(Sumerian)Three of the band’s original members drift back to the 80s with a synth-fuelled endurance test of an album
Although Smashing Pumpkins are no strangers to synths, they have always remained a guitar band at heart. And yet Cyr, the second album since three-quarters of their “classic” lineup reconvened in 2018 (original bassist D’arcy Wretzky is still absent, although thankfully no longer in
prison for horse-related offences), finds Billy Corgan setting the controls for the heart of 1982 with a full-blown synth-pop set.
Normally, such willingness to transcend genre boundaries would be commendable, but Cyr falls flat on so many levels. Lush textures abound, but there’s barely a memorable tune present, which makes the decision to release it as a 72-minute double album hubristic in the extreme.