In the horrible wasteland that is the musical mainstream there have managed to be a few good bands, and this is one of them. The Smashing Pumpkins are an alternative rock band that first rose to popularity during the height of the Grunge movement. They broke up when the 90s ended but have since then reformed. And with their next album coming in December, I figured it was only appropriate to take a look at their most recent studio album “Oceania.”

The opening track “Quaser” is a song about faith. It also serves as a strange yet interesting callback to 70s hard rock as it is performed in drop D. “My Love is Winter” is a slow love song that contains soaring notes and grand solos very similar to a Galneryus song, specifically “DESTINY.” While the rest of the tracks are strikingly divergent from typical Smashing Pumpkins songs, the former manages to be one of the only two songs on the album to be reminiscent of the band itself. The other one is “The Chimera.” Based on its lyrics (“I’m never gonna lose you” or “‘Cause love’s forever strange”), one can only guess that this is also a love song. But unlike “My Love Is Winter,” “The Chimera” is very fast-paced, heavy, and a little less mellow. It is by far the best song on the whole album.

As for the rest of the album, the tracks are less than comparable and others simply don’t belong on the album at all. An example is “Inkless,” which, if you listen closely, is just a copy of “My Love Is Winter.” The rest is self-explanatory. The problem with the tracks is that they either sound the same or there are too many synthesizers. In fact, that’s the main problem right there: they’re using synthesizers.

In the end, I can’t really say that this album, other than those two songs, is that excellent. I would actually recommend listening to some of their older albums. But who knows? Maybe their next album will be much better.