9

A Treat For Fans

Billy Corgan described the 'American Gothic' EP as "sort of 'Zeitgeist' plus", continuing comment on the state of the band's country. The acoustic EP is a mellow mix of fairly upbeat tracks, so maybe the bell is not yet tolling for the land of the free. Infact, the first two tracks could be interpreted as straight love stories, the most striking feature of which is Billy Corgan's nasal drawl. The melodic guitarwork is also deeply Pumpkins in its chiming and clanging tones, especially on, 'Again, Again, Again (The Crux)'. 'The Rose March' is a mellifluous tune with finger-picked guitars and rippling vocals; it's a gentle tune but a pleasant listen with some heart-wrenching moments.

'Pox' is far more vitriolic, the chorus sighing over crashing percussion, "We're giving back the dream", while the verse squeezes all the aggression that you can on an acoustic EP. 'Sunkissed' is a gentle, sparkling tune with soft, glistening backing that could emit sunbeams; it's pretty uneventful and uninspiring but very pretty - the kind of tune that you relax to in the middle of a frantic live set. There are probably few, if any of these tunes, that would deserve to make it to a live set, but for Pumpkins fans, 'American Gothic' will be a nice treat with a few additional gems for those who enjoyed 'Zeitgeist'.