“Try, Try, Try” clings to notions of love and survival, correctly implying that everyone has a purpose in life. Lead singer Billy Corgan delights in being in love (“Stand Inside Your Love”) and believes love can rescue someone trading their soul for a chemical high (“This Time”). “The Sacred and Profane” begins as a prayer for the downtrodden. Behavior matters on “The Imploding Voice,” while “Wound” condemns malice toward God and destructiveness.
God is accused of having “fickle fascinations” on “The Everlasting Gaze.” Corgan’s use of the f-word spoils “Age of Innocence.” Elsewhere, rock ‘n’ roll is deemed worth dying for (“Heavy Metal Machine”). The CD cover, while not explicitly sexual, shows an undressed couple in repose.
Is this the same Billy Corgan who in 1995 could be heard crooning “Living makes me sick/So sick I wish I’d die”? He’s come a long way. Machina extols love, vilifies drugs and acknowledges God. The band has traded brooding melancholy for optimism and, quite possibly, a spiritual quest. The disc is not without its problems, but it shows Smashing Pumpkins moving in the right direction.
