Music - Smashing Pumpkins Unveil 'Zeitgeist' Cover

"The Smashing Pumpkins have enlisted artist Shepard Fairey to create the artwork for their first album in seven years, "Zeitgeist," due July 10 via Martha's Music/Reprise. The red-dominated cover image depicts the Statue of Liberty drowning, while the typeface mirrors that used on the Pumpkins' debut single, 1990's "I Am One" b/w "Tristessa."

"I think global warming is an issue that is currently relevant, time sensitive, and a symptom of the shortsightedness of the U.S.," Fairey says. "As a broader metaphor, the drowning Statue of Liberty, a revered icon of the U.S., symbolizes the eminent demise of many of the ideals upon which the nation was founded. Civil liberties, freedom of speech, privacy, etc. have been decreasing since 9/11. The sun in the image could either be setting or rising and this ambiguity shows that there is still hope to turn things around."

As for Fairey's use of red, he says, "I use red frequently because it is a visually powerful, emotionally potent color. Red gets people's attention. In this case there is the added possibility that the red liquid could be blood, giving it an even more sinister sense of foreboding."

"Tarantula," the first single from "Zeitgeist," hits U.S. radio outlets on May 22. A brief sample of the track can be heard by clicking hear.

According to Wikipedia:

"Zeitgeist" is The Smashing Pumpkins' official sixth album (excluding Machina II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music, freely distributed via the Internet). German for "Spirit of the Age," it is set to be released on July 10, 2007, although the album was going to be released originally on July 7. It will be the first official album to be released under the Smashing Pumpkins name since 2000, and the first new material to be released since two of its original members, vocalist and guitarist Billy Corgan and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, reunited in 2006. Of the other three one time band members, guitarist James Iha and bassist Melissa Auf der Maur have stated they are not involved, and it seems unlikely that bassist D'arcy Wretzky will return either.

Zeitgeist's track listing is:
1. "Doomsday Clock" - 3:41
2. "7 Shades of Black" - 3:15
3. "Bleeding the Orchid" - 3:58
4. "That's the Way (My Love Is)" - 3:44
5. "Tarantula" - 3:47
6. "Starz" - 3:41
7. "United States" - 9:50
8. "Neverlost" - 4:13
9. "Bring the Light" - 3:35
10. "(Come On) Let's Go!" - 3:15
11. "For God and Country" - 4:51
12. "Pomp and Circumstances" - 4:18

Be sure to check out the 30 second clip of the first single, entitled "Tarantula", by clicking here, thanks to stereogum.com. A larger pic of the album art is shown below.


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