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Zwan
Mary Star of the Sea
(Reprise)
The Music Box's #4 album for 2003
First Appeared in The Music Box, April 2003, Volume 10, #4
Written by John Metzger
Following the release of its breakthrough album Siamese Dream, the
Smashing Pumpkins descended into darkness. Despite this, the band did manage to
put together a masterpiece in Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, but
then its world collapsed. Touring keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin died of a heroin
overdose, and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin was subsequently fired over his own drug
problems. The group toiled on, but the internal turmoil continued as a series of
management conflicts and the departure of founding bass player D’Arcy became
public affairs. The band’s final two albums — three if one counts its
internet-only swan song — had their moments, but overall, they weren’t on par
with the rest of the Pumpkins’ catalog. It wasn’t all that much of a surprise,
then, when the group called it quits.
But front man Billy Corgan is far too big a talent to sit on the sidelines for
very long. A year after the Pumpkins hung up its hat, Corgan quietly returned,
leading his new band Zwan. The group, which also features Chamberlin, popped up
here and there around the country, playing small clubs, while finessing its
sound. The result is its magnificent debut Mary Star of the Sea, an
exquisite return that feels like the proper follow-up to Siamese Dream.
With Zwan, Corgan sounds like he is finally free from the restraints that
shackled him on the latter day Pumpkins’ albums. Rather than being dour,
depressed, and angry, he is positively upbeat and joyous — a fitting emotional
pose considering the music’s construction is grunge-gospel with a twist of
psychedelic pop. For certain, Mary Star of the Sea is a grandiose effort,
but it never resorts to the false manipulations of an overwrought string section
to achieve its goals. Instead, it rides on the chiming, churning, rippling river
of guitars. Save for the epic, prog-rock medley of Jesus, I and the title
track — a mini-masterpiece of its own — the album is full of concise power pop
that falls closer to the infectious, orchestral ease of Today than the
metallic roar of Bullet with Butterfly Wings.
That’s not to say that Mary Star of the Sea doesn’t pack its share of
thunder, for it most assuredly does. Anchored by Chamberlin’s precision volleys
and subtle textures as well as Paz Lenchantin’s driving bass, Zwan welds
together a triple guitar attack in a way that makes the songs ride towards the
heavens in a fit of blazing glory. Through his lyrics, Corgan confronts his
faith, addressing God, music, and the human condition with Pentecostal fury.
Instead of driving into darkness, he points towards the light, and all the
while, the chords and notes from his band radiantly cascade around him. Indeed,
Billy Corgan is back, and in a big way. It may have been released in January,
but surely Mary Star of the Sea is an early favorite for album of the
year. 
Mary Star of the Sea is available from Amazon.com.
To order, Click Here!
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2003
The Music Box
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