Solara is out for real

[enthusaroo]

i would call this top 3 worst Pumpkins' songs of all time. But not #1

[Ramdust]

Originally Posted by fuzzyroes

With a little more effort, I'm sure he'll get to 15 subscribers.

[redbreegull]

song is absolutely awful

[Ramdust]

Originally Posted by pavementtune

jesus fucking christ, so you guys are too lazy to paste the youtube link that is in the very first post of this thread, and expect that someone is gonna pm you instead.


let me get your nanny to tie your shoes real quick




reading and clicking, how does it work

Neither method works, bro

[Ram27]

Originally Posted by Unicycle

I don't think it's nearly as bad as some of you are making it out to be. As far as SP2 goes it isn't bad and is about what I expected at this point in time. I'm confused as to why they chose a dropped song from a failed album to be the lead single for the big new "rebranding" though.

I'm intrigued enough to want to hear the other seven songs they recorded but they likely aren't going to hold a candle to anything SP1 (but really, who honestly thought they would?) unless there's another Stellar hidden in there somewhere.

If the remaining 7 are also fucking D-sides from Monuments I'm done

[Ram27]

That leak of Envelope Women that's like 8 minutes long, mostly the same riff/transition over and over, Billy bullshitting lyrics and going 'lover yeahhh yeahhh' and yelling out chord changes was more fun to listen to than this

[Ram27]

drums sound better too

[russticles]

Has anyone listened to this with headphones? I feel like I can hear sound artefacts (glitching/noise/slight distortion??) on the vocals.

The drum production is weird (for Jimmy especially) since his playing is quite busy it's not leaving enough "air" or dynamic in his playing. The snare is way too dry, especially the flamming going into the second verse... so jarring/shitty sounding. God dammit Rubin!

I don't think the song is tooooo bad, but yeah defs feels like a ZG era song. I like Jimmy's playing in the chorus, feels like he's trying to lift it and take it somewhere... but the chorus is too mediocre to go elsewhere.

[Big Truck05]

Originally Posted by slunken

::

With all the lyrics about the sun, its as if this is an alternate universe where the first "reunion" with Tarantula leading it off never happened and instead this happened.

good point!

[myosis]

yep it sounds like zeitgeist 2

[enthusaroo]

I feel like Solara is the kind of song that would play during a commercial break on Alex Jones' show

maybe it was actually made with that in mind?

all the trumptards would likely be into it

[pavementtune]

Originally Posted by russticles

Has anyone listened to this with headphones? I feel like I can hear sound artefacts (glitching/noise/slight distortion??) on the vocals.

might be my screwed up hearing, but in the first 30 seconds of the track, it sounds like a shadow vocal being dragged along with it (don't know how to describe it better)

like the vocals had a slight stroke

[The machine of god]

This song is absolute garbage. Nothing redeeming in any way shape or form.

What the fuck were they thinking?

[Big Truck05]

I haven't heard a good quality recording, yet. However, what I did hear earlier this morning wasn't what I thought I was going to hear when anticipating this song's release. Ugh...

[gyang333]

Originally Posted by Big Truck05

I haven't heard a good quality recording, yet. However, what I did hear earlier this morning wasn't what I thought I was going to hear when anticipating this song's release. Ugh...

Yeah I agree. I was thinking it would be more Siamese Dream or MCIS in sound now with James back. But unfortunately it's just more of the Oceania-MTAE-> stream of songwriting.

[lionheart0]

I listened with headphones and there is more going on underneath the loud guitars up front. I really hope that isn’t the final mix. That other stuff needs to be brought forward. Not saying it would save the song, though.

[Big Truck05]

Originally Posted by gyang333

Yeah I agree. I was thinking it would be more Siamese Dream or MCIS in sound now with James back. But unfortunately it's just more of the Oceania-MTAE-> stream of songwriting.

I would have been happy with any Oceania track basically with James and Jimmy. What's the go to tech company PR term nowadays... "We missed the mark."!

[Big Truck05]

Originally Posted by lionheart0

I listened with headphones and there is more going on underneath the loud guitars up front. I really hope that isn’t the final mix. That other stuff needs to be brought forward. Not saying it would save the song, though.

That's what I heard. It sounded like a super rough mix. Almost like the band was just playing and there was no board/ mixing console involved. IDK. Fingers crossed this is a total hoax and it was recorded 4 years ago! lol

[SomaPhreak]

Solara is laughably bad. Mediocre songs like FOL or Freak sound good by comparison. It's amazing that anyone involved considered that worthy of release. Just stop, guys. You're embarrassing yourselves.

