Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
The Smashing PumpkinsIt's funny to revisit this album outside of the strict religious context of my upbringing. Phrases like, "Jesus was an only sun" and "bastard son of a bastard son" were so scandalous and my mind could not spare the energy to try to understand or enjoy the songs for what they were because I was so pre-occupied with whether my parents would think that they had a corrupting influence on my soul and whether they were right. Corgan seems to have a fascination with the contrast between thrashy aggressive sounds and beautiful fragile ones. A great example is the transition to "And I give it all up to you" on an ode to no one. I think that this was a really important thing in that it created permission for people, particularly teenage boys, to enjoy music that was full of both rage and a yearning for beauty. It's trivial now, The Breakfast Club era stereotypes were so strong that it sometimes felt like you couldn't like loud aggressive music and quite pretty music. The Smashing Pumpkins did a lot for breaking that down. Muzzle is an example of this being blended rather than contrasted. Chef's kiss for the way the instruments come to life on "Where Boys Fear To Tread". The lyrics on Stumbeline.