Dear melomaniac, I am feeling like a teenager all over again, it’s like I am back again in high school, with my Psycho Cowboy pants on, Panasonic walkman proudly turned out to maximum volume and listening to “The End Is the Beginning Is the End”, a song that completely made me fall in love with the Chicago based alternative rock band hilariously called “Smashing Pumpkins”.
The reason I got transported back to my teenage years was this new release, a simple, yet very “smashingy” album, that mesmerized me with a classic and true Smashing Pumpkins sound. The band is looking back at its roots and in 2024 they are delivering us a completely new album, but with a sound that we already know. The album is called “Aghori Mhori Mei” and it was just launched.
The band is not the same as it was 20 years ago, the current lineup is being formed by veteran Smashing Pumpkins members, but not all of them. We have James Iha on guitars, Jimmy Chamberlin on drums and, of course, Billy Corgan on guitars and voice. Oh boy, what a specific voice!
Billy had this extraordinary power of bewitching us all with his singing and timbre. There is nothing more “alternative” than Billy’s voice in the 90s. Billy made a strong impression on all of us back in the day, setting the pace for the new alternative rock scene of intellectual America. A few months ago, I was seeking out Billy, looking to see how his style changed over the years, if he is the same Billy I knew back in high school. And, I must say in all confidence that Billy is nearly the same, still rockin’ (alternatively), with his same looks and specific baldness. I am happy he did not put more weight on, because if that would happen he would look like a singing Uncle Fester. Here is Billy much happier than you can imagine:
Coming back to Aghori Mhori Mei, the album is great, as I said above – having a back to the roots sound aligned with the original Smashing Pumpkins’ mood and to the sound of the 90s alternative scene. The album is alternative rock, but also has strong flavors of progressive rock and heavy metal.
So, if you also have a 90s teenager trapped inside of you, that will activate itself by listening to Smashing Pumpkins and Billy Corgan’s voice, lets rejoice together and have a listen:
