Smashing Pumpkins – Their Influences, Overall Sound, and Songwriting


smashing pumpkins gish
This American alternative/grunge rock band from Illinois has something in them that are very unique. Smashing Pumpkins is one of those bands that when you hear a song from them, your initial reaction would be “I know that song, it is from Smashing Pumpkins. Am I right?” How would you be able to recognize their sound? How did they attain their distinct sound? This article will answer all of those questions.

The overall feel and sound of the band is orchestrated by the frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan. The main thing that makes the group sound so unique is Corgan’s voice. You will definitely recognize it in an instant. He is also the main songwriter for the band, often writing about the things that happened (and are happening) in his life. The lyrics that Corgan write are somewhat dark and gloomy most of the time, but there are hints of anger and frustration sometimes.

The guitar parts in many Smashing Pumpkins songs are usually overdubbed, meaning the guitar parts are layered in a manner that it will produce diverse sounds that make some of their songs sound sort of atmospheric and dark. The only disadvantage of this recording style is in the live performances. Because of the numerous layers of sound over a particular sound, it is very hard to replicate the song in a live band setup. Thus, they rearrange these types of songs in their concerts to avoid sounding bleak or dull.

According to an interview, Corgan implements this kind of technique to their songs because he is fond of listening to bands like Queen, Ride, Slowdive, and Electric Light Orchestra, bands that use guitars as an instrument to add layer after layer of sound to a desired part of the song.

The band has varied influences, but they all agree on some of them. Everyone in the band listens to gothic rock, new wave, and post punk artists such as The Cure, Depeche Mode, New Order, Joy Division, Bauhaus, and the like. Meanwhile, Corgan and Pumpkins guitarist James Iha (also from A Perfect Circle) stated that they are both fans of heavy metal bands like Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, and Ozzy Osbourne. Corgan’s favorite heavy metal guitarist was Dimebag Darrell Abbott of Pantera/Damageplan. Even though the genres of their music were somewhat different from each other, Corgan draws inspiration on his guitar playing and techniques. Psychedelic rock icons like Cream (Eric Clapton’s band prior to his solo career), Jimi Hendrix, and The Stooges.

The good thing about this band is they combine all of these different influences and create another genre out of it – and that method of creating music is the most efficient way of creating their own kind of music.

Notable Songs by Smashing Pumpkins:
  • Zero
  • Tonight, Tonight
  • 1979
  • Bullet With Butterfly Wings
  • Cherub Rock
  • Today
  • Landslide (Fleetwood Mac cover)
  • Try, Try, Try
  • Stand Inside Your Love
  • The Everlasting Gaze


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Anberlin: An Alternative Rock Band At Its Finest

Image
Anberlin is one of the most popular alternative rock bands of recent years. Although the band began creating music since the ‘90s under the name of SaGoh 24/7, their popularity and success began when they decided to pursue another path musically at the turn of the new millennium. This Florida-based quintet composed of Stephen Christian (vocals), Joseph Milligan (guitars), Christian McAlhaney (guitars), Nathan Young (drums), and Deon Rexroat (bass) are currently signed with Universal Republic after their stint at Tooth & Nail Records, a recording company that is known as home to many of today’s best Christian Rock bands. All in all, the band has already sold 700,000 albums since their inception. Their first album Blueprints for the Black Market served as a precursor to what would be their bestselling album to date, Never Take Friendship Personal (this album sold more than 150,000 copies). Their third album Cities was their first album to break into the Top 20 of Bill...
Read more

Radiohead: Their Music, Inspirations, and Songwriting Style

Image
Do you like listening to gloomy and eerie songs with a touch of unconventional musicianship? Look no further, Radiohead is one of the kings of innovation when it comes to musical experimentation. The band led by Thom Yorke on vocals/piano/guitars, Collin Greenwood on bass/synths, Phil Selway on drums, John Greenwood on guitars/keyboards/miscellaneous instruments, and Ed O'Brien on guitars/back vocals. The members of this band draw inspiration from some of the best musicians and bands of the past like rock legends Queen, early alternative rock/punk rock icons Joy Division, R.E.M., The Smiths, Sonic Youth, and Pixies, which proved to be very influential to the mood of their songs. They also cited music icons Miles Davis, The Beatles and The Beach Boys as some of their earlier influences. Although unusual, the band also stated that DJ Shadow was very influential to the creation of their monumental album OK Computer which was released in the 90's. In general, the music...
Read more

Third Eye Blind and Their Semi-Charmed Career

Image
If someone asks me about the things that I love about the ‘90s, my answer would probably be the emergence of alternative music that was very influential in reshaping the landscape of popular music in a positive way. Beside the grunge rock legends like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden, alternative rock bands such as Third Eye Blind , Live, and Fuel became very popular in that era and inspired millions of musicians to go out and form their own bands. This article will tackle the career of Third Eye Blind. This San Francisco-based quartet is composed of Stephan Jenkins (vocals, guitar), Brad Hargreaves (drums), Kryz Reid (guitars), and Abe Millett (bass). Reid and Millett were replacements for Tony Fredianelli (guitars) and Arion Salazar (bass) who are both original members of the band. The band had their first demo in the early ‘90s and after giving their second demo to different major recording labels, they were invited to perform in Arista Records in New York. At first...
Read more