1001 Albums Summary

One of the foundational albums of my life. First heard "Disarm", "Today" and "Mayonaise" at a summer camp when I was 14 - played on a guitar by a slightly older boy, which added some charm. I downloaded the album immediately after coming back home, and added it to my MP3. I love the build-up on "Cherub Rock", I think it's a great opener. Smashing Pumpkins are a band that, I think, captures adolescence and "teenagery" very well, by being unashamedly emotional and urgent. This is evident in tracks like "1979" or "Tonight, Tonight", but "Cherub Rock" is also one of those songs. There's nothing ironic or distanced, but instead, pure feeling, angst. The fact that "Quiet" is one of the louder songs on the album is, of course, on the nose, but still nice.