tea. And agree about Jimmy... he's such a fantastic drummer and being completely underutilized.

lolobugg · May 2023

RoeDawg13 said:

We All Believe said:

I hate it. It's hot synthesized garbage, on top of the hot synthesized garbage that was CYR.

There are maybe 4 or 5 of the 33 songs that are worth it, IMO.

I love the Pumpkins. They are my second favorite band after PJ, and their music will always be part of the soundtrack of my life.

That being said, for him to call this a sequel to MCIS is a spectacular insult to MCIS, which is top-to-bottom perfect, and a lesser insult to Machina, but still an insult nonetheless.

Barely any guitars. He's so underrated as a guitarist that he might actually be overrated.

And he's got the best drummer this side of Bonzo and Keith Moon at his disposal, in Jimmy Chamberlin, and JC is largely on the sidelines, except for Intergalactic.

His singing style has also changed for the worse. I know he said he had to change because his old style was killing his voice, but it's tough to make out most of what he's saying on Atum, between his enunciation and the fact that his vocals are fairly low in the mix.

I get that bands need to evolve and shake it up once in a while. But Shiny Vol 1 was pretty good, IMO. CYR might have been semi-tolerable if it was a one-off. But this is a horrible new direction. He's said recently that the new stuff will be more guitar-driven. We'll see.

That's another thing. 53 songs in 3 years, 63 including the ATUM extras. And another new album on the way. And the Zwan extras. And the Machina reissues. Plus the NWA. Plus Madame Zuzu's. Plus two young kids. He needs to chill out and relax lolol.

Shiny 1 and Atum have a good number of tracks that are pretty decent. I am definitely interested in hearing the box exclusives since I've seen comparisons to the acoustic side of Zwan. Cyr wasn't for me at all though. For the latest project, I think if the took the best parts of songs and put them together to make a more condensed album that might help. Or perhaps just focusing on 10 instead of 40. The vocals buried in the mix under layers and layers of guitars was always a draw for me and I even liked the more poppy 1979 or electronic experimentation on Eye. It doesn't have to be a complete rock album for me to enjoy it but a lot of the output just isn't my cup of tea. And agree about Jimmy... he's such a fantastic drummer and being completely underutilized.

I totally agree that Jimmy is being criminally underused on the most recent albums. I don't consider this a sequel to MCIS at all musically but thematically with the story of Zero or Shiny or whatever he is called nowadays. the singles are hinting at an interesting direction. more band oriented and less synth drivin. SP are also my fave band behind PJ.

We All Believe · May 2023

RoeDawg13 said:

And agree about Jimmy... he's such a fantastic drummer and being completely underutilized.

Here's part of Jimmy's statement from when he left in 2009. I'm hoping that the recent stretch of Pumpkins output doesn't push him out again.

"I can no longer commit all of my energy into something that I don't fully possess. I won't pretend I'm into something I'm not. I can't just, 'Cash the check' so to speak. Music is my life. It is sacred."

lolobugg · May 2023

We All Believe said:

RoeDawg13 said:

And agree about Jimmy... he's such a fantastic drummer and being completely underutilized.

Here's part of Jimmy's statement from when he left in 2009. I'm hoping that the recent stretch of Pumpkins output doesn't push him out again.

"I can no longer commit all of my energy into something that I don't fully possess. I won't pretend I'm into something I'm not. I can't just, 'Cash the check' so to speak. Music is my life. It is sacred."

If he leaves again, then Billy might as well call it quits on the Pumpkins.

DarthMaeglin · May 2023

RoeDawg13 said:

We All Believe said:

I hate it. It's hot synthesized garbage, on top of the hot synthesized garbage that was CYR.

There are maybe 4 or 5 of the 33 songs that are worth it, IMO.

I love the Pumpkins. They are my second favorite band after PJ, and their music will always be part of the soundtrack of my life.

That being said, for him to call this a sequel to MCIS is a spectacular insult to MCIS, which is top-to-bottom perfect, and a lesser insult to Machina, but still an insult nonetheless.

Barely any guitars. He's so underrated as a guitarist that he might actually be overrated.

And he's got the best drummer this side of Bonzo and Keith Moon at his disposal, in Jimmy Chamberlin, and JC is largely on the sidelines, except for Intergalactic.

His singing style has also changed for the worse. I know he said he had to change because his old style was killing his voice, but it's tough to make out most of what he's saying on Atum, between his enunciation and the fact that his vocals are fairly low in the mix.

I get that bands need to evolve and shake it up once in a while. But Shiny Vol 1 was pretty good, IMO. CYR might have been semi-tolerable if it was a one-off. But this is a horrible new direction. He's said recently that the new stuff will be more guitar-driven. We'll see.

That's another thing. 53 songs in 3 years, 63 including the ATUM extras. And another new album on the way. And the Zwan extras. And the Machina reissues. Plus the NWA. Plus Madame Zuzu's. Plus two young kids. He needs to chill out and relax lolol.

Shiny 1 and Atum have a good number of tracks that are pretty decent. I am definitely interested in hearing the box exclusives since I've seen comparisons to the acoustic side of Zwan. Cyr wasn't for me at all though. For the latest project, I think if the took the best parts of songs and put them together to make a more condensed album that might help. Or perhaps just focusing on 10 instead of 40. The vocals buried in the mix under layers and layers of guitars was always a draw for me and I even liked the more poppy 1979 or electronic experimentation on Eye. It doesn't have to be a complete rock album for me to enjoy it but a lot of the output just isn't my cup of tea. And agree about Jimmy... he's such a fantastic drummer and being completely underutilized.

At one point in the podcasts Billy mentioned that one of the intentions(?) of including so much material was that in this day and age of playlists if one is fan of a particular version of the band they can probably find 10 or so songs that would fit their bill (and thus give them an album’s worth of songs). A different version of throw it all at the wall and see what sticks, lol?

2-feign-reluctance · May 2023

was never intended to be a musical continuation or compliment to MCIS. It was meant as a continuation story of Shiny.

CarryTheZero · May 2023

Yeah, definitely a continuation of Shiny. It really seems like he retconned MCIS into Machina and ATUM. Not sure that was his initial plan with MCIS based on what he’s said in the podcast.

lolobugg · May 2023

CarryTheZero said:

Yeah, definitely a continuation of Shiny. It really seems like he retconned MCIS into Machina and ATUM. Not sure that was his initial plan with MCIS based on what he’s said in the podcast.

i still don't think Mellon Collie was a concept album. Machina def was. i think he is just using the ZERO character as the connection.

CarryTheZero · May 2023

I agree. MCIS just feels like a strong double album full of thematically linked songs. Definitely seems to deal with his childhood and how he feels about that, but not really a concept album in the sense of telling a full story with characters.

Atum by the Smashing Pumpkins

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