Here at Exclaim!, we gave Smashing Pumpkins' new album Monuments to an Elegy a 7 out of 10. According to frontman Billy Corgan, that may make us part of the problem, since the songwriter has lashed out at the "middling, muddling" reviews that the album has been getting.
Speaking with the Guardian, Corgan complained that Monuments to an Elegy hasn't been getting the critical raves he expected. "I thought for sure I would get really strong reviews for our new album, based on all the feedback I was getting," he said. "But I'm getting the same reviews I got back in the day, these kind of middling, muddling reviews that just won't fucking say: 'This is a fucking brilliant album from a brilliant artist.' It's always got to have a qualifier to it."
He went on to single out a few publications that had given the album three-star reviews. He said, "It's not a three-star fucking record. Nobody believes it's a three-star record. Nobody! Okay, these people obviously did, so maybe I shouldn't be so absolute. But I've been in this business for 25 years and there is nobody in it who believes this is a three-star record. Nobody!"
It seems that, after more than two decades in the business, Corgan wants to be embraced by the establishment. According to him, his early albums — now widely regarded as classics — earned a similar response as Monuments to an Elegy, and he argued that he wants "fair" treatment.
"The old guard sets up gatekeepers who decide who is in and who is out," he said. "The joke for me is that I've been on the fucking outside for 25 years and yet here I am. My whole point is — at what point do I get invited inside?"
Read our review of Monuments to an Elegy right here. According to our review, "Corgan has played the role of alt-rock's cantankerous old man, incessantly complaining about the state of music and even lambasting his own fans for not appreciating his new songs." Old habits die hard, evidently.
Speaking with the Guardian, Corgan complained that Monuments to an Elegy hasn't been getting the critical raves he expected. "I thought for sure I would get really strong reviews for our new album, based on all the feedback I was getting," he said. "But I'm getting the same reviews I got back in the day, these kind of middling, muddling reviews that just won't fucking say: 'This is a fucking brilliant album from a brilliant artist.' It's always got to have a qualifier to it."
He went on to single out a few publications that had given the album three-star reviews. He said, "It's not a three-star fucking record. Nobody believes it's a three-star record. Nobody! Okay, these people obviously did, so maybe I shouldn't be so absolute. But I've been in this business for 25 years and there is nobody in it who believes this is a three-star record. Nobody!"
It seems that, after more than two decades in the business, Corgan wants to be embraced by the establishment. According to him, his early albums — now widely regarded as classics — earned a similar response as Monuments to an Elegy, and he argued that he wants "fair" treatment.
"The old guard sets up gatekeepers who decide who is in and who is out," he said. "The joke for me is that I've been on the fucking outside for 25 years and yet here I am. My whole point is — at what point do I get invited inside?"
Read our review of Monuments to an Elegy right here. According to our review, "Corgan has played the role of alt-rock's cantankerous old man, incessantly complaining about the state of music and even lambasting his own fans for not appreciating his new songs." Old habits die hard, evidently.
