There’s some magical quality to the music of the Pillows that, regardless of time or mood, it can somehow make everything seem that little bit brighter and happier. Even when they’re dealing with issues such as lost love and regret for good times gone, their own brand of upbeat guitar pop lifts me without ever coming across as trite or insincere. How in heaven’s name do they do it?
It is hard to believe that Hugh Laurie, the acting talent behind the bumbling Prince George in Blackadder, would go on to take the role of television’s grouchiest and most brilliant medic and win a Golden Globe for his efforts. In an industry that churns out one formulaic drama series after another, it might also seem strange that House M.D., another part of a very crowded ‘medical drama’ genre, could garner so much acclaim; it is after all fundamentally formulaic. The misanthropic hero and his team of talented specialists take on a seemingly insoluble case, which is followed by a slew of potential diagnoses, a patient’s life hangs in the balance then there’s the eventual resolution; it is a polished and modern blend of Quincy and Sherlock Holmes that takes a ‘case of the week’ approach. Within this structure though there is what could possibly be the smartest and most engrossing televised drama of recent years.
After the almost embarrassing brevity of Zwan and a solo album that for some reason never made much of an impact, it’s easy to focus on the circumstances surrounding the revival of the Smashing Pumpkins instead of the songs; even calling it a ‘reunion’ is stretching it a bit when the latest effort contains only half of the original line-up. For all the gossip and sniping at the motivations surrounding Billy Corgan’s decision to reform his old band, the important thing is what should be the outfit’s raison d’etre: the music itself.
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