For those who don't know, at the beginning of the band's formation, they were very much a new wave Cure-ish band. Billy's said a billion times how much he loves the Cure, and the early songs show that very much, and not always for the better. The biggest concern is that Billy a) doesn't really know what his voice can do yet, and b) since he doesn't, he slips into Robert Smith emulation.
All that said, there are some gems from the period. For instance, "She."
She is based around one main riff, played on a pretty jangling guitar. Songs based on one riff have to build things around this riff, changing the background elements in an exciting way, so that when the song reaches a place where the riff changes, it's really exciting. I think She pulls that off great. It's really fun and catchy, too, a good song to tap your foot and shake your head from side to side. There's great little guitar licks being played around the main riff, and Jimmy keeps the dynamics exciting.
The lyrics leave a little something to be desired, with a pretty glaring Cure reference in the chorus (haven't we already heard a new wave song talking about the days of the week?), but the verses are simple and effective. You're not looking for something too specific and lofty and the words, you know, since after all the song is called simply "She."
It is funny to think about what would have been if the Pumpkins never went rock. If Billy had learned how to control his voice, then She could had been really lifted into awesome single status, maybe. Maybe. Next lifetime, then.
