Monuments to an Elegy
by The Smashing Pumpkins
Metascore
70

Generally favorable reviews - based on 31 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 31
  3. Negative: 1 out of 31
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  1. NOW Magazine
    Jan 5, 2015
    60
    While some songs veer too far into slick pop territory, most are balanced.
  2. Rolling Stone
    Dec 18, 2014
    60
    The latest installment in his band's multi-album cycle Teargarden by Kaleidyscope--is a surprise.
  3. Mojo
    Dec 17, 2014
    60
    It's hard to shake the sense that these songs ape Corgan's past but too often lack the spark of inspiration that fuelled his previous masterpieces. [Jan 2015, p.100]
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  5. Spin
    Dec 10, 2014
    60
    It's an LP that makes virtually no sense in the Pumpkins' chronology, but is a satisfying enough half-hour of Alternative Nation-era would-be-smashes.
  6. Billboard.com
    Dec 9, 2014
    60
    The overall sound might be slighter and less sprawling, but it's also more sharply focused.
  7. Drowned In Sound
    Dec 9, 2014
    60
    This sunny half hour lacks an overarching aesthetic or a big, ten-minute cathartic blowout.
  8. Q Magazine
    Dec 8, 2014
    60
    Monuments is an enjoyably straightforward rock album. [Jan 2015, p.128]
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  9. Pitchfork
    Dec 8, 2014
    60
    It’s the easiness of Monuments that truly make it an outlier--whether Corgan constructed a masterpiece or just sounded labored, it was obvious that a ton of effort went into Smashing Pumpkins
  10. The Observer (UK)
    Dec 8, 2014
    60
    This trim nine-song set is packed with tuneful love songs that never outstay their welcome--knick-knacks to a haiku, maybe, more than monuments to an elegy, and all the better for it.
  11. The Guardian
    Dec 4, 2014
    60
    If the songs don’t all match the Pumpkins’ early glories, Corgan is still carrying what he once called “the infinite sadness”, investing uplifting sounds with an undercurrent of melancholy.
  12. Clash Music
    Dec 15, 2014
    50
    It’s the ninth studio album to bear the Pumpkins brand, and probably the seventh that wouldn’t find a single track making most fans’ side-of-a-C90 best-of. But it delivers what it promises: songs by Billy Corgan that sound enough like the ones you recall loving as a teenager.

Awards & Rankings

82
#82 Most Discussed Album of 2014

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User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 77 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 56 out of 77
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 77
  3. Negative: 5 out of 77
  1. DYMOB3
    Dec 9, 2014
    8
    It seems that a lot of the negative reviews for this album are more about how this isn't Siamese Dream Part 2. If you listen to this album forIt seems that a lot of the negative reviews for this album are more about how this isn't Siamese Dream Part 2. If you listen to this album for what it is, without any preconceived notions, I think you'll enjoy it. If you go in expecting Siamese Dream Part 2, you're not going to like it as much. Billy's not at that stage of his life anymore, and what you hear on this album is a much more mature Billy, and as such, a much more mature Smashing Pumpkins album. I would've preferred some longer songs on here, but for what it is, it's very good.… Full Review »
  2. Bootlegrider
    Jan 12, 2015
    9
    Monuments To An Elegy feels like a return to form, and personally I’d argue that it is. Why it feels like that is because of the way it makesMonuments To An Elegy feels like a return to form, and personally I’d argue that it is. Why it feels like that is because of the way it makes me feel listening to it. Billy Corgan never really went anywhere, his band just became less and less popular. There are a lot of contributing factors to that occurance, but the biggest reason is that Billy stopped writing ‘holy crap’ songs... and he’s spent too much of the last twelve years berrating everyone for noticing.

    The layers of distorted guitar never disappeared, and Billy never stopped singing like Billy, at various times Chamberlin was present to throw it down behind the skins in that way that only he can... and yet no one jumped up and down for ZWAN, ZEITGEIST, or OCEANIA. It begs the question. WTF? Well, what happened is the man who wrote ‘Today’, ‘1979’ and ‘Zero’ forgot how to write a hook. Actually not really, ‘Doomsday Clock’ rocks as hard as, ‘Bullet With Butterfly Wings’, and there are plenty of hooks floating throughout the last decade of Pumpkins music, but they probably arent quite as poignant or polished... I guess what I’m trying to say is, who really knows why some tunes hit ya and some tunes don’t... If anyone knew the answer to that bands would never fade away, but they do, ‘cause no one does...

