Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Dreaming Of Smashing Pumpkins
I am doubtless that I don't need to introduce the Smashing Pumpkins to my readership, but I've been rediscovering their seminal Siamese Dream(this is a great article) record this morning.
This album just blows me away.
What would my early teen years have been without Geek USA and Soma?
And songs like Today and Disarm and Rocket literally defined the mid-90s post-'primitive-punk' spacey alterna-rock (Rolling-Stone used to love to say that) scene, mixing the elements of those earlier punk and metal groups, (without dragging all the boring/disgusting glam/hype from the 80s along with it), with the rawness of the contemporary punk and emerging/crashing grunge scene, with the songwriting and composition of the more mellow 80s mavericks (Morrisey, anyone?), with advanced production techniques and quality some groups still struggle to achieve/copy (Thank heaven for you, Butch Vig).
The lyrical and musical themes are whimsical and heart-wrenching, sweeping from aggressive to easy, spacey to intense, operatic and orchestral to ultra-personal. And COHERENT - JESUS can nobody put a record together anymore?!
For any of you out there who've forgotten about this album, or lost it and haven't heard it in some time, I'm encouraging you to dig it out again, or buy a new copy. This is one of those records I'm sure my kids will be sick to death of when they're 14, and playing for their kids when they're 30.
This album just blows me away.
What would my early teen years have been without Geek USA and Soma?
And songs like Today and Disarm and Rocket literally defined the mid-90s post-'primitive-punk' spacey alterna-rock (Rolling-Stone used to love to say that) scene, mixing the elements of those earlier punk and metal groups, (without dragging all the boring/disgusting glam/hype from the 80s along with it), with the rawness of the contemporary punk and emerging/crashing grunge scene, with the songwriting and composition of the more mellow 80s mavericks (Morrisey, anyone?), with advanced production techniques and quality some groups still struggle to achieve/copy (Thank heaven for you, Butch Vig).
The lyrical and musical themes are whimsical and heart-wrenching, sweeping from aggressive to easy, spacey to intense, operatic and orchestral to ultra-personal. And COHERENT - JESUS can nobody put a record together anymore?!
For any of you out there who've forgotten about this album, or lost it and haven't heard it in some time, I'm encouraging you to dig it out again, or buy a new copy. This is one of those records I'm sure my kids will be sick to death of when they're 14, and playing for their kids when they're 30.
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Hey, funny you should mention this topic. I was feeling just last night that I should put a CD together of music that "brings me back" as it were. This was because "LIghtning Crashes" was playing on the radio and it gave me shivers. I know that's a weeny song compared to what you're talking about but hey, I also know you like Live...so...
I LOVE Live actually, and I LOVE that record. I didn't know you liked them however... you learn something every day!
There's a couple of tunes on that one especially that wrap my memories like a blanket - Iris, and White Discussion
Good call on that one baby!
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There's a couple of tunes on that one especially that wrap my memories like a blanket - Iris, and White Discussion
Good call on that one baby!
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