Atum
by The Smashing Pumpkins
  • Record Label: Marthas
  • Release Date: May 5, 2023
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 22 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 22
  3. Negative: 3 out of 22
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  1. FatherYeehaw
    Jun 11, 2023
    10
    Ahead of its time. @Billy is Gen-X’s most accomplished songwriter. The ambition of this project is unparalleled in 2023.
  2. Futschi666
    May 18, 2023
    10
    Although half of the songs are cheese I like the other half a lot. Put together my own Atum on Spotify and that really flows well.

    Happy that Billy being productive and creative
  3. iammykeyz
    May 16, 2023
    0
    The first time I've been embarrassed listening to a Pumpkins record. Atum is Billy doing a third rate impression of Muse, M83, Crosses, The Cure, New Order, Pink Floyd, etc, and not in a good way. Amd that's the problem with Atum, it's very derivative of stuff I've already heard. I hear Billy doing his impression of other artists rather than hearing a Smashing Pumpkins record. The openingThe first time I've been embarrassed listening to a Pumpkins record. Atum is Billy doing a third rate impression of Muse, M83, Crosses, The Cure, New Order, Pink Floyd, etc, and not in a good way. Amd that's the problem with Atum, it's very derivative of stuff I've already heard. I hear Billy doing his impression of other artists rather than hearing a Smashing Pumpkins record. The opening instrumental track "Atum" sounds like a Pink Floyd wannabe, Billy goes all Muse on "Beyond The Vale," and "Fireflies" features strings straight ripped from M83's "Outro."

    The little rock we do get in this so called rock opera are some of the blandest and most uninspired. Lazy chug chug chug riffs. The tiny bit of Jimmy Chamberlin we do get is so overcompressed and processed that you may as well have used drum samples. Add Billy's pretentious poetry school dropout word salad he's known for lately along with cold and sterile production. I'm more of an electronic music fan than rock, which would make you think I'd like Atum. One of the few fans who loved Adore when it was released. But I just can't get into Billy's sounds choices here, especially the cheesy synth presets he seems to love.

    Atum is supposedly the sequel to Machina, an unfinished concept album that we never got the full version of since Virgin Records wouldn't fund a double album, and a sequel to Mellon Collie, an album Billy retconned into being a concept album because Billy knew namedropping Mellon Collie would get him more headlines If Billy really wanted to do a sequel to these albums, then Flood and Alan Moulder should've been involved, as they were integral to the previous albums' sound. I keep asking myself, did Atum really need to be 33 tracks? Especially since so many songs bleed into each other. It ain't like the lyrics really progress the concept further. With not a memorable lyric, or hook, or riff to be found.

    If I can sum up Atum in one word, it would be cringe.
    Atum, a schlock opera.    … Expand
  4. Talon_Jones
    May 16, 2023
    9
    This album just gets better the more I listen to it. If listening to 2+ hour albums isn't your thing listen to one act at a time or check out some of the great spotify Playlist. But I highly recommend that next time you take a long drive do yourself a favor and listen start to finish. Act 3 alone is absolutely gorgeous and the other acts are great to. Strikes the perfect balance of rockThis album just gets better the more I listen to it. If listening to 2+ hour albums isn't your thing listen to one act at a time or check out some of the great spotify Playlist. But I highly recommend that next time you take a long drive do yourself a favor and listen start to finish. Act 3 alone is absolutely gorgeous and the other acts are great to. Strikes the perfect balance of rock with space synth and even a couple accoustic tracks so there is something for everyone.… Expand
  5. Futschi
    May 12, 2023
    9
    I really gave it a chance...and It started growing.

    If you dont like Billys voice - do not listen
    If you dont like modern production- dont listen
    If you dont like synths and processed beats- hands off
    I
    But if you are open for a journey and a music lover, then go ahead and give it a few spins.

    Highlights: Spellbinding, Harmaggedon, Cenotaph, Space Age Love it
  6. ShopliftersUtd
    May 10, 2023
    8
    Although opening strongly in true Pink Floyd/Pumpkins fashion with the title suite "Atum", Act I doesn't give the listener an easy start, you have to endure some bombast and few weaker songs.

    Once you reach Act III though you are rewarded with some of the Pumpkins' strongest output since Machina/The Machines of God (2000) with the dreampop of "The Canary Trainer", the semi-acoustic gem    Although opening strongly in true Pink Floyd/Pumpkins fashion with the title suite "Atum", Act I doesn't give the listener an easy start, you have to endure some bombast and few weaker songs.

