Album Review: "Pisces Iscariot" by Alternative Rock Band The Smashing Pumpkins

Pisces Iscariot is the 1994 album by alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins and it is actually a compilation kind of album and it has songs which are called B-sides. After their great album called Siamese Dream, how well could this band do? They did pretty darn well if that’s what you want to know. This time, instead of analyzing an album from the start until the end, let us use a different approach.

We will start with song called "Blue" which is a love song about a lover that acts very strange. However, they have been absent for so long that their lover has been waiting to see them, especially for their smile. "La Dolly Vita" is another love song that talks about a person that gives the best praise to his girlfriend or lover. He describes this love as “cool as ice cream.” Some women are so valuable for us men that being with them gives us much wisdom.

The first highlight song of this album is the one called "Soothe." According to Billy Corgan, the song was written and dedicated to the children of this world. The world’s children are a precious asset and they deserve the best life so that they can make a real difference in their communities. There are so many children around the world that go to bed feeling hungry that it is heartbreaking. Billy Corgan brings attention to this problem indirectly and we are glad that he does so. Frail and "Bedazzled" is a very high energy kind of alternative rock song. Corgan wrote the song "Soothe" in his apartment in Chicago at the time.

Plume is a rock song about someone that has had a boring, uninspiring day and he just wants to some fun to make up for the lost day. Whir is a song with a very atmospheric song that addresses the effects of wasted days and years. It is not a good idea to chase your fears but to get rid of them. The song talks about being scared to take risks especially when it comes to love and marriage. That’s a big decision in life that should not be taken lightly.

The album continues to address the topic of love in the song called Blew Away. James Iha does the lead vocals in this song. If you really love someone, just know that they will be there for you as well. If you are sad, just know that the one you love will comfort you. The song Obscured is an attempt by the band to include as much soft and atmospheric parts as possible. This is a good change from Siamese Dream because including all heavy rock songs would make the band boring and stale. Some fans would be driven away due to the lack of interest. I think Obscured even sounds like a song written by Lindsey Buckingham because of the acoustic guitars. The band does a very good cover performance of the Fleetwood Mac song called Landslide! Starla is another love song and this one is about Starla, a woman that this man loves so much. He wants her to take him home with her so that he can be with her. He is alone and he wants a companion. He feels that if he has Starla in his life, this represents freedom from his lonely and tortured state. The two of them can fly like birds into the state of bliss and live happily ever after. For an album with B-sides and outtakes, Pisces Iscariot is a very good album with many quality songs but it still is not as good as Siamese Dream.