Back catalogue: All genres

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


The Pumpkins' sophomore effort, originally released in 1993, remains a masterclass in balancing raw emotion with lush, layered production. Opening with the iconic 'Cherub Rock', the album immediately asserts its originality, blending Billy Corgan's searing guitar work with Butch Vig's pristine production. The track's dynamic shifts and explosive energy still sounds like nothing since. 'Today', with its deceptively upbeat melody and darker lyrical undertones, became a radio and MTV staple, while 'Disarm' showcased the band's range, swapping distortion for orchestral strings and highlighting Corgan's vulnerable songwriting. For longtime fans, 'Mayonnaise' often emerges as the album's hidden gemia track that marries melancholic melodies with cathartic, crashing crescendos. Throughout the album, Jimmy Chamberlin's drumming is nothing short of phenomenal, adding weight and complexity to tracks like 'Geek U.S.A.' and 'Soma'. Siamese Dream still resonates with the same potency, blending anthems of adolescent angst and shimmering beauty. A reissue that reaffirms the album's enduring legacy as a cornerstone of its genre.

Review: To mark a decade since its original release, Carrie & Lowell returns in expanded double vinyl edition through Asthmatic Kitty, curated and designed by Sufjan Stevens himself. The anniversary release addends 7 unreleased tracks, as well as a full 40-page art book, and a newly unearthed Polaroid cover revealing the album's namesake, handwritten by Sufjan's sister Djamilah. The booklet contains family photos over four generations, as well as Sufjan's own landscape photography taken throughout the American West, all reflecting themes of loss, memory, and place. The second LP compiles forty minutes of bonus material, including demos of 'Death With Dignity' and 'Eugene', atmospheric outtakes of 'Fourth of July' and 'Wallowa Lake Monster', and the original version of 'Mystery of Love', recorded during the album's sessions before its reworking for the infamous Timothee Chalamet actor-debut Call Me By Your Name.