Photo: Press
Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy William Corgan has announced the release of his solo album, Ogilala, and the track 'Aeronaut' - which is taken from it - is streaming below.
The album is set to come out on Friday 13 October digitally and on cd and gatefold vinyl. 'Aeronaut' - put out to mark this massive announcement - is a drumless ballad and all about the lead vocal. Acoustic guitar, majestic string sections and piano aide the melancholic impact of Corgan's heartfelt voice. It's a stirring track and definitely has repeat value.
To record something at this level and get it sounding like an amphitheatre in your living room or headphones shows what a perfectionist Corgan is, and how complimentary Rubin's skills are to his music.
Of working with Rubin, Corgan revealed on Facebook in September of last year: "I actually made the solo record with Rick Rubin, my longtime friend, and one of the greatest producers in the history of rock and roll."
Speaking more specifically about Rubin, he has now said in a press release: “Having written the songs for voice and guitar, I put myself in Rick's hands to take the music wherever he'd like. Normally I would have done more, and tinkered more on production, but rather Rick put the onus on me to deliver at a molecular level via live takes. The rest was simply a reaction.”
Corgan added more about what makes a solo song: “For as long as I can remember the delineation point between songs I wrote for myself and songs I'd pen for whatever band was something I couldn't explain. And it remains so, for they all feel quite personal to me, no matter their time or era. The lone difference on songs for Ogilala is that they seemed to want little in the way of adornment.”
As for his actual name being on the record, it's hardly a surprise given that he once corrected some fans watching him in Peru for calling him Billly. According to SPIN, on Billy Corgan’s 48th birthday Corgan said “My name is not ‘Billy. My name is William.” After the fans obided to the change, he graciously said, “My mother thanks you, in Heaven.”
That being said, William Patrick Corgan has his second ever solo album. It follows on from 2005's highly-acclaimed TheFutureEmrace, which featured collaboration with Barry and Robin Gibb from Bee Gees, and we can't wait for the release of the new one.
The tracklist to the album Ogilala:
'Processional'
'The Spaniards'
'Aeronaut'
'The Long Goodbye'
'Half-Life Of An Autodidact'
'Amarinthe'
'Antietam'
'Mandaryne'
'Shiloh'
'Archer'
USA tour dates for William Patrick Corgan: Tickets for the tour are on sale this Friday August 25th at 10:00am local time and will be available here.
October 14- Brooklyn, NY. Murmrr Theater
October 15- Brooklyn, NY. Murmrr Theater
October 18- Wilmington, DE. Grand Opera House
October 20- Toronto, ON. Queen Elizabeth Theater
October 24- Chicago, IL. Athenaeum Theater
October 25- Chicago, IL. Athenaeum Theater
October 27- Nashville, TN. CMA Theatre
October 29 – Boulder, CO. Boulder Theater
November 1- San Francisco, CA. Herbst Theater
November 2- San Francisco, CA. Herbst Theater
November 9- Los Angeles, CA. Masonic Lodge @ Hollywood Forever Cemetery
November 10- Los Angeles, CA. Masonic Lodge @ Hollywood Forever Cemetery
November 11- Los Angeles, CA. Masonic Lodge @ Hollywood Forever Cemetery
