A semi-precious gem dangles at the heart of the Smashing Pumpkins’ extravagantly bejeweled behemoth Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. The last track on disc one is a gentle love song written by James Iha and introduces his solo voice, accompanied by acoustic guitars, piano and Greg Leisz’s pedal and lap steel. For a man thought to create Pumpkins records single-handedly, Billy Corgan left that track surprisingly untouched.
Iha’s principal contribution to Mellon Collie, “Take It Down,” laid out the map that has led Iha to a pop treasure with Let It Come Down. These songs are like others written by lovesick, guitar-bearing, boot-wearing road-huggers only in that they’re easy to remember, simple to play and best left unadorned as the emotion that generated them in the first place.
Despite lyrics that often seem like an afterthought, the songs skillfully skirt chirpiness and Hallmark card sentimentality, if by perilously narrow margins. The subtle, unexpected turns and shifts with which he eludes treacle make for an interesting study, because sweet emotions are Iha’s focus. Let It Come Down is all about letting down the barriers to tenderness for a better view of beauty. Yes, it’s that open-hearted, and that is a good thing.
While they are romantic, the songs on Let It Come Down are not necessarily acoustic-quiet. Generally this is orchestral pop scaled to a hard-wired studio — keyboards soar, tension builds, harmonies burst forth and recede. An Iha build may fall away, though, where a Pumpkin one would crash wide open, and every track has a singalong chorus where 20 years of rock has taught us to expect a riff.
Credited with the clear, pretty backing vocals on the song “Beauty” is Nina Gordon of Veruca Salt, who is said to have told Iha, not unkindly, that the songs remind her of things her parents like. Neal Casal contributes deftly uplifting harmonies on several other tracks. Greg Leisz’s steel solo on “Country Girl” shimmers like morning light on a long road, while Hazeldine’s Shawn Barton and Tonya Lamm add vocal touches, but the song is utterly grit-free, despite an advance buzz that Iha was at work on an alt-country effort. Lamm and Barton also appear on the last track, the lovers’ benediction “No One’s Gonna Hurt You
