The album that almost everyone has heard or at least heard Teen Spirit. A monumental album bringing rock back to its origins. Supposedly the creator of "grunge" music (which i strongly disagree with) and the anthem for lost teenagers around the world. Everyone knows the some of the titles given to this album but do they know about the music and thoughts brought on to create this record. Well no one can really say for sure but you can always guess
1. Smells Like Teen Spirit- 5/5- One of their best songs. The song that launched their endless stardom and thriving career. Some would say it is their best but I’m not going that far. The intro launches into heavy power cords just to bring u back down during the verse and right back into the heavy chorus. A great one and the one almost everyone has heard.
2. In Bloom- 4.5/5- Very similar to Teen Spirit. It has the same layout with the strong intro into the laid back verse then back to the heavy chorus. The drums are what make this song. Another one of my favorites. A nice distorted solo to top it off.
3. Come As You Are- 5/5- Amazing song. I love this song and am my second favorite on the album. The bass line is simple yet driving, the drums drive it further and the anguished vocals add to it. One of the least powerful and loud songs on the record yet just great. My favorite line is “And I swear I don’t have a gun…,” quite ironic. But I don’t think that’s what it meant but o well
4. Breed- 4/5- Good song but its gets old quick. The chorus is really good and very catchy. The guitar is very distorted, very reminiscent of Bleach.
5. Lithium- 5/5- I love the guitar line and the monotone verse driving into the hard chorus of just plainly “YEAAAAAAA…” Kurt’s mellowed out lyrics just straight up rock. Just a great song and by far some of his best lyrical work but one of his best is the next song.
6. Polly- 4.5/5- Not one of my favorites but a very good song. One of Kurt’s best lyrical performances. It’s about the brutal rape and torture (with a blowtorch) of a young girl that Kurt read in the paper. He writes it in from the attackers view point. I find it repetitious but the acoustic line is nice and the lyrics blow me away.
7. Territorial Pissings- 3.5/5- The low score is only because it’s a horrible song musically but I love it anyway. The extremely distorted guitar is awesome and Kurt just randomly singing about nothing is awesome. All topped of with Kurt screaming the chorus until his voice cracks and he’s just yelling. Awesome song but only if you really like Nirvana.
8. Drain You- 5/5- My favorite song on the album. Just a great song all it is a power chords but it just sounds soooo good. The songs about his girlfriend who was draining him. I love the distorted bridge with the random noises (rubber ducky squeak, and paint spray sounds), and how it kicks back in with the guitar line. Very similar layout to Lithium, with the verse chorus verse bridge but the repeating the first verse. I love this song one of my favorite Nirvana songs.
9. Lounge Act- 4/5- I love the bass intro, pretty tough to learn. This song doesn’t really sound like Nirvana that much until he starts screaming. It’s a good song though, I like it.
10. Stay Away- 3.5/5- Good song yet again but just gets old really quick.
11. On A Plain- 4.5/5- I really like this song. One of only three songs from this album the played on Unplugged. I find the lyrics are revealing into Kurt’s like which is one thing he tended to hide in many of his songs. Not a song most people have heard of but I like it a lot.
12. Something In The Way- 5/5- The guitar line is in drop D and it fits perfectly with Kurt’s mellowed out depressive lyrics. The lyrics are about Kurt supposedly living under a bridge in his hometown when his mom kicked him out the house because she caught him about to have sex with a girl. But this like many other stories that Kurt made up is false. Kurt did get kicked out and lived in a lot of places including a hospital and several friends’ houses but he never lived under the bridge. The only times Kurt every encountered the bridge was when before he go kicked he used to go smoke pot there with other kids. Other than that, the song is great and the drums don’t even come in until the chorus. Just a great mellow song and a song although a lie shows a lot about Kurt. One of the songs that the band hadn’t played before they went to record the album.
Overall, the CD is great and definitely one to add to anyone’s collection. Many people dislike the album stating that it’s to mainstream which I find quite interesting seeing that no alternative band had even broken the charts yet. This album was what changed the music at that time and the only reason it sounds mainstream to some people is because so many people have tried to rip off their style. Ill will not say this is their best album because I think that In Utero is just as good but very different. I would suggest anyone to pick this album up before In Utero or Bleach because it has the singles and it doesn’t take long to get into.
- Tom Pusateri
