No one ever knows about Pisces Iscariot, a collection of Smashing Pumpkins b-sides and covers that was released in between Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. It's too bad, because this is an incredibly strong collection of songs. To be fair, I am a pretty big Smashing Pumpkins fan, but this album is so varied and wonderful that everyone will gain from listening to it. The tracks were all selected from material recorded during the Siamese Dream sessions and earlier, so they have a somewhat cohesive Pumpkins sound, but at the same time Pisces Iscariot is not a true album in the way Siamese Dream is - songs stick out, some transitions don't really work, and so forth. However, because of the flexibility afforded by the compilation-style format, the soft, introspective Pumpkins get a lot more airtime on this album than they do on any other Smashing Pumpkins disc, and in general Pisces Iscariot has a more varied feel than any album by this band other than the double-length Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. Let's take a quick jaunt through the tracklisting, shall we? As I said already, every single track on this album is very, very listenable. Just keep that in mind as we go forward.
Track 1 is an acoustic track entitled "Soothe." This song is just Billy Corgan and an acoustic guitar, and it is really barely there. It is only 2 minutes and 30 seconds long and most of it just feels incredibly delicate. Track 2, "Frail and Bedazzled," is the exact opposite of soft and delicate, as it kicks in with a phaser and just doesn't quit. This was my favorite song on the album for quite a while, though it isn't anymore. Still, this song is the epitome of the Smashing Pumpkins and has a striking resemblance to "Untitled," the Smashing Pumpkins song released on the eve of their second to last concert. Onward to "Plume," which is a bit more laid back than track 2 but still is quite angsty. The phrase "I don't care" appears in this song about a billion times, for example. Track 4, "Whir," has to be the prettiest song on this album. The guitar is acoustic yet again, and the lyrics and singing are as introspective as ever. This song is happy and sad all at once, and it has a real nostalgic feel to it that I can't describe in words. "Blew Away" follows, with a meandering bluesy riff that is just very cool and not very Pumpkins-esque. I have a feeling James Iha, the Pumpkins guitarist, was the primary force behind this song.
The album kicks it up a huge notch with track 6, "Pissant." In front of the grungiest of grungey guitars, Billy Corgan screams:
Track 9 is a brilliant, brilliant cover of "Landslide." Yes, Fleetwood Mac. Trust me, it's still brilliant, no matter what you think about that crazy drummer with the ponytail and the South Park with the goat Stevie Nicks. Track 10 is one of those Pumpkins 10+ minute epics, "Starla." This is currently my favorite song on Pisces Iscariot. It builds wonderfully, with a slight drop to acoustic midway, only to have the sonic cloud built up again for the listener to get lost for five minutes. It is, in a word, excellent.
The last four tracks of this album surprisingly do not drop off that much. "Blue" is a cool rock song that is very, very Pumpkins-esque except it seems slightly slow. I think this is only a good thing. Track 12 is a cover of the Animals' song "Girl Named Sandoz" - it's grunged out and very cool with a touch of psychedelia. I've never heard the original so I can't really say how much the Pumpkins bring to the table on their own, but I can't imagine the Animals made this song this trippy. Track 13 is entitled "La Dolly Vita," and it is another acoustic track that has this sense of nostalgia that I can't quite put my finger on. There's also a little Eastern kick in there, if you pay attention. Finally, the album ends with "Spaced," which is the most appropriately titled song ever. It's nice and spaced out and ends the album on a calming note.
I went on a lot longer than I expected to when I decided to review this album, but I really couldn't stop. It's just so freakin' excellent. Give it a listen and relearn everything you thought you knew about the Smashing Pumpkins.
Track 1 is an acoustic track entitled "Soothe." This song is just Billy Corgan and an acoustic guitar, and it is really barely there. It is only 2 minutes and 30 seconds long and most of it just feels incredibly delicate. Track 2, "Frail and Bedazzled," is the exact opposite of soft and delicate, as it kicks in with a phaser and just doesn't quit. This was my favorite song on the album for quite a while, though it isn't anymore. Still, this song is the epitome of the Smashing Pumpkins and has a striking resemblance to "Untitled," the Smashing Pumpkins song released on the eve of their second to last concert. Onward to "Plume," which is a bit more laid back than track 2 but still is quite angsty. The phrase "I don't care" appears in this song about a billion times, for example. Track 4, "Whir," has to be the prettiest song on this album. The guitar is acoustic yet again, and the lyrics and singing are as introspective as ever. This song is happy and sad all at once, and it has a real nostalgic feel to it that I can't describe in words. "Blew Away" follows, with a meandering bluesy riff that is just very cool and not very Pumpkins-esque. I have a feeling James Iha, the Pumpkins guitarist, was the primary force behind this song.
The album kicks it up a huge notch with track 6, "Pissant." In front of the grungiest of grungey guitars, Billy Corgan screams:
Got me a raygunWhat a great way to start a song. Like track 1, it's only two and a half minutes long, but this song marks the beginning of the harder portion of Pisces Iscariot. "Hello Kitty Kat" is another excellent rocker with a real strong Gish feel to it, I think. I really like this song a lot. "Obscured" is another solid acoustic track, and I think it's darker than most of the songs on this album. The best songs on the album are lurking just beyond track 8, however.
Got me an altitude
Can't help feelin' something's wrong
With everyone of you
Track 9 is a brilliant, brilliant cover of "Landslide." Yes, Fleetwood Mac. Trust me, it's still brilliant, no matter what you think about that crazy drummer with the ponytail and the South Park with the goat Stevie Nicks. Track 10 is one of those Pumpkins 10+ minute epics, "Starla." This is currently my favorite song on Pisces Iscariot. It builds wonderfully, with a slight drop to acoustic midway, only to have the sonic cloud built up again for the listener to get lost for five minutes. It is, in a word, excellent.
The last four tracks of this album surprisingly do not drop off that much. "Blue" is a cool rock song that is very, very Pumpkins-esque except it seems slightly slow. I think this is only a good thing. Track 12 is a cover of the Animals' song "Girl Named Sandoz" - it's grunged out and very cool with a touch of psychedelia. I've never heard the original so I can't really say how much the Pumpkins bring to the table on their own, but I can't imagine the Animals made this song this trippy. Track 13 is entitled "La Dolly Vita," and it is another acoustic track that has this sense of nostalgia that I can't quite put my finger on. There's also a little Eastern kick in there, if you pay attention. Finally, the album ends with "Spaced," which is the most appropriately titled song ever. It's nice and spaced out and ends the album on a calming note.
I went on a lot longer than I expected to when I decided to review this album, but I really couldn't stop. It's just so freakin' excellent. Give it a listen and relearn everything you thought you knew about the Smashing Pumpkins.