Among the lavish and hedonistic grunge and indie rock groups of the 1990s, Chicago's Smashing Pumpins has always been a more thoughtful quartet steeped in musical baggage. Leader, guitarist and vocalist Billy Corgan had the appearance of a troubled child prodigy who produced pretentious albums, culminating in 1995 's double . In 2014, Corgan is Smashing Pumpkins on his own, surrounded by constantly
… changing band members. For example, on Monuments To An Elegy none other than ( ). What remained are Corgan's pretensions and grumpy album titles; Monuments To An Elegy is part of an unfinished trilogy called Teargarden By Kaleidyscope. But it is also a vital album that harks back to the group sound of the nineties, with powerful songs packed like epic alternative rock with loads of distorted guitars. In doing so, Corgan also knows how to use his thin and snapping singing voice better and better. (MR)more
