Zeitgeist is the seventh studio album by American rock band the Smashing Pumpkins, released on July 10, 2007 on Martha's Music and Reprise Records.

Preceded by the single "Tarantula", the album debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200, but sales soon decreased, and critical reception was mixed.

After the Smashing Pumpkins disbanded in 2000, Corgan and Chamberlin reunited for the short-lived supergroup Zwan, also featuring members of Slint, Chavez, and A Perfect Circle.

"[5] Chamberlin soon announced that he would be rejoining the band, and the two began living together in north Scottsdale, Arizona in November 2005, writing and rehearsing new songs.

In April 2007, James Iha[9] and Melissa Auf der Maur[10] separately confirmed that they were not taking part in the reunion.

[12] After the drums were completed, Chamberlin began the process of interviewing prospective touring band members, while Corgan went about recording the guitar, bass, keyboard, and vocal parts.

[13] The band's insistence on recording live to tape, without click tracks or editing, was met with distaste by most producers they spoke to.

[14] The band held out until they met someone willing to record analog, and with the right energy and philosophy, eventually choosing producer Roy Thomas Baker, whom they considered "a real soul mate.

[15] Chamberlin explained the Pumpkins' goals for the album: The mindset of the record was to put our best foot forward and not get too artsy.

[13]Corgan said the album's goals were threefold—to make an accessible, mainstream rock record, to comment on the "emerging fascist" political climate of the United States, and to explore the nature of his band and his friendship with Chamberlin.

"[13] The album has prominent vocal overdubs – nearly every song has multiple layers of Corgan's voice, a decision brought about by Baker's operatic production style as well as the knowledge that the new touring members would be able to sing harmonies.

[15] The song "Bleeding the Orchid," about the commercial exploitation of the early-90s alternative rock movement, was deliberately styled after the music of Alice in Chains, a band that Corgan now greatly admires.

[18] "Pomp and Circumstances" was set to have string arrangements by Danny Elfman, but when he amicably withdrew from the project, the band decided to create its own synthesized orchestration.

[22] Prior to the album's release, the reunited Smashing Pumpkins made their debut performing live for the first time on May 22, 2007 in Paris, France.

The band returned stateside for an American leg of their tour kicked off with a sold-out, nine-day residency at the Orange Peel in Asheville, North Carolina, on June 23, 2007.

The tour would also include an appearance at Al Gore's Live Earth festival on July 7, 2007, three days before the North American release of the album.

[33] Some negative criticism of the album stemmed from the absence of half of the original lineup, with Pitchfork's Rob Mitchum suggesting the name was revived for "cash or attention or both.

"[13] NME gave it a score of five out of ten and said, "It's best treated as a curio in the Smashing Pumpkins' legacy; and for those who grew up on 'Today', '1979' and 'Ava Adore', you're better left with your memories.

"[46] musicOMH gave it a score of two-and-a-half stars out of five and said, "Recounting such thoughts, by this point almost an hour has been spent in the company of a record which stares back at you with the appeal of an ex you'd rather not have bumped into.

But heaps of guitars, vocal overdubs, and ridiculous effects don't mask a lack of inventiveness or even plain ol' quality songwriting.

Positive reviews have downplayed the personnel changes, pointing out Corgan's dominance over songwriting and music throughout the band's history.

[citation needed] The album was praised by April Long of Uncut for its energy and retention of Smashing Pumpkins' "signature goth-metal-shoegaze sound.

Here's to hoping that the next Pumpkins outing gives into the experimental urge and builds upon the intriguing elements displayed on the album's final two songs.

"[57] On May 6, 2007, four photographs of the album booklet artwork were leaked on Netphoria, a Smashing Pumpkins fan message board.

"[60] The pair were arrested and charged with felony burglary after other tenants of the building provided a description that led police to the suspects.

Fairey, whose credits include creating anti-war posters and the poster art for the feature film Walk the Line, commented on the album cover: I think global warming is an issue that is currently relevant, time sensitive, and a symptom of the shortsightedness of the U.S. As a broader metaphor, the drowning Statue of Liberty, a revered icon of the U.S., symbolizes the eminent [sic] demise of many of the ideals upon which the nation was founded.