The Smashing Pumpkins will begin recording new material later this spring, according to drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, but fans looking for a proper follow-up album to last year's 'Zeitgeist' may be out of luck."It's something we're going to get to on May 1st," Chamberlin tells Spinner. "We just bought a building, and my wife and I are in the process of moving back to Chicago. Billy [Corgan] and I are going to start working every day like we used to.
"But I don't think we will make records again," the drummer explains, pointing out that the band's contractual commitment to Reprise Records is finished. "I look at it like the old business model is dead and the music business doesn't know how to move forward. We want to keep things vital and keep things viable and get our music across while remaining relevant. Music has in many ways just become an advertisement for your tour.
"I think what we'll do is start releasing songs," Chamberlin continues. "The record or CD format places too many limitations on your piece of art. People just don't buy records anymore. Anyone under the age of 24 just buys songs. It's just in our best interest to release blocks of songs. And I think what we'll do – not to let the cat out of the bag too much – is to create the framework where we can release a number of songs and maybe create a title. We can gather three or four songs, but it will all flow up to a larger body of work. But to call it record in the traditional sense would be anachronistic."
As for the material, the recently released stripped-down EP 'American Gothic' "is not an indication of the direction," Chamberlin says. "That was more of an experiment that Billy and I wanted to do. We wanted to see what it would sound like if we gave ourselves four days to record a song, like in the old days. And I think what we learned from that experience we'll bring to the new material.
"But the direction we're going in is grander, as opposed to the stripped-down sound we just did," Chamberlin continues. "I want it to be full tilt. I'd like to go bigger. And I think the next time the Pumpkins tour, you'll see a big stage presence with eight to ten people as opposed to just five."
Editor's Note: Due to a miscommunication between the writer and the artists' representatives, this story was temporarily disabled by the writer. No facts have been changed.
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1. I don't really like the idea of not having anymore albums, but I personally prefer this model to the late 90s-00s (record label cash grab) distribution model that's been prevelant here in the U.S. of release and album, wait 2-3 years with maybe a handful of b-sides in between (scattered across multiple versions of singles and the album exclusive to different countries, retailers, and iTunes), release another album. This means a steadier stream of music, more music overall, and an easier way to purchase all of that music. Even though I prefer albums, this model is preferable to the new multi-version bonus track craze where you have to buy the album 5 times to get all the tracks. Either way, the traditional go out and buy the one standard version of the album at any record shop model is dying.
HT1138 at 9:20PM on Mar 19th 2008