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Evaluating the Teargarden Part 2: Widow Wake My Mind

Billy's running a little bit behind schedule already (not a surprise at all), but here it its... the second of the 44 song projects that is Teargarden by Kaleidyscope. Let's take a look at the new tune, shall we?

EP #1, Track #2: "Widow Wake My Mind"
Things kicked off last month with the epic "A Song for A Son", this time we scale back a little bit for something a little more pop-oriented. Which isn't at all a bad thing, the Pumpkins' back catalog is littered with great little pop tunes from the big hits ("1979", "Disarm") to the songs that should have been big hits ("Untitled", "Set the Ray to Jerry"). Even the huge, sprawling Mellon Collie took the time to step back for a brief burst of pop, so I certainly have no problem with it popping up here already. It starts off with a staccato guitar riff and Billy intoning "oh oh oh" before being joined by a frankly awesome bass line and an organ-sounding keyboard melody. This sets the tone for something light and airy and it isn't long before the first chorus swings into gear and sends us dizzying off into the air. It's a nice moment and reminds me more than a little of "Honestly", the intoxicating debut single from the short-lived Zwan project. It's a great chorus, even if the lyrics are pretty clunky and heavy-handed. In fact, the lyrics end up being pretty much the worst thing about the song. Billy's lyrics of late routinely ride the thin line between poetry and platitudes, this time they firmly fall into the latter camp. I also find myself wishing the song wrapped up at least a full minute before it actually does, we don't really need a piano bridge and an organ bridge both - it would have been far more concise, urgent, and thrilling if it were trimmed down to three minute pop single length. Still, this is the second song in a row to outpace my low expectations, so maybe this project won't end up a complete bust. The soaring chorus alone is enough to keep this song in rotation for awhile.

Rating: 7.2/10.0