[fuzzyroes]

Just got a high quality download....

Damn man... I was expecting something better than this. Billy can't sing for shit anymore. It's really off-putting. One and All is a wayyyyyyyyyyyyyy better song, and Billys vocals are actually good in that song. I can't believe Rubin fucked up the production so badly.

On the bright side, Jimmy absolutely slays. But it's just such a badly written song. Awful melodies, no melodic interplay, no interesting guitar parts. I figured with 3 guitarists that they'd really focus more on that aspect of the new music. How are these 3 gonna play it live? Just all play the same riff?

I was REALLY looking forward to this, and I really wanna like it, but it's just not very good.

[WeilandFan]

Originally Posted by Forgotten Child

I think Butt Cannon should send Solara to Darcy and ask her to write a review about it.

Contrary to what people think, I'm not a shit stirrer in that regard. The only Pumpkins thing I've ever sent her is the NYT interview since she was in it. If she hears it though and would like to write a review, I'm definitely open to posting it!

[BurtSampson]

Originally Posted by WeilandFan

Contrary to what people think, I'm not a shit stirrer in that regard. The only Pumpkins thing I've ever sent her is the NYT interview since she was in it. If she hears it though and would like to write a review, I'm definitely open to posting it!

I bet you are you fucking stooge.

[Funbags]

Song blows. Sorry Billy.

[Butt Pope]

Can we expect better when Billy rolls into the studios for 2-3 weeks and spends as much time posting to Instagram as he does recording? Back in the day he locked his ass in the studio for months. Jimmy was right that they’d never record Mellon Collie today.

[slayed23]

Originally Posted by fuzzyroes

LOL, that guy's video has 7 likes and 27 dislikes. That might be the worst ratio I have ever seen.

[slayed23]

Originally Posted by pavementtune

oh come on, not even close. (sarcasm? I never catch that on here.)

may I remind you of a thing called TEARGARDEN widow shoot my astral ears out?

it's not good, no, but Bully is capable of far more sonicly offensive tracks than this one.

Astral Planes is their worst song IMO.

[byoung88]

Originally Posted by fluxequalsrad

Still not done dissecting this.

Back in the day, Billy could have a big shitty knuckle dragging riff like the one in Where Boys Fear to Tread, the song would have a ton of snarl - but still there was enough sugar to wash it down. (I.E. the subtle girly backup vocals, the 'doo-doo-doo-dooos'). The groove is also heavy as fuck and ripe with sonic details that keep you coming back.

Now, its like the blueprint is shitty radio beer rock your uncle likes. There is also a clear lack of playful engagement with sonic texture or details that make for a lasting recording. Just pick any track on MCIS and there is something to chew on. (I.E. What is that weird buried slide guitar in 33? What are those backing harmonies in 1979 doing? What are they saying during the bridge of Bodies?). It's so fucking dry and seperate now that you wonder if he just plugged the guitar/piano into garageband and didn't touch a thing. Billy did well by adding postcards in his older songs, like the cop car in Starla, or any number of flourishes he gushed about in liner notes.

Solara. People who like metal won't like it, and the rest of us who appreciated the delicate balance they struck between metal and pop-rock (without an ounce of punk) also won't like it. I have no idea what they are going for.

Exactly. It’s bland as hell. The thing that was special about the pumpkins was how different they sounded sonically. This is weak and has no flavor.

[fuzzyroes]

I think it's just a cash-grab type of thing they whipped up in order to have something "new" out before the tour. Like Pave said, the tour is the money maker and it's all about the nostalgia factor anyways.

I was still thinking that with all the hype that they'd have something pretty cool to offer, but honestly, I doubt Iha even played on this track or if he did, he may have just played that little lead part near the end.

[enthusaroo]

Man, I hadn't listened to Oceania in a few years.. but out of curiousity for comparison.. I just put on Panopticon and it sounds way better than this steaming pile of Solara crap.

p.s: I didn't even like Oceania

[jm9843]

If the idea was to dredge up an old "rocker" to promote the tour with minimum effort expended, why not go back to one of the actually good Zwan songs that was deemed "too Pumpkiny" at the time? (e.g. Chrysanthemum or Glorious). Is it a tacit acknowledgment that b0lly doesn't want to mail it in with quality unreleased material? He's got to, on some level, understand that those songs are 100x better than Solara.