I'm all for musical evolution in a band. In fact, I believe that to become a truly great band you have to evolve over the years. However with this cd I don't think the Smashing Pumpkins took a step in the right direction. A main part of this problem is obviously the absense of Jimmy Chamberlain, a drum machine and that other guy just don't compare. Also, this type of music just isn't the next logical step for this band. While there are NO BAD SONGS on this album, there are none that are truly special either. Crestfallen and Tear come the closest but I just can't enjoy it that much. However there are many people that absolutely love this album and you could end up being one of them so you should definately check it out. Let me repeat again, this is not a bad album but I don't think it is what the Pumkins should be putting out. Machina is a great comeback and an example of where they should be heading musically, and <surprise> it's got jimmy chamberlain on it.