#5: Smashing Pumpkins - Teargarden By Kaleidyscope Vol. 2: The Solstice Bare

The Fellowship
Freak
Tom Tom
Spangled

Billy Corgan - vocals, guitar, keyboards, electric sitar
Mike Byrne - drums
Mark Tulin - bass
Kerry Brown - congas
Ysanne Spevack - violin, viola
Linda Strawberry - backing vocals
Produced by Billy Corgan, Kerry Brown and Bjorn Thorsrud

The second volume of the Teargarden By Kaleidyscope project shows Billy is getting a lot more comfortable with the way he's been doing things. The songs on 'The Solstice Bare' feel more like they belong in the same project than those that made it onto 'Songs For A Sailor'. The best tracks are easily 'Freak' and 'Tom Tom', but 'The Following' and 'Spangled' are also really strong.
Unfortunately, two songs into the recording of Volume 3, the full band (Billy and Mike along with bassist Nicole Fiorentino and guitarist Jeff Schroeder) stopped and instead began work on a full length album to be released commercially entitled 'Oceania'. Hopefully, when they are done with that they'll then go back to the 'Teargarden By Kaleidyscope' project, because it shows some great promise. Though the prospect of a full length album featuring the entire band (the first time this has happened since 'Machina II' in 2000) is an exciting prospect in itself.

As before, this and every other song in the project can be listened to and downloaded for free here: http://www.smashingpumpkins.com/pages/home