Additional Information

The (incomplete) translation of the letter is:

This band does not take the easy way. Strictly speaking they never took the easy way in their 10 years band history. And why should they? Does it make sense, to be marking time musically? To put up with a once discovered prescription of success? Probably not. Billy Corgan as the head, main song writer and singer is aware of this too. He knows that standing still is a relapse. Therefore forward. Going on. Creating something new and modern without denying the old. Try something new without loosing their own musical identity. To experiment with rock music, to expand with sounds. Pushing forward to regions of perfect songwriting, where the ridge between artistic pretension and broad effective wholesale acceptance. Be honest: How many bands bring about this pretension in deed?

The Smashing Pumpkins make this in a nearly playing way. With regular dreamlike certainty. (some facts about the albums and band history….. Gish (1991) …. Siamese Dream (1993) …. 1995 “Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness …. Adore (1997)).

And now? Cards are shuffled once again …. (some facts about the Machina album characterization in difference with Mellon Collie and Adore).

Whether now impetuous, to the limits distorted smashers like “The Everlasting Gaze” or “Heavy Metal Machine”, …. (some facts about the songs characterization and some facts about how the band tries to create a whole album as “an immanent entirety”).

Machina was originated during the last year over 10 months in the band-own studio in Chicago. First they played in live the base frames of the songs. During this process they parted from their bassist D’Arcy, she was getting less inclined of the idea being a fixed part of a band. …. (some facts about the studio process working on an album. In difference to Adore this time again with Flood and some facts about the advantages working with someone outstanding of the band).

Speaking about that The Smashing Pumpkins did with “Machina” the best album of their career would went aside the core of the matter and is moreover irrelevant. Cause this band acts from their beginning in such a way on a high musical, emotional, complex and productional level that improvements are in case at all or only marginal possible. It is more decisive that they found to themselves once again, they stayed faithful to themselves and jump across once more the bar of the makeable maximum in the alternative guitar section with breathtaking perfection. After being complete because the get in of the formerly Hole-bassist Mellissa Auf Der Maur which Billy knew before her time at Hole nothing stands in their way to storm the charts, internal hitlists and all our musician hearts. Because “Machina” marks another epic milestone in a (it is to be hoped endless chain) of nearly perfect songwriting-art. Therefore: hear “Machina” and understand, how rock music works.