Review 1 of 1

Agaric writes:

5of 5 Stars

The Smashing Pumpkins are not a grunge band. The Chicago quartet has more in common with leaders of the 1970s hard rock revival like Jane's Addiction, than with their Seattle contemporaries. The crunchy distortion and introspective wailings are there, but frontman Billy Corgan seems more interested in creating expansive, rather than raw music. Layer upon layer of electric guitar speckle the landscape of "Siamese Dream," creating intricately intertwined patterns of lulling progressions and fierce attacks. The Pumpkins have a soft spot for psychedelia, as was apparent on their debut "Gish," visible in "Siamese Dream" tracks like the dreamy "Soma." A seven minute litany of loneliness, the song builds on a solid foundation of Corgan and James Iha's guitars, exploding in a thrashy climax of trem-bend distortion. Part of the reason for the Smashing Pumpkins' success derives from their ability to access the same teenage market that Nirvana and Soundgarden were able to mine. "Quiet" has all the earmarks of a Soundgarden charge, splitting with the same bile-fueled howl and murky Stooge's-style progression.

The Pumpkins inject a kind of boyishness into their Boston-style 70's rock exuberance. Songs like "Today" and "Rocket" are youthful expressions of the desire to escape, to hitch a ride on a rocket through "pink ribbon skies." The titular "dream" manifests itself across the entire album, reflecting the shattered and the wanted. Corgan's voice oscillates between angelic croon and demon howl, none the more evident on the album's powerhouses, "Cherub Rock" and "Geek USA." "Cherub Rock" rocks like a high school marching band given free reign, building off Jimmy Chamberlain's drum roll into a ferocious ride of distortion. The expose depicting the blob monster of corporate labels doesn't pull its punches as Corgan sardonically remarks "stay cool/and be somebody's fool this year/'cause they know/who is righteous/what is bold." "Geek USA" is a testimony of Corgan's own misfit roots, a raging riptide of Chamberlain's John Bonham style drumming and Corgan's wild solos. "Siamese Dream" also solidified Corgan's position as the star-struck troubadour of 1990s alternative rock, alongside the likes of Adam Duritz and Matthew Sweet. "Luna" and "Sweet Sweet" gush with liquid sweetness over their acoustic arrangements.

Creatively, the Smashing Pumpkins may have struck a definite vein, but it's still Corgan's project. He has ambition, and a thirst for epic sound. Here, he deviates from the '70s rock base and mines the stores of '60s acid rock, incorporating strings and mellotron to mold his expanses of dreamscape. Surprisingly it works for the most part, giving the Pumpkins a distinctive sound in a sea of early '90s grunge boxes. This trend would become even more apparent on their follow-up double album, "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness." "Siamese Dream" is the last vestige of the band's indie roots, and the sophomore effort is a fascinating transitory piece.

Mar 19, 2006 08:34:05