ALBUM

Smashing Pumpkins, "Monuments to an Elegy" (BMG)

Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan clearly gave up caring what people thought of him (and his work) a long time ago. That's yielded a career filled with pioneering alternative rock ("Siamese Dream") and unbridled ambition ("Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness") but also, well, "Zeitgeist." Corgan's unpredictability has led to the wildly eclectic "Monuments to an Elegy." For most of this disc, Corgan revisits his wide-ranging past with help from Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee. "Dorian" recasts the poppiness of "1979" in a darker setting, without losing its catchiness. "Anti-Hero" alternates between the grinding guitar of the "Bullet With Butterfly Wings" era and a catchy chorus that would fit well on "Siamese Dream." He recaptures the peak of his powers on the lovely "Being Beige" and the single "Tiberius," which shows how potent the combination of grungy hard rock and pop melodies can still be. But Corgan also expands his musical landscape here, such as on the shimmering, synth-driven dance anthem "Run2Me." "Monuments to an Elegy" has the power to return Smashing Pumpkins to a core artist in the alternative-rock world.

glenn gamboa, Newsday

streaming video

The clip for Prince Royce's dance-pop song "Stuck on a Feeling" has a stylish love-in-an-elevator vibe, elevated with a rap by Snoop Dogg. smarturl.it/SOAFvideo