TheFutureEmbrace

TheFutureEmbrace
Studio album by Billy Corgan
Released	June 21, 2005 (2005-06-21)
Recorded	October 2004–March 2005
Genre	Alternative rock Electronica
Length	45:21
Language	English
Label	Reprise
Producer	Billy Corgan and Bjorn Thorsrud
Billy Corgan chronology
Mary Star of the Sea (2003) The Future Embrace (2005) Zeitgeist (2007)

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 from 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]

Overview

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,

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.

Promotion

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.^{[citation needed]} Corgan also appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and played "To Love Somebody." ^{[citation needed]}

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.

Reception

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]

Track listing

All songs written by Billy Corgan except where noted:

1. "All Things Change" – 3:59
2. "Mina Loy (M.O.H.)" – 3:53
3. "The CameraEye" – 3:04
4. "toLOVEsomebody" (Barry Gibb/Robin Gibb) – 4:00
5. "A100" (Billy Corgan/Bon Harris) – 4:23
6. "DIA" – 4:20
7. "Now (And Then)" – 4:43
8. "I'm Ready" – 3:44
9. "Walking Shade" – 3:14
10. "Sorrows (In Blue)" – 2:48
11. "Pretty, Pretty Star" – 3:46
12. "Strayz" – 3:31

Bonus track

13. "Tilt" (iTunes exclusive)

Chart position

Album

Personnel

• Emilie Autumn - Vocals and violin on "DIA"
• Jimmy Chamberlin - Drums on "DIA"
• Billy Corgan - Vocals, guitar, drum machine, synth, programming, producer, mixing
• Robert Smith - Vocals and guitar on "ToLoveSomebody"

Production

• Todd Brodie - Assistant engineer
• P. R. Brown - Photography and design
• Nikola Dokic - Assistant engineer
• Bon Harris - Programming, producer
• Roger Lian - Final digital editing
• Brian Liesegang - Additional programming
• Ron Lowe - Mix engineer
• John Maschoff - Assistant engineer
• Alan Moulder - Mixing
• Dave Rieley - Assistant engineer
• Bjorn Thorsrud - Producer, mixing, engineer
• Matt Walker - Additional programming
• Paul PDub Walton - Recording of Robert Smith's parts
• Howie Weinberg - Mastering

Notes

External links

• The Future Embrace Short Film