Since the cover art for Zeitgeist is so disappointingly cliché, you have to let it go, knowing the music inside must at least be a step up from the package. And luckily, it is. With his latest effort, which reclaims the name of his best-selling band to date, Billy Corgan proves gifted in the art of reawakening the epic pomp and sonic bombast that was the basis for all previous Pumpkins releases. The rock bits indeed rock with that unmistakable Pumpkins sound (remarkable, since only course only Corgan and drummer Jimmy Chamberlain have been reinstated from the original band), and the experimental lulls on the record serve to give us a rest from the drums and guitar overload. The familiarity of Zeitgeist is like an old pair of 90’s jeans, comforting, a little worn at the edges, but welcome indeed.

Zeitgeist only fizzles a bit on tracks such as “Starz” and “United States” (with its insistent plea for “revolution”), which sound self-consciously stadium-ready and push into the never-never land of rock overindulgence. There’s obviously got to be some ebb and flow on any album, and luckily, that’s not forgotten in the mix. Kudos to Corgan for resurrecting some of the old Pumpkins fire for the diehard fans, but as is usually the case, the remake is never quite the same.–Cleo