Review by Rachel Jablonski
“Despite all my rage I am still making minimum wage,” my friend exclaimed today when I told him I am in process of reviewing The Killer in You: A Tribute to Smashing Pumpkins. Surprisingly enough the song my friend was parodying, the popular Pumpkin’s tune “Bullet for Butterfly Wings,” was not interpreted on the album. But eleven other songs performed by eleven newer rock bands, each with slight hardcore or punk flavor, pay tribute to the 90’s sensation Smashing Pumpkins.
Tribute albums are tough. Fans want to hear their favorite tunes from the attributed band, but the artists covering these songs must overcome a lose/lose situation. If the cover strays too far from sounding like the original it will usually be criticized. But if the cover takes on its own interpretation of the song oftentimes criticism will follow as well. Winning this battle is a rare and amazing feat and fortunately at least one track on the album prevails. Simply put, Poison the Well’s cover of “Soma” is best track on the album. The cover is very easy to get lost in with its calming nature, perfect tone, and haunting guitars. The vocals are melodic, appealing, unlike Billy Corgan, and they really accentuate the song flawlessly. Atypical of Poison the Well, the song does not contain hardcore screaming, but what a wreck the piece would be if it did. It is great to hear something new from this band and their work on the tribute album is matchless.
Unlike Poison the Well, most tracks on the tribute album sound almost identical to the way the Pumpkins performed them. The Roses are Red cover of “Cherub Rock” is good, a raw sounding version of the song, but it is almost a directly mimicked approach. Many other songs on the album are as well and, as can be expected, most are just not as good as the original versions. One such song is Armor for Sleep’s version of “Today.” In addition, the vocals on Vaux’s rendition of “1979” are very Billy Corgan sounding and the tune does not take on any distinctive flavor at all. But then again other tracks like Emanuel’s “Mayonaise” with distinguishing vocals and “The Everlasting Gaze” by A Static Lullaby, a screamy attempt, are more unique.
The Killer in You: A Tribute to Smashing Pumpkins follows the same pattern most other tribute albums do. The album is bound to fail in pleasing Smashing Pumpkins fans simply because it isn't Smashing Pumpkins. Yet, the album will aid in exposing these young bands each of which deserve a thoughtful listen.