Album Review: Smashing Pumpkins

The Smashing Pumpkins album cover of Siamese Dream. (Credit: Pinterest)

I could talk about The Smashing Pumpkins endlessly (and I do). The four band members are all individual legends and their sound together is irreplicable. 

They burst onto the scene with their first album Gish, which at the time was the highest-selling independent album ever. They followed that success with something even better: Siamese Dream in 1993. 

This album was relatively different compared to the massive number of grunge bands popping up in the ‘90s. Siamese Dream ditches that and takes a more melodic approach.

This album is all hits, but the three I want to talk about are “Mayonnaise,” “Cherub Rock” and “Luna.”

“Mayonnaise” is the song that made me love music. This song starts with a riff by guitar player James Iha, which builds until it explodes into the meat and potatoes of the track.

Billy Corgan, the lead singer, enters with his ghostly vocals and sings, “Fool enough to almost be it, cool enough to not quite see it.” 

From start to finish, everything is clean and smooth, even when all the instruments drop out for a second and we are left with just guitar feedback. This entire song feels like the clock just struck 6 p.m. on a warm summer night.

“Cherub Rock” is one of the biggest songs from The Smashing Pumpkins’ catalogue and for good reason. 

This song starts off with a marching band-like snare roll that fades into a guitar riff that demands to be hummed. Throughout this song, drummer Jimmy Chamberlain goes back and forth between the ride and the high hat in what he described as a conversation between the two cymbals.

This gives this entire song the feeling of being in a beaten-down car cruising down the highway over the speed limit. “Cherub Rock” is joy incarnate and a song that always makes me smile.

“Luna” is an experience like no other. It is a song you can put on in the background while you do a task, or one that you listen to while reflecting on every life decision you’ve ever made. 

It starts with Corgan asking, “What moon songs do you sing your baby?” 

From there, you embark on a journey that is akin to floating. This song sounds like a love letter Corgan wrote and accidentally left on his bed for people to read it.

This is the most relaxing song in any band's catalogue and is easily accessible for new fans of the band.

The Smashing Pumpkins have an elite discography, but this is the album that hit the hardest. 

Everything about this record will make you want to drop everything you're doing and drive to the nearest music store. This is the perfect album if you’re interested in getting into alternative music.