SOUND CHECK.

A long time ago, there appeared one fully satisfying Pumpkins disc, 1993's "Siamese Dream," a powerful collection of pop-rock tunes that worked nicely in tandem with Nirvana's "Nevermind." Now, with cash and acclaim running dry, group leader Billy Corgan has resurrected the Pumpkins name (with Corgan and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin the only two founding members left) following a lackluster seven-year hiatus.

"Zeitgeist" continues the heavy, distorted sound that brought Corgan fame and hits with the original Chicago quartet. Leaning toward prog-rock, arena metal and goth, singer-guitarist Corgan whines, often tunelessly, in a choked, weaselly voice, about his usual preoccupations: apocalypse and needing love.

After soaking in the early standouts here ("Doomsday Clock," "Tarantula," "(Come on) Let's Go"), it's clear Chamberlin's powerhouse drums are the saving grace, but that alone isn't enough to overshadow such throwaways as the grueling 10-minute Sabbath/Zeppelin tribute "United States."

-- Fred Shuster

SOUNDTRACK: "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" (Warner Bros.) - Three stars

Three of the Potter films were scored by John Williams with sometimes overbearing results. For the fifth film of the franchise, British film and TV composer Nicholas Hooper takes the baton for a memorable set of often complex cues that capture the rebellious tone of the new thriller perfectly. The soundtrack opens with an exhilarating Celtic sound that moves into an Eddie Van Halen-style electric guitar, perfectly telegraphing the teen angst at the core of the film. There's a bouncy, stripped-down feel in much else here and, like Harry's first kiss, the pieces fall naturally into place.

-- F.S.

RUSSELL MALONE: "Live at Jazz Standard Vol. 2" (MaxJazz) - Three and one half stars

Last year's Jazz Standard live set from the MaxJazz imprint was arguably the best showcase ever for the clean, straightforward stylings of Malone, who is Diana Krall's former guitarist. So it's no surprise that this second helping from that New York City set works like a charm, too, featuring Malone and his working quartet tearing through some bluesy, post-bop originals, a breezy cover of the Isley Brothers' "For the Love of You" and a 10-minute "Theme From Gunsmoke" that would put a bounce in Marshall Dillon's step. Released on Tuesday.

-- Glenn Whipp

SARAH BORGES & THE BROKEN SINGLES: "Diamonds in the Dark" (Sugar Hill) - Three stars

Borges' second album is evenly divided between middlebrow rock of the Pat Benatar school and better, more flavorful country-edged tunes. She can make something like X's "Come Back to Me" sound like a classic tearjerker, which is both an impressive accomplishment and the kind of thing that shouldn't ought to be done. She can be as energetic as she is movingly sad, though, and should therefore put on a pretty entertaining show Sunday at the Mint in Los Angeles.

-- Bob Strauss

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(1) no caption (Smashing Pumpkins)

(2 -- 5) no caption (CD covers)