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User
Reviews 23
Approval 100%
Soundoffs 8
Album Ratings 2592
Objectivity 77%
Last Active 11-02-22 10:01 pm
Joined 04-12-20
Review Comments 1,528
| The Aeroplane Flies High: The Album
In an alternate reality, Smashing Pumpkins could've followed up Mellon Collie with a really strong single album culled from the stray songs that ended up on the Aeroplane Flies High boxset. The songs could've been released as-is on a Pisces Iscariot rarities and b-sides type album, or they could've polished a few of these up and released it as the fourth full-length. I wanted to create a specific flow, based on what I thought were the strongest songs in the set - the first half is prominently heavier, but then it goes into a more dream-pop territory. After meditating on this for a while I think I've gotten pretty close to my ideal single-LP tracklist. | | 1 |  | The Smashing Pumpkins
The Aeroplane Flies High
1. Pennies
Starting this record was the hardest part for me. SP openers are usually pretty... deliberate, i guess? Think Cherub Rock, MC's title track, The Everlasting Gaze. So I figured doing something really low-key and, by Corgan's admission, quickly written and slapped together would be an interesting buck to that trend. Pennies is an unassuming and awesome, and has hints of both the rock-focused first half and the dream-pop of the second. | | 2 | | The Smashing Pumpkins
The Aeroplane Flies High
2. God
Anthemic rock song that builds the energy. Not an amazing song really but it's energetic and fun-heavy in a Bullet kind of way. | | 3 | | The Smashing Pumpkins
The Aeroplane Flies High
3. Mouths of Babes
Idk if it's just being conditioned after listening to the Zero EP for years and years, but this feels like very natural follow-up to God - a bit sludgier and darker though. Riff is awesome. | | 4 | | The Smashing Pumpkins
The Aeroplane Flies High
4. Medellia of the Grey Skies
A come-down after a trio of rocking songs. Medellia is gorgeously arranged, with spectral guitar strums and distant piano. The lone representative from the Tonight Tonight EP. A few other songs are quite nice but feel underwritten, or overly angsty (Rotten Apples and Blank especially). | | 5 | | The Smashing Pumpkins
The Aeroplane Flies High
5. Transformer
Fun rock song. Some really cool flourishes in the lead guitar. Briefly brings the energy up before... | | 6 | | The Smashing Pumpkins
The Aeroplane Flies High
6. The Aeroplane Flies High
SP albums usually have the longer tracks towards the end, but I feel like this really compliments the riff in Transformer pretty well and brings the "rock" side to a suitably heavy, dark close. | | 7 | | The Smashing Pumpkins
The Aeroplane Flies High
7. Cherry
Now the album starts to go into a more low-key, low-stakes mode. Keeps the glum mood from the title track going but introduces more wistful elements with the keyboards in the chorus, etc. | | 8 | | The Smashing Pumpkins
The Aeroplane Flies High
8. The Boy
Let's get some James on here too. This is probably his best song, aside from Go, an extremely catchy and energetic, yet charmingly brittle college-rock song. | | 9 | | The Smashing Pumpkins
The Aeroplane Flies High
9. Set the Ray to Jerry
Starts to close things out with an increasingly nocturnal vibe, similar to MCIS. Such a great song, really demonstrates the magic that 90s SP could tap into. Nothing particularly complex or technical, but it just feels complete - in the bass tone, in Jimmy's casually awesome drumming. | | 10 | | The Smashing Pumpkins
The Aeroplane Flies High
10. The Last Song
I feel like it is too on-the-nose, even for Corgan, to end an album with The Last Song. That said, sonically, I think it fits near the end. A kinda-sorta power ballad, but more restrained and tasteful than something like Disarm. Starts to feel kind of cathartic towards the end. Could easily close the album out. | | 11 | | The Smashing Pumpkins
The Aeroplane Flies High
11. Dreaming
But let's do another first for a Pumpkins record and end with a cover - this wonderful, D'arcy-led take on the Blondie song. In addition to actually really working as a final track sonically, I think it's a neat throwback to Daydream on Gish. I don't think Corgan would ever put someone else's songs on his main records, but this is all hypothetical. I think it really works. | |
ArsMoriendi
10.27.20 | just making sure Set the Ray to Jerry and The Aeroplane Flies High made it, good job
| hel9000
10.28.20 | Love those two in particular yeah | Rowan5215
10.28.20 | nice list but I'm mad at no Rotten Apples which is one of my favourites from the whole comp. The Bells is also a really nice Iha tune
I've never done this but def have cannibalised Aeroplane for my faves and put them on Mellon Collie in place of the weaker stuff | TheCharmingMan
10.28.20 | Dreaming is so sick. Perfect closer | hel9000
10.28.20 | Had Rotten Apples on here at one point but couldn’t really make it flow. It’s nice instrumentally but not a favourite of mine particularly. And yeah I listened to this again last night and am really happy with Dreaming as the closer |
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