greenlightmusickalamazoo

Reviews:

Maybe it was touring with New Order. Or perhaps finding his religion did thetrick. Or possibly, the simple elation of getting a fresh start with guitaristsMatt Sweeny and David Pajo, bassist Paz Lenchantin, and drummer/fellow Pumpkinsvet Jimmy Chamberlin transported his ass into the land of the living and lovingevery minute of it. Whatever happened, Mary Star of the Sea, revealsa Billy Corgan every bit as transformed as Scrooge on Christmas morning.

And Zwan have left a mightily abundant dose of joyous pop-rock—not entirelyunlike that which put the Pumpkins on the map in the first place—underthe tree. Hell, Corgan doesn't sound merely happy; when, on "SettleDown," he chirrups "Whatever I can do/ I will/ 'Cause I'mgood like that" in a manner cheekily soulful enough to win him a gig withSimian, Supergrass, or an equally cheeky ensemble, he seems every bit as ecstaticas Van Morrison did in 1967.

Not that the album is exactly perfect. At fourteen tracks, it seems a bit long,especially with "Jesus, I/Mary Star of the Sea" clocking in at justover fourteen minutes. And given Sweeny (Skunk, Chavez, etc.) and Pajo's(Slint, Tortoise, Papa M., etc.) demonstrated chops and prodigious credentials,Corgan might have let them step to the fore a bit more often. But Mary is agreat first album, by what sounds like a real band, despite Corgan's showboating.And damned if he hasn't earned every one of those rainbows on the CD booklet.