Cyr＜Ivory Vinyl＞

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 Corgans specific brand of grandiose arrangements and deep, unfilteredemotionality. Cyr, the 11th studio album to bear the Smashing Pumpkins name, is another example of Corgans 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 1998s 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 2018s Shiny and Oh So Bright, Vol. 1, and are on board again for Cyr, adding drive and dreaminess to Corgans 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. Its uncanny how easily the groups 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. Theres a grim intensity to many of the records 20 tracks, but for every moment of brooding, theres one of sensitivity thats 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 Corgans narratives of tortured love and outsider perspectives. Its 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

約2年ぶりの11作目は、ジェイムズ・イハとジミー・チェンバレンを含むほぼオリジナル編成による全20曲入りで、ビリー・コーガン自身がプロデュースを担当。リック・ルービンが手掛けた前作におけるキャッチーでエッジの立ったサウンドとは異なり、シンセ音と重めのビートが目立つダークでサイケな世界観が良い。過去作でいうと『Adore』(98年)にも似ているがそれとも少し違う新味を感じさせる快作だ。
bounce (C)赤瀧洋二