    You know, the ‘Holy Crap’ songs...Ya just replay ‘em over and over... And dont kid yourself, Billy has as many of those in his catalog as just about anyone else. But it’s been a while since he had me lunging to hit repeat on for a tune of his, much less a whole disc... But I did in fact lunge to restart Monuments To An Elegy the minute it ended after the first spin...

    Why? Because it’s eight of the ‘holy crap’iest songs I’ve heard in a long time, and one tune that is obviously an attempt to pull in 14 year old girls. He’s not the first guy who’s been around awhile to attempt that trick, and considering how killer the rest of the tunes are, I’m not gonna begrudge him that effort.

    Why do we just dig certain tunes and not others? I have no idea, but we do, and make no mistake about it, that is what I do, I dig the hell out of this disc... Songs can make us think, songs can make us feel, sometimes both... but of the two results, I prefer the later... Don’t get me wrong, I’m down with contemplation, and sometimes all I wanna hear is some challenging stuff... But most of the time, I just wanna feel something when I’m hearing a song. Maybe good, maybe bad, but I need to feel something... if I don’t, it probably doesn’t make the long-term playlist... Frankly, I don’t know that Billy is the best writer from a ‘Tell you a story’ perspective... But from the ‘give you a feeling’ perspective, he’s as good at it as anyone... and on this disc, he gives ya that feeling...over and over again...

    I dont know what it is that causes us to suddenly just bust out with a stage move that would be the most embarrasing thing we’ve ever done were anyone to witness it, but some songs do. On this record record that urge happens about every four minutes... Basically on every one of the rockers... and on the tunes that don’t cause ya to suddenly bust out your best full body head thrash, you simply think, ‘Cool...That’s cool’, like ya do listening to ‘Today’, or ‘1979’... And in short that’s a pretty good way to summarize it. It’s all ‘Zero’ and ‘1979’, you’re either thrashing or nodding your head for 29 of the 33 minutes of this record, like I said, ‘Run2me’ wasn’t intended for me, and while it doesn’t do much for me, it’s not the worst attempt someone’s made at a song called ‘Run2me’, and if it buys him the freedom to do the rest of the record the way he has then I’m just fine with him including it, but it ain’t goin on my phone...

    Seems Mr. Corgan had to come to grips with what people like about his music, and why they wanna hear what they like about his music. He’s probably a genius, but if anything he’s a very accomplished musician and writer, who gets bored playing the same songs every night. No one can force him to dance with who brought him, but he doesnt really have a right to be upset if people dont gaze intently while he’s delving into yet another 9 minute song with no noticable hook. Springsteen still plays Boorn to Run every night, and the last two times I’ve seen him he did Dancing in the Dark... Think Bruce is proudest of that tune than most of his others?... Oh hell no...But that’s the gig. You don’t fill arenas with Guitar Nerds... and you can’t fill ‘em with hipsters anxious to unravel the complex inuendo in a droning piece of experimental sonic masturbation... Apparently Billy now fully understands that and, unlike say Prince (who forgot that no one gave a **** about his funk, we love ya for your pop rock, sorry) , Corgan still has the skill and inspiration to go ahead and write more of the ‘Holy Crap’ songs that make us feel, if not neccesarily contemplate... and for my money, thats the best music can do.    … Full Review »
  3. jyo_tirmaya
    Dec 16, 2014
    10
    I saw Billy Corgan - Smashing Pumpkins - on Kimmel and the audience just stared as if they were viewing/awestruck by Billy's appearance moreI saw Billy Corgan - Smashing Pumpkins - on Kimmel and the audience just stared as if they were viewing/awestruck by Billy's appearance more than the music. Anyway, this album is surprisingly good and has all the grandeur that we loved from SP during the 90s. At thiry minutes, it's not a long strung out album, but I think more artists should edit their albums because some of them leave songs on good albums that would best be left out because it drags the album down. May Smashing Pumpkins long rave on!!!!… Full Review »
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