smashing pumpkins re-issuing albums.

Billy Corgan & co seem to endlessly put out strings of singles and EPs, but the space that the iconic band takes up on record stores shelves may increase exponentially throughout the next couple of years. On April 27th, Corgan announced the reissue of the Smashing Pumpkins' complete works, from "Gish" to "Zeitgeist." The earliest three albums - "Gish," "Siamese Dream," and "Pisces Iscariot" - will be out by next Christmas, while later records will trickle out sometime during 2012.

Corgan also intends to put out another new record, which will become part of the lengthy "Teargarden" chapter in the band's work. The new album, "Oceania," is slated for a release sometime this year.

Fans have been anything but impressed with Corgan's latest compositions, with complaints lodged against new members (after drummer Jimmy Chaimberlain's departure circa '09, Billy Corgan is the only original member left) and new sounds. After the dark, thematic, heavily electronic Machina albums, the second of which was recorded under uncomfortable and very much unconventional circumstances, the Smashing Pumpkins made a radical shift. A hiatus of several years and a change in line-up seemed to also prompt a change in music, with 2007's "Zeitgeist"  receiving harsh criticism at the hands of both listeners and critics.

A cynic might accuse of the Pumpkins of trying to reclaim their legacy after an exceptionally sub-par few years back in the game. After all, iconic and inventive records "Siamese Dream" and "Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness" still enjoy radio play, while the "Teargarden" songs have been unable to stay in the public's minds (or on their radio stations) for more than a few weeks, even when they were made available for free download. High-end production techniques and years of industry experience can only do so much to revive a band whose sound seems doomed to stay stuck in 1997 - or stuck in the shifting labyrinth of cheap, unoriginal alt-rock that haunts FM radio stations and strip-mall hair salons.

However cynical you may feel now, though, when alt-rock fanatics, 1990s nostalgics, and new listeners alike are given the chance to enjoy re-issued copies of some of the most critically-acclaimed rock records ever made, the circumstances may not seem important.

wild flag makes riot grrrl punk sound like art-pop.

Listeners who still imagine the harsh, creaky chords of Bikini Kill's "Rebel Girl" when they think of riot grrrl are in for a shock when they hear this band. With swirly, psychedelic guitar riffs, layered vocal harmonies, and - shockingly - a piano, Wild Flag begins where the increasingly artsy Sleater-Kinney left off circa 2003. This shouldn't be that surprising, really; the riot grrrl revival quartet is fronted by Carrie Brownstein, ex-vocalist of SK and the founder of seminal but little known Excuse 17.

Brownstein isn't the only star power in Wild Flag. Riot grrrl fanatics may recognize Mary Timony's vocals and guitar work from past bands Helium and Autoclave, while drummer Janet Weiss is another Sleater-Kinney alum and keyboardist Rebecca Cole was part of the Minders for several years.

Hearing more Patti Smith than "Pussy-Whipped" in the band's music might be disappointing to those who see riot grrrl as being at its best when it is both angry and angsty, but Wild Flag's sophistication is anything but a movement away from the origins of the genre. It's much closer to an evolution. After a ~ten year hiatus, it only makes sense for riot grrrl punks to make a comeback with more eloquence than ever before.

Wild Flag's first physical '7, Future Crimes / Glass Tambourine, was sold exclusively on Record Store Day, but you can buy the MP3s for around two dollars online at Merge Records' site, here.