On Tuesday, January 25th, Jimmy Chamberlin released his first solo album: Life Begins Again. I first heard about the album online a few months ago, and since then I have been excitedly awaiting its release. Jimmy was the drummer for the Smashing Pumpkins, and I have always been intrigued and inspired by his skill. As far as I know, very few drummers (if any) have ever released solo albums, so this CD was even more interesting to me. My copy came in the mail a few days ago (and since I pre-ordered it from his official site, he autographed the cover. So now I have Billy Corgan's autograph and Jimmy's. Very cool).
Jimmy wrote all of the lyrics for the album, although he does not sing. Only five of the eleven tracks have vocals, at all, actually. The overall feel of the album is, as my brother put it, "peacefully chaotic;" sometimes Jimmy's drumming will sound insanely fast and complex, yet the background guitar and piano add a serene quality to the songs (it's impossible to explain until you hear a few songs). The songs that incorporate vocals sound like traditional rock songs, but the instrumental songs, for the most part, have a jazz-like quality (Jimmy began his career before he joined the Smashing Pumpkins as a jazz drummer, so I guess it's no surprise).
Billy Mohler (vocals, bass) and Jimmy Chamberlin (drums)
Billy Corgan provides the vocals for the song Loki Cat, one of the highlights of the album. This album is interesting on many levels, but the complexity of the drums on every song is what mainly fascinates me.
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