“Widow Wake My Mind”
Track Two from Teargarden by Kaleidyscope
[Self-released; 2010]
Links: Smashing Pumpkins | Teargarden by Kaleidyscope Feature
Posted by Sean Highkin on 28 January 2010
A review will be posted for each song from the Smashing Pumpkins’ new album,Teargarden by Kaleidyscope, as they are released. For an overview of the project and a complete index of song reviews, click here.
Now this is the Billy Corgan we’ve come to know in the last five years. “Widow Wake My Mind,” the second song released from the Smashing Pumpkins’ mammoth, ambitious Teargarden by Kaleidyscope, gets wrong just about everything “A Song for a Son” got right. “Widow” is clearly trying to be a guitar-driven anthem in the “Zero”/”Here is No Why” vein, but the annoyingly clean production makes it sound like a rejected Zeitgeist Best Buy bonus track. “A Song for a Son” genuinely tapped into the Zep/Queen/Boston ethos Corgan has channelled his entire career, but this new song settles for mere imitation. And confused imitation at that – it’s as if Corgan knew he wanted to write a Zeppelinesque rocker, but couldn’t decide whether to rip off “Kashmir” or “Dyer Maker,” so he tried to combine the former’s chugging, repetitive guitar rhythm with the latter’s “oh-oh-oh” vocals. The result is a disjointed mess, the likes of which the Billy Corgan of 1996 would never have deemed worthy of the second single on a project of this magnitude. If Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness were being issued track-by-track, “Zero” and “Tonight, Tonight” would be among the first few songs released. “Widow Wake My Mind” is worse Mellon Collie disc-two duds like “X.Y.U.”, and this is the early, relatively fresh-minded stage of the project.
19-year-old drummer Mike Byrne once again does nothing to justify Corgan calling this a Smashing Pumpkins release. “A Song for a Son” at least was well-sung and had the kind of Tom Scholz-emulating guitar solo more people should try to write. “Widow Wake My Mind” merely exemplifies the most annoying attributes of latter-day Corgan material.
February 1st, 2010 at 3:29 am
Are you crazy? I love that song, it's nothing like “Zeroesque”, it's pop, simple and catchy. Mike Byrne is really good, his drums are 6/4, and it makes a good difference.
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:47 pm
You think XYU was a dud? Now you have an uphill battle to win me over.
I like the 'widow wake my mind'. It's very different from 'song for a son', of course, and it took a few listens to grow on me, but there are superb moments within the song.
Some of Corgan's best writing includes guitar and key pads with driving or melodic bass lines, and 'widow' is a fine example of this.
No comments on the piano section in the middle? The bridge or refrain or whatever you want to call it (immediately following the piano) and into the sparsely driven riff after that… well, that's a fine section of music, there. The broken down organ-y chorus into the rest of the song doesn't do much for me.
This was a much shorter review than the last, and leans heavily on historical SP for its content. They're your reviews and you can do what you want, but I felt this was a poor review apart from the fact that we disagree on the song itself.
February 4th, 2010 at 8:04 am
totally agree with the review. based on what i’ve read from other reviews, it’s inline with the general opinion of both smashing pumpkins fans of old, new, and non-fans alike. there are moments where the song is almost addicting, but the choice in progression and transission (much less mixing levels and layers) just is not pleasing sonically.
some people will inevitably love it. after letting some time pass it has gotten a touch better, or tolerable would be a better term. the song just is not that good though.
totally dug song for a son, so i am hopeful that Corgan will put out a lot of great material during this project. even if only 50% of the songs are great material, that’s still a solid 22 songs. i can take the good with the bad
February 9th, 2010 at 10:30 pm
Quote “is worse Mellon Collie disc-two duds like “X.Y.U.”, “
You lost all credibility as a reviewer with this jaw dropping comment.
February 9th, 2010 at 11:21 pm
Ah gotta love the Smashing Pumpkin hardcores
February 18th, 2010 at 12:53 am
I wouldn't go so far as to call X.Y.U. a dud. It is by no means my favorite SP song, but it isn't bad.
I can't say the same for “Widow Wake My Mind” though. I was severely disappointed with that song. The problem with newer SP material is that Billy can do whatever he wants. He needs band members with, figuratively, balls. I don't think Mike Byrne objects when Billy wants to do something crazy. Billy is a huge creative force, but when it is all let out at once the result is, pardon the pun, frail and bedazzled.
In short, Billy needs to stop “Oh”ing and get his act together.
February 19th, 2010 at 4:40 am
stopped reading when you said the production sounds like a zeitgeist bonus track.
come on, next you'll be trying to convince me that black is white.
at least i know not to visit this site again. adios, idiots.
March 5th, 2010 at 7:03 am
Agreed. XYU is up there with the most rockin tracks of all time.
To call it a dud is just plain stupid.
This reviewer obviously isn't a rocker. Perhaps he's a Kelly Clarkson fan or something..