Well, it’s a bit later than the original proposed date “sometime around Halloween” but the Smashing Pumpkins have finally released the first song from their epic digital album Teargarden by Kaleidyscope. Behold:
The Smashing Pumpkins – A Song For A Son
[audio:Smashing-Pumpkins-A-Song-For-A-Son.mp3]
We’ve only listened to it a couple of times here at the Music Feeds offices, but from first impressions it seems an ambitious offering. In typical Pumpkins fashion, it’s a grand departure from the fuzz rock of their last long player Zeitgeist, but that doesn’t mean it’s not FUCKING AWESOME.
Regarding the track, originally performed on the 20th anniversary Pumpkins tour, Billy Corgan had this to say in the associated press release:
“The version of the song from the 20th anniversary tour was pretty basic, and I felt at the time that we didn’t really find the heart of the it. However, the song was connecting to the audience emotionally so I knew something exciting was in there to be discovered. The recorded version is produced more like a movie, where it takes you to different places, from intimate to psychedelic to whimsical.”
Indeed it does. The first of four tracks to be released as the first EP from the album, A Song For A Son will be followed by previously announced songs in progress Astral Planes, Widow Wake My Mind, and A Stitch in Time.
This release has come with some quite unexpected changes to the official Smashing Pumpkins website. Previously an ambitious undertaking that melded official releases with user-generated multimedia content, the site now displays a simple online player containing the new track, and a news feed that seems to be linked to postings tagged with ‘Smashing Pumpkins’ from an online music blog called Hipsters United.
It would be a damn shame if this is the way the site will remain, as the previous site served as a valuable hub for anybody wishing to immerse themselves in every aspect of the Pumpkin’s career, and an interesting experiment in Web 2.0 user integration, with users invited to post their own feature articles, videos and photos from every period in the Pumpkins long and controversial history.
That’s all we can tell you for now… Wait, no it’s not.
Did we mention that Billy has confirmed the Smashing Pumpkins are planning a world tour slated for spring 2010?!
Rest assured as soon as we find out more (and receive more new songs) we’ll keep you posted. For now, enjoy!
