It was generally acknowledged that
Billy Corgan
wasn't just the heart of
Smashing Pumpkins
, he was their architect, their musical director, and dictator, responsible for every sonic detail of their records and sometimes creating it all on his own. So, when he ended the band in 2000, it seemed a little baffling because he could have carried on with the group forever, since it was his band, and he was responsible for not just their densely layered sound, but also for how
the Pumpkins
painted themselves into a dark, murky corner with their final album,
MACHINA
. Remarkably, by breaking up the band,
Corgan
revitalized himself with
Zwan
, a supergroup conglomerate that functions more like a band than
, as their superb debut,
Mary Star of the Sea
, illustrates. Usually, a supergroup winds up as a lumbering, ad-hoc creation that never sounds as good as it reads on paper, but
clicks, partially because
lets his bandmates function as equal partners. As well they should -- by cherry-picking guitarist
David Pajo
from
Slint
, guitarist
Matt Sweeney
Chavez
, and bassist
Paz Lenchantin
A Perfect Circle
, while retaining
Pumpkins
drummer
Jimmy Chamberlin
, he's assembled a nimble, muscular, adventurous group who don't flash their virtuosity, but can take his musical ideas further than his past group. And, yes,
does recall
, primarily because
's voice and his favored method of layering guitars is so distinctive, but he has never sounded this bright, colorful, or free; he has never sounded like he's having so much fun making music. This joyful spirit surges throughout
, even during its many intricate instrumental sections, and it's hard not to get swept up in the momentum, especially since it's married to his best set of songs since
Siamese Dream
. More than any album since that, it suggests the expansiveness of
's musical vision (
Mellon Collie
sometimes sagged in its messiness), but there's a generosity here never heard in
, something that comes both from
's writing and his interaction with his new band, which makes
a delight to hear. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine