Blue-Sky Research

Blue-Sky Research is the third major label album from Ann Arbor, Michigan rock band, Taproot. Billy Corgan wrote the track "Lost in the Woods" and co-wrote "Violent Seas" and "Promise". He also contributed some guitar parts, vocal melody and general advice for the direction of the album.

Background
Taproot reached out to Corgan after hearing he had worked with Breaking Benjamin on 2004's We Are Not Alone. They spent six days in Chicago working with Corgan, during which he critiqued what they had written and offered his suggestions on how to improve the material. "He really helped us to build a little bit of anticipation with the music rather than just have heavy parts and soft parts," frontman Stephen Richards told MTV News. "He helped us turn songs that were already 8 or 9s [out of 10] into 11s." Corgan also gifted the band with an additional melody and guitar riff. "We totally didn't expect that," Richards explained. "He basically wrote a new song for us with us in mind."

Corgan's critique helped Taproot focus on a consistent feel through the songs. "There's more room to grow as songwriters and musicians when you strip everything down and try to write great songs, and that's why we asked Billy to work with us," Richards explained. "We used to throw in extra beats and use odd time signatures just to fuck with your head. This time, we wanted to have more straight-ahead, good songs, and I think we do."

Critical reception
Blue-Sky Research garnered mixed reviews from music critics who admired the genre shift and lush production but found it wasted with angst-filled lyrics. However, Johnny Loftus of AllMusic added that while he considered the self-deprecating lyrics formulaic at times, he found the contributions from Corgan to be a nice addition to the band's improved musicianship, saying that "even without the hired guns Blue-Sky Research is the most dynamic Taproot album yet … and the album's heightened textures and less predictable turns successfully updates the band's sound."