Soma

Yes. Yes we all know. Its early 90's grunge, so we'll have the quiet bit then the loud bit then the noise guitar solo. It's a cliche, but this wrote the cliche and broke the mould. Compositionally, Orchestrationally I think Billy Corgan is a genius.

Soma - Siamese Dream - Smashing Pumpkins



If I ever want an adrenalin hit of the extreme sport level, I have a button which gives me a direct hit. As with ost of the stuff of this period from smashing pumpkins, we start with a nice slow spacey riff. Now to call this the quiet bit would be an understatement, This isn't where the structure lies. As with most smashing pumpkins riffs, they are an intricate blend of about 5 guitars doing very similar things. Corgan is (I believe) anally retentive about orchestration. And when it works it really works. Here it works. He treats multiple guitars as an orchestra, the good thing is that the guitars aren't perfect(i.e. they are grunge, not some not perfect, sound perfect inhumane treatment.)

After a nice spacey trippy start, we get the trademark wall of sound. But this isn't the same as Mr. Cobain suddenly jumping on a distortion pedal, this really gets us off. We get(at 3:24) the quiet before the storm. Its pure aural masturbation for me, I've been listening to this album for over 10 yrs, I know what's coming, that's why I come back for the hit. At 3:24 you float, at the top of a hill (sometimes literally in the case of iCycli-podding). Then PLUNGE - wall of sound - diving into ice cold water, whatever floats your boat. Then the rock devil comes out, a wicked smile appears on your face and your heart beat feeds on the adrenaline. Then BANG, it get s better and better, BANG, big solo. Not a normal solo, this is the sound of 20 guitars dying all at once with some kind of melody being picked out of them in the studio(Think of a late turner painting, but in a kind of multi-tracked noise guitar grunge kind of way.

Then 5:04 there is one note which just rips through everything. It is pure adrenaline, if i am free to really listen to this note, no distractions, no one talking, i can float away and time doesn't exist. I often say it is my favourite recorded note. If someone bottled adrenalin for you, you would like it too.

Maybe i just like going back to being a teenager when i first discovered this music, and its impossible to turn someone onto it who didn't at least grow up to the same music. Theres other stuff i enjoyed when I was a kid, that doesn't do it for me anymore, but soma and smashing pumpkins does it for me every time. I didn't used to consider smashing Pumpkins one of my favourite bands, i listened to them religiously, but the fan base kind of put me off. It was songs for disgruntled teenagers, a bit like the goth kids in south park.



The whole "Hate myself and want to die" bit of grunge. That wasn't what it was about, but for some reason they people who needed that outlet found it in the Smashing Pumpkins. I always found those people to be spoiled little brats who couldn't moan about not getting all the my little ponies anymore. I wasn't disgruntled at being a teenager. I was disgruntled at other teenagers, cos they didn't like Pearl Jam and Smashing Pumpkins but i loved being me. I had pearl jam and smashing pumpkins.

This said. I think that every thing after Melloncollie wwas lacklustre, and I didn't find the same power in it. I respect Billy Corgan for continuing to tray and innovate, but I don't think he really hit the button as well as he did on the first three albums.

For further iCycli-podding fun. Test your bike by listen in to Siamese dream. At 2:57 during GeekUSA, most "Non-Grunge certified" bikes will break due to adrenalin powered pedal as fast as you can part o the song.