The Smashing Pumpkins
Siamese Dream

THE REVIEW

Nobody should mind if I humbly try to express my opinion on one of the most well-known works of the '90s, given the numerous (positive!) reviews received by the product of the Chicago quartet, but it's an album that deeply impacted me. I take it as an obligation towards the "Pumpkins"!

To start with, it is an extremely romantic collection of songs, tied to the period in which they were composed: a godsend for nostalgics like me! Joking aside, here we face one of the most heartfelt and visceral works ever produced, and this undoubtedly comes before the musical part. Anyone with at least two decades under their belt will know (at least vaguely) what is meant by Generation X, so I won't waste my review describing a cultural phenomenon that could fill entire pages; I'll just say that "Siamese Dream" could very well represent a legacy of that grieved generation, angry and damn romantic, the last one that powerfully used the universal language of music, the last one that had something to say about it.

Some things about the musical part of the album should indeed be said, so let's skip the vintage introductions and start with "Cherub Rock", aggressive, distorted yet so melodic, a clear example of the approach to music by the leader Billy Corgan, an approach akin to a romantic relationship, thus desperate, needy, sweet, and often angry: one of the great warhorses of the not-so-extensive discography of the Pumpkins. "Quiet" continues the theme of anger as the only way out of suffering, until the unmistakable attack of "Today", a piece composed in the shoes of a man determined to make the ultimate gesture, unable to fight a hostile world that seems unworthy of accepting his desire for purity, leaving the listener with his impressions on the last day he will spend in his suffering body. "Hummer" and "Rocket" are distorted ballads, yet able to whisper sweetly into the ear of the listener capable of opening up with their heart in hand. "Disarm" is a chart-topping track, massively overused by MTV, for this writer the weakest piece. Track number 7, on the other hand, is a gem, the most desperate and angry declaration of love ever made by the tormented Corgan, delicate in the first moments, scratching at its climax, and finally sweet, moving, almost a whisper of love and pain in the perfect fading end. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was labeled as a generational anthem for the "baby busters"; "Soma" deserves just as much honor. "Geek USA" live, in late 1993, was captivating, as was "Mayonaise", captivating but on an emotional level, another wounded ballad from the generational Billy. The acoustic side of the Pumpkins can be found in "Spaceboy", a melancholic affectionate tribute to the band leader's younger brother, while the tribal "Silverfuck" adds more energy to an undoubtedly tonic work. "Sweet Sweet" is best enjoyed on a lawn in May, perhaps with an important girl/boy, up to the closing track, "Luna" perfectly fitting, highlighting the message of sweetness present across the album.

A generational album, "Siamese Dream" best embodies the mood of the angry and in-love youth of the decade, and offers the listener not answers, but rather an angry plea for meaning that even today, though in a less agonizing way, keeps young people distant from what surrounds them.