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Panopticon (song)

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"Panopticon"
Single by The Smashing Pumpkins
from the album Oceania
ReleasedSeptember 15, 2012
Recorded2011
GenreAlternative rock
Length3:52
LabelEMI/Caroline
Songwriter(s)Billy Corgan
Producer(s)Billy Corgan, Bjorn Thorsrud
The Smashing Pumpkins singles chronology
"The Celestials"
(2012)
"Panopticon"
(2012)
"Being Beige"
(2014)

"Panopticon" is the second single from The Smashing Pumpkins's eighth album Oceania.[1] It was originally released as a promotional single to radio airplay on September 15, 2012.[2]

Background and recording

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In an interview with MusicRadar, Corgan stated, "It's similar to Quasar in that we had the opening riff and didn't know what to do with it. It sat for a while, but everybody felt strongly about it. It had a, dare I say, 'modern-feeling' to it, but still in the style of guitar that I like to play. Ultimately, I just sat down and wrote the song on the piano. Sometimes, when you've got a riffy song, it helps to just play the chords with no rhythm, and then you hear the 'song' in it. It's those very Paul McCartney/Wings-type chords – Broadway-type chords. What I'm most proud of from a songwriting standpoint is how it goes from D major to A minor. It goes from a very 'majorly' feel into something sorrowful, almost a Spanish feel. I don't know how the heck I did that, but it's one of my favorite things in the song, how you can keep the key but change the emotion."[3]

Reception

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NME described the song as "elegant and dreamy".[4] Consequence of Sound declared that it was "heroic".[5] Spin magazine's review of Oceania focused on Byrne's drumming on Panopticon, stating "the impressive, tom-heavy rumble of "Panopticon" quickly asserts his lithe, explosive, decidedly Jimmy Chamberlain-esque ferocity, a deft balance of muscle and sinew."[6] Artistdirect also emphasized Byrne's contribution by describing his drumming as "flawless percussive propulsion".[7]

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer noted Nicole Fiorentino's "highly musical bass lines".[8]

References

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  1. ^ "90's Alternative Rock News » Blog Archive » SMASHING PUMPKINS RELEASE 'PANOPTICON' AS SECOND OCEANIA SINGLE". GrungeReport.net. September 14, 2012. Archived from the original on October 13, 2012. Retrieved September 20, 2012.
  2. ^ "New SMASHING PUMPKINS Single "Panopticon" Arrives on Radio; Tour Kicks Off in October". tunes.broadwayworld.com. February 13, 2012. Retrieved September 20, 2012.
  3. ^ Joe Bosso (June 13, 2012). "Interview: Billy Corgan talks The Smashing Pumpkins' Oceania track-by-track | MusicRadar". Beta.musicradar.com. Archived from the original on September 30, 2014. Retrieved September 20, 2012.
  4. ^ "NME Album Reviews - Smashing Pumpkins - 'Oceania'". Nme.Com. June 12, 2012. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
  5. ^ "Album Review: Smashing Pumpkins – Oceania". Consequence of Sound. June 19, 2012. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
  6. ^ "Smashing Pumpkins, 'Oceania' (Martha's Music/EMI)". June 12, 2012. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  7. ^ "The Smashing Pumpkins "Oceania" Album Review — 5 out of 5 stars - ARTISTdirect News". Artistdirect.com. Archived from the original on June 15, 2012. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
  8. ^ Doherty, Charlie (June 29, 2012). "Music Review: The Smashing Pumpkins - Oceania". seattlepi.com. Retrieved October 18, 2012.