| TheFutureEmbrace | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Billy Corgan | ||||
| Released | June 21, 2005 | |||
| Recorded | October 2004–March 2005 | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock Electronica |
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| Length | 45:21 | |||
| Language | English | |||
| Label | Reprise | |||
| Producer | Billy Corgan and Bon Harris | |||
| Billy Corgan chronology | ||||
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TheFutureEmbrace is the only solo album by Billy Corgan, frontman of the alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins. Released in June 2005, the album's sound was markedly different than most of Corgan's earlier work, eschewing his characteristic "drums, bass, (and) big-guitars sound" in favor of an electronic sound punctuated with heavily distorted guitar parts reminiscent of shoegazing.[1]
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TheFutureEmbrace's instrumentation and programming were mainly performed by Corgan and Bon Harris of Nitzer Ebb. There is an absence of live drums, and guitar overdubs are kept to a minimum. Regarding the atypical sound of the album, Corgan remarked,
| “ | I chose to not use the conventional drums, bass, big-guitars sound both because I'm so identified with it and I felt that there's sort of a corner there that I didn't want to paint myself in, plus it reminds people of the Pumpkins, and I think for a solo record, having your solo work be reminiscent of your past work, particularly with the band you're known for, gets into a trickiness because it makes people sentimental for the old band, and makes them hate you because you're not in the band.[1] | ” |
The album also features a collaboration with The Cure lead singer Robert Smith on a cover of the Bee Gees' song "To Love Somebody", while "DIA" features electronic drums played by Corgan's longtime collaborator, Smashing Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, as well as the violin and backing voice of Emilie Autumn.
Also of note is the cover art and booklet photography, by P. R. Brown, which focuses on parts of Corgan's body that he has traditionally and publicly been ashamed of, most notably the port-wine stain that covers his left hand and much of his left arm, and his poorly aligned teeth.
TheFutureEmbrace was Corgan's second album to be largely recorded at his Pumpkinland studio, the first being the 1995 Smashing Pumpkins album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.
In the lead-up to the album, Corgan generated considerable attention when he started publishing an autobiography, The Confessions of Billy Corgan, on his website, piece-by-piece. The postings are notable for Corgan's candor regarding his family, personal relationships, and activity during different eras of The Smashing Pumpkins. Corgan updated the Confessions on a frequent basis, but after posting an entry titled "Following the Moon (1974)" on July 1, 2005, the entries stopped.
The album was preceded by the release of a single and music video release of "Walking Shade". Corgan, with his touring band, performed "Mina Loy (M.O.H.)" on Late Show with David Letterman the day before the album's release. Corgan also appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and played "To Love Somebody."
Those who pre-ordered the album from the iTunes store received a bonus track from the TheFutureEmbrace recording sessions, "Tilt." "Tilt" was also included on the Target retail stores exclusive release, Red Room Vol. 4.
Billy Corgan, with Matt Walker, Brian Liesegang, and Linda Strawberry, embarked on a club tour in support of the album in the summer of 2005.
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [2] |
| Alternative Press | [3] |
| Blender | [3] |
| The Guardian | [4] |
| NME | [3] |
| Pitchfork Media | (6.4/10)[5] |
| PopMatters | [6] |
| Robert Christgau | [7] |
| Rolling Stone | [3] |
| Uncut | [3] |
TheFutureEmbrace's critical reception was mixed.[8] Jim DeRogatis of the Chicago Sun-Times said the album represented Corgan's "most distinctive and consistent music."[9] To punctuate the importance of the release date, Corgan also took out full-page ads in the Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune promoting the album and announcing his intention to reform The Smashing Pumpkins, even going so far as to say that TheFutureEmbrace "picks up the thread of the as-of-yet-unfinished work of the Smashing Pumpkins."[10] Despite these efforts, it charted at #89 in the UK and peaked at #31 in the United States. As of February 2006, the album's domestic sales were a mere 69,000 units sold.[11]
All songs written by Billy Corgan except where noted:
| Year | Album | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | The Future Embrace | New Zealand Albums Chart[12] | 25 |
| The Billboard 200[13] | 31 | ||
| UK Albums Chart[14] | 89 |
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