    Once you reach Act III though you are rewarded with some of the Pumpkins' strongest output since Machina/The Machines of God (2000) with the dreampop of "The Canary Trainer", the semi-acoustic gem and Mellon Collie-esque ballad "Cenotaph" and "Harmageddon", perhaps their best rocker since The Everlasting Gaze (check those shredding Corgan solos).

    Along the way Act II provides you with the Adore prog-gothrock of "Moss", the New Order-esque "Every Morning" and the shoegazey "Avalanche", the last two bringing together the best of the newer Pumpkins sound. The guitars shine on tracks as "The Good in Goodbye", sucessfully recalling the Siamese Dream/Gish era, while other songs are very synthpop heavy and could do with less arpeggios. And while the first Act misses its mark sometimes ("Hooray", "Where Rain Must Fall" and "Hooligan" are absolute throwaways and skippable), the pace picks up as does the instrumentation and the experimentation along the journey.
    For a 33-track opus, this is quite the achievement this late in the Smashing Pumpkins' career. Overall containing some real highlights everyone who ever enjoyed this band at least should give some spins.

    Quintessential tracks: Harmageddon, Cenotaph, The Good in Goodbye, The Canary Trainer, Moss, Every Morning and Atum    … Expand
  7. Chrisothoulos
    May 9, 2023
    5
    You are getting all era's of the Pumpkins in one, large, well crafted 33 song album. You want heavy Pumpkins? It's here. Soft Pumpkins? Yup! Experimental? Absolutely. Synth? You bet.
  8. bramble1214
    May 9, 2023
    10
    This is a late career 4XLP studio concept album that is pretty much unprecedented in modern music. In terms of sheer scale there is almost no other band putting out such a grandiose project, much less from what is essentially an indie band now. Initially SP released this album one song a week on Corgan's podcast which really does the whole album a disservice. This is a work that is muchThis is a late career 4XLP studio concept album that is pretty much unprecedented in modern music. In terms of sheer scale there is almost no other band putting out such a grandiose project, much less from what is essentially an indie band now. Initially SP released this album one song a week on Corgan's podcast which really does the whole album a disservice. This is a work that is much better digested as a whole and either on vinyl or a high-quality lossless digital format. There is a lot of detail in these songs.

    The album is divided into 3 acts of 11 songs each (as well as an audio story with an orchestral version of act 1 on the vinyl release). I was going to include a list of highlights but honestly I love the entire album (particularly acts 2 and 3). Roughly half of the album are rock songs and the other half are relatively synth heavy with some songs containing a good mix of both. The synth heavy songs are a good deal better than Cyr's (which I still enjoyed).

    Overall I'd give this a 9.5 but since that isn't an option I'll round up. Astounding return to form for the band and their best album since Adore which is a masterpiece.    … Expand
  9. Mcafton
    May 9, 2023
    7
    Takes a few listens but there are a lot of good songs throughout this album. It helps to realize that the songs serve to push a story arc as a musical. Lots of good guitar work on this one compared to more recent Pumpkins releases. Some standouts include The Good in Goodbye, Hooligan, Sojourner, Night Waves, Springtimes, Cenotaph, Intergalactic and many more. A real solid album by the Pumpkins.
  10. Tallmainia
    May 9, 2023
    9
    If it's rare for double albums to have more killer than filler, then triple albums may as well be unobtainium. Don't tell that to Billy Corgan though! He's beat all the odds and created the most vital-sounding Pumpkins album since the 20th century (and this is coming from a fan of 'Cyr'!).

Awards & Rankings

45
#45 Most Discussed Album of 2023

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
72

Generally favorable reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. musicOMH.com
    May 15, 2023
    60
    The album, when taken as a whole, is simply too much. When taken as individual pieces, it works much better – and there’s simply no reason for it to be this long.
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  2. Beats Per Minute
    May 11, 2023
    52
    ATUM is the most controversial and strangest of all Smashing Pumpkins albums: a record that defies expectations but often disappoints in how prosaic and calculated it is.
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  3. Pitchfork
    May 11, 2023
    63
    ATUM doesn’t necessarily suffer by comparison to past albums. Its highs are more modest. The ferocity is long gone. But in its own ponderous way, it is generous.
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