September 17, 2009 1:15

The Smashing Pumpkins to release album for free

44 track opus will be released one track at a time

The Smashing Pumpkins have announced that they are to set to release an album for free.

Titled 'Teargarden by Kaleidyscope', the 44-track album will be released one track at a time with the first due out at the end of October.

"Free will mean free," declared frontman Billy Corgan on his blog Billycorgan.livejournal.com, "which means you won't have to sign up for anything, give an email address, or jump through a hoop. You will be able to go and take the song or songs as you wish, as many times as you wish."

Having started recording the album yesterday (September 15), Corgan also revealed that the story of the album is based on the tarot card 'The Fool's Journey' and that it will be a return to "the original psychedelic roots of The Smashing Pumpkins: atmospheric, melodic, heavy, and pretty".

As well as the free to download songs, 11 four-song EPs and also a deluxe box set will be released once the album has been completed.

This isn’t the first time The Smashing Pumpkins have given away an album with 'Machina II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music', finding its way online for fans to download back in 2000.