Post by Sid on Dec 30, 2002 9:11:37 GMT -5
You might've seen this somewhere already, but this is the review of their LA gig recently, which went out in the xmas edition of NME:
ZWAN
Los Angeles Spaceland
Did someone say 2002? 'Cos right now in LA it could be 1991. Just look around: grunge grandpas Mudhoney and Pearl Jam have new records out; Soundgarden shouter Chris Cornell is back on the radio with Audioslave; even Nirvana are topping the charts. It's like a plaid time warp.
Never one to be left out, Billy Corgan's timed his reappearance neatly. Not that Zwan are just a Smashing Pumpkins retread, mind. Pumpkins sticksman Jimmy Chamberlinmay be on drums, but the others are a veritable indie supergroup: guitarist David Pajo was in post-rock godheads Slint, Matt Sweeney lead art-indie types Chavez and Paz Lenchantin is Bassist in Tool side project A Perfect Circle.
It's not just the personnel that's different. Gone (thankfully *what?!
- sid*) is the Pumpkins' bluster, replaced by Zwan's altogether more low-key, poppy vision. So there's a wall of distorted guitars on the Pixies-flavoured assault of 'Chrysanthemum', While 'Honestly' recalls the fuzzed-out blast of Dinosaur Jr. 'And So I Died of a Broken Heart', which features Paz on violin and Pajo on piano, is a mellow, plaintive ballad that could be one of Corgan's finest moments.
Even Billy himself's changed. Mr Sourpuss? Not any more, despite a heckler shouting "Baldie". He's lightened up to the extent that he can fall about laughing when the band fluff the intros to a couple of songs.
Still, wherever Billy goes mayhem follows, and tonight's show at this tiny suburban club causes chaos, stopping traffic in the surroundinf streets. As resurrections go, you could do a lot worse. Billy Corgan: it's good to have you back. (
)
ZWAN
Los Angeles Spaceland
Did someone say 2002? 'Cos right now in LA it could be 1991. Just look around: grunge grandpas Mudhoney and Pearl Jam have new records out; Soundgarden shouter Chris Cornell is back on the radio with Audioslave; even Nirvana are topping the charts. It's like a plaid time warp.
Never one to be left out, Billy Corgan's timed his reappearance neatly. Not that Zwan are just a Smashing Pumpkins retread, mind. Pumpkins sticksman Jimmy Chamberlinmay be on drums, but the others are a veritable indie supergroup: guitarist David Pajo was in post-rock godheads Slint, Matt Sweeney lead art-indie types Chavez and Paz Lenchantin is Bassist in Tool side project A Perfect Circle.
It's not just the personnel that's different. Gone (thankfully *what?!
- sid*) is the Pumpkins' bluster, replaced by Zwan's altogether more low-key, poppy vision. So there's a wall of distorted guitars on the Pixies-flavoured assault of 'Chrysanthemum', While 'Honestly' recalls the fuzzed-out blast of Dinosaur Jr. 'And So I Died of a Broken Heart', which features Paz on violin and Pajo on piano, is a mellow, plaintive ballad that could be one of Corgan's finest moments.Even Billy himself's changed. Mr Sourpuss? Not any more, despite a heckler shouting "Baldie". He's lightened up to the extent that he can fall about laughing when the band fluff the intros to a couple of songs.
Still, wherever Billy goes mayhem follows, and tonight's show at this tiny suburban club causes chaos, stopping traffic in the surroundinf streets. As resurrections go, you could do a lot worse. Billy Corgan: it's good to have you back. (
)
I'm really kinda scared of the new album i must say 
Honeslty is passing on the radio now, and the lyrics are devastatingly bad :sad: And i think praticly all of the lyrics on that album will be of the same qualitie... "Take your new brand shoes baby and let's rock" ? ? ? 