Smashing Pumpkins, “Zeitgeist” (Reprise) It’s been seven years since we last heard from these alt-rock favorites – and those seven years have been seven long years for longtime Pumpkins fans. The reformed group – fronted by singer-guitarist-songwriter Billy Corgan – comes back with this record and the lead single “Tarantula,” and the result feels an awful lot like the Pumpkins of old. The music is rich and the playing is passionate, but it’s not as extravagant as the Chicago band’s late-’90s incarnation.
Interpol, “Our Love to Admire” (Capitol) This is the much- anticipated – and much-feared – major-label debut for Interpol, a post-punk band that thrived for two previous full-length records on mega-indie label Matador. But that doesn’t mean the New York quartet is turning pop or even mainstream rock. With this record, Interpol continues with its hook-friendly gloomy rock. Carlos D.’s bass lines are memorable as ever, and Paul Banks’ vocals remain distinctive. This band has never been one to break new ground, but its reinvention of the wheel is consistently entertaining and always listenable.
Crowded House, “Time on Earth” (ATO) Reunions are hot right now (see Smashing Pumpkins, above), so it’s hardly a surprise to see this pop-loving Aussie outfit getting back together. The band’s performance at this year’s Coachella festival made believers out of the 70,000-plus attendees. Too many reunions have faltered because the music depended on a certain idea of youth, but Neil Finn’s music works with aplomb at any age.
– Ricardo Baca
