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8.3
43206
8.3 |
Paste Magazine
Oceania very much sees Corgan and company settling into album, not single, territory. And that’s probably where long-term fans have wanted to see them for a long time
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8.0
43172
8.0 |
Consequence Of Sound
He’s carved out an agreeable adventure with Oceania, and one that any casual or die-hard fan can embrace with true vigor
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8.0
43276
8.0 |
The Irish Times
Just as one sound has found its groove, Corgan swerves abruptly to change mood, tone and intent, creating a multi-layered work that is a complete guitar-rock album
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8.0
42997
8.0 |
BBC
Straddling the line between art and commerce, between arena rock and cult devotion, for the first time in quite a while Billy Corgan and The Smashing Pumpkins sound energised and alive
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8.0
42998
8.0 |
Evening Standard
Corgan’s lyrics are simple yet opaque — nebulous love and coloured lights abound — and the suspicion remains that he is neither grunge nor pomp rocker at heart but more of a good old-fashioned hippy
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8.0
43006
8.0 |
The Arts Desk
The thunderous riffage of 'The Chimera' ain't bad either, though the Brian May guitar harmonies evoke helpless mirth
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8.0
43087
8.0 |
Sputnik Music (staff)
A record that could well be the catalyst of a stellar second era for one of rock’s more interesting groups
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7.5
43098
7.5 |
A.V. Club
He’s finally delivered the Smashing Pumpkins album that everybody wanted the first time he decided to revive the name
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7.2
43792
7.2 |
Beats Per Minute
This is the kind of unabashedly self-indulgent prog-rock epic that Corgan built a fanbase with, and those still left standing by his side will find Oceania to be a fine return to form
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7.0
43799
7.0 |
The Quietus
It's a strange album on the whole, though there's no doubting Corgan has his mojo back, and if you can stomach a 45-year-old man still whining on about isolation and stuff then this may well be up your proverbial alley
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7.0
43097
7.0 |
Slant Magazine
It is, if nothing else, a modest righting of the ship, with the added benefit of Corgan finally rediscovering some of the musical animus that's eluded him for the past decade
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7.0
44564
7.0 |
Uncut
Return to form form Corgan and co. Print edition only
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7.0
43378
7.0 |
Rave Magazine
Oceania has some grand moments and is well worth listening to, but it sadly pales in comparison to the Pumpkins’ earlier, generation-defining albums
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7.0
43192
7.0 |
musicOMH
Comfortably the best post-reformation Pumpkins album
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7.0
43193
7.0 |
No Ripcord
The sheer magnitude of the entire package speaks louder than the individual quality of the songs, ultimately making more of an impression that it actually merits
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6.3
43091
6.3 |
Pitchfork
His new band might not question him very much, and they may play better or more professionally, than his old crew. But Oceania suffers a kind of rock-star-dictator airlessness
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6.0
43113
6.0 |
Rolling Stone
It's also a good stand-alone record, a bong-prog take on the alt-rock grandeur of Gish and Siamese Dream
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6.0
43010
6.0 |
Independent on Sunday
Oceania is best listened to in bits
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6.0
42999
6.0 |
NME
Billy's back with a new band and some grand concept based on the tarot. No, come back! It's actually not that bad
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6.0
43527
6.0 |
The Observer
The collision of sludgy guitars, thunderous drums and Billy Corgan's frantic yelp on opener Quasar makes for a bracing reacquaintance with overwrought stadium grunge
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6.0
43358
6.0 |
Drowned In Sound
The songcraft is back, but the romance is still missing
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5.5
43030
5.5 |
PopMatters
Take 1: Billy Corgan has made sure that Oceania is a high-tech affair from start to finish. But that hi-tech inhumanity also seems to express a nostalgia for the analogue prog rock past. 4/10
Take 2: Although Oceania will be plagued with comparisons of past efforts — a fair tactic given the Smashing Pumpkins relevance in the rock scene and unabashed public disbanding and rebanding — Corgan is impressively pulling this “new” version of the Pumpkins into an interesting direction. 7/10
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5.0
43841
5.0 |
The Fly
For a Tarot-themed rock album made by an immortal megalomaniac, it’s actually OK. Especially the loud bits
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4.0
43273
4.0 |
The Guardian
Too often, tracks chug and puff along a bloated path to nowhere
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