My $0.02: Billy Corgan's Smashing Experiment

Billy Corgan seems to be trying to lead The Smashing Pumpkins' legacy into stranger and weirder places these days. Whether it's turning a blind eye with the abdication of Jimmy Chamberlain, hiring a new 19 year old drummer, or telling his fans they suck, Corgan has been adamant that The Smashing Pumpkins are HIS band now, and he'll do whatever he damn well pleases. As such, yesterday's announcement about the release of a new Smashing Pumpkins album is just as strange.

Teargarden By Kaleidyscope will be a 44 song concept album about Corgan's tarot fascinations, released online and through limited edition E.P.s. Additionally, once all 44 songs are released, Corgan has promised fans a box set that culls together everything in one concise package.

Oh, and did I mention that the online downloads are free?

Let me repeat: Billy Corgan is NOT charging money for theses songs.

It's a dicey move, one that's grand enough for the Great Pumpkin and his humble little band, but can a project of this magnitude really sustain itself? It's hard enough to maintain a good double album full of quality material and rarely is a trilogy even attempted. 44 songs is a TON of music, and Corgan's promise of "the original psychedelic roots of The Smashing Pumpkins: atmospheric, melodic, heavy, and pretty" might not be enough to win over those who soured on Zeitgeist.

Here are some things to consider:

The Good:
-As an avid fan of Siamese Dream, Corgan's promise of the original Pumpkins sound does intrigue me. I'm not short-sided enough to believe this album is going to sound like a time capsule from 1993, but a bit more shoegaze and a little less metal could add some life to Corgan's recent output.
-Corgan has effectively diminished the effect music piracy can have on an album and is reaching out to Generation iTunes. His release of songs one at a time, for free, in a digital capacity, makes the release more difficult to really disperse for pirates. In fact, it asserts his artistic autonomy while presenting his distribution method as the best way to get the material. The added bonus of E.P.s and box sets are ideal for collectors and faithful fans. Is it the beginning of the musical revolution we so desperately need?
-Unlike some bands (I'm looking at you Bloc Party) that offer an incomplete album online, the Teargarden By Kaleidyscope project is the whole enchilada. Bravo, Billy.

The Bad:
-Will this seriously impact how we listen to records? Corgan is releasing these songs one at a time over the coming months, so unless fans hold out until all the material is out, they won't be experiencing the material as one complete work. This troubles me, especially because I'm a firm believer in "the album" as an art form.
-How will he maintain interest? While everyone is buzzing about it now, receiving updates via Facebook or Twitter will become monotonous for every song release. This is going to be a big challenge for him.
-What fidelity can fans expect with these initial releases? Will we have to wait a year before we experience these songs at 320 kbps? For audiophiles, this is really frustrating.

Ultimately, we'll have to wait to see the full success/failure of Corgan's newest ego trip. Yet if the songs are good, none of this might matter one single (pun intended) bit.