lambchops's Full Review: In Utero [PA] by Nirvana (USA)
Before stumbling into the Seattle rock scene in the early and mid-1990’s, I was an unabashed fan of hair metal. Of course, this was a major leap of faith but in the warm (not to mention dour) embrace of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Screaming Trees and even non-Seattle native Stone Temple Pilots I knew I was in good hands. In retrospect, I feel fortunate to have been old enough at the time to appreciate what was happening in music. And even today, I can on the whole look back at my experience be proud that I jumped on the bandwagon.
And I remember the day Kurt Cobain died, and with it the entire “grunge” movement.
But good things are not meant to last. His suicide represented a great loss for the music community, but it was not tragic. He and his band Nirvana had proven themselves (despite claims that they “sold out”) and they left behind a discography that would go down in history as not just entertaining but representative of the era and the subgenre. Nirvana is one of but a few true quintessential rock band of the early 1990’s.
The mere utterance of the album titles brings me back to high school. Bleach, Nevermind, Incesticide, In Utero and the most excellent Unplugged In New York. Each offering yielded a classic track. Unforgettable are the songs About A Girl, Smells Like Teen Spirit, In Bloom, Come as You Are, Lithium, Polly, Something in the Way, On a Plain, Heart Shaped Box, Pennyroyal Tea, and All Apologies. But the list goes on and on. Every fan can create a list of favorites from memory. Whether or not Nirvana will ever be known among the biggest rock giants is up for question, but that doesn’t diminish their impact.
Nirvana are generally tough and abrasive on the surface. This is what initially drew me to the band. But Cobain, Krist Novoselic, and Dave Grohl also injected a great deal of pain, irony, and in the end vulnerability into their work. Cobain was in many ways a modern day poet. The only difference being that words instead of printed on paper were set to guitar and drum. This poetic nature what kept me coming back to Nirvana for repeated doses.
While I first attached myself to the band around the time of the release of Nevermind (1991), it was with the release of In Utero (1993) that I was sent to record stores to seek out the band’s back catalogue. This is in some ways ironic considering that in fact In Utero is one of the weaker works from Nirvana. By the time the album was released, the band had become alternative pinup boys for dejected girls around the world. I perceived myself to be among this crowd, though in retrospect it wasn’t my natural place in the world.
Anyway, In Utero was the band’s official swan song. The release of Unplugged In New York arrived posthumously. There are tracks that many casual fans will even know: Heart Shaped Box, Pennyroyal Tea, and All Apologies. But there is more to this album (and the band) than just a few hit singles. The fact that they could put together a usually coherent album worked to their advantage in the long run.
Heart Shaped Box is without question the album’s trademark single. Upon release it propagated across radio and MTV. The haunting, surrealistic video left a lasting imprint on any person who viewed it. Now with that said, it is by no means the best song of In Utero. Uncharacteristically stark, the song begins with thick bass and then Cobain’s words and voice. The chorus picks up as far as fervor and noise are concerned, but it doesn’t feel nearly as anxious as the best work from Nirvana. But with that said, the first verse has always struck me as particularly poignant:
She eyes me like a Pisces when I am weak
I've been locked inside your heart-shaped box for weeks
I've been drawn into your magnet tar pit trap
I wish I could eat your cancer when you turn back.
As disappointed I have always been with Heart Shaped Box, the slate is wiped clean with both Pennyroyal Tea and All Apologies. Pennyroyal Tea is evidence that Cobain sounds great in any setting. Later interpreted acoustically, this track is here backed completely plugged in and even with the jagged guitars and drums the song still comes across as pained, confused, and naked. Cobain put his thoughts into word with seamless ease. All Apologies hits me in much the same way. The melody is one of (if not the) most recognizable and classic of all songs ever written and performed by the band. And in the years since the disintegration of the band following Cobain’s suicide the song feels much like a testimonial. His heart pinned on his sleeve, Cobain sang candidly about his disassociation with life:
I wish I was like you
Easily amused
Find my nest of salt
Everything is my fault
I'll take all the blame
Aqua seafoam shame
Sunburn with freezerburn
Choking on the ashes of her enemy
But as mentioned, there really is more to In Utero than three songs. Consider Rape Me, Serve The Servants, Milk It, and Tourette’s as evidence. Rape Me also demonstrates Cobain’s ire for the entire star-making process. The song itself is deceptively gorgeous, but peeling back the layers is the story of Cobain and his loss of identity and self. Serve The Servants opens the album with a lovely guitar line that should easily rope in most listeners. It is actually more characteristic of other Nirvana work in noise and awkwardness. Milk It is also rather ‘indie’ sounding with noise and a restrained—followed by feverish—delivery. Finally, Tourette’s represents the most challenging listen of In Utero. The pace and yelping noise is actually akin to speed metal mixed with a bit of punk. It may not be for everybody, but it does however prove that the band had the ability to morph into different skins.
In mentioning just seven of the twelve tracks, I don’t mean to discount the other five. But those left unmentioned as of yet lack the appeal and proof of timelessness that is required of all great albums. And it is for this reason that I cannot award In Utero five stars. Consider Scentless Apprentice, Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle, Dumb, Very Ape, and Radio Friendly Unit Shifter are all fine enough…but in all honesty Nirvana used similar song structure more successfully elsewhere on this album and on other albums. But with that said, none of the tracks is a complete waste—they are indeed more worthy than mere filler. In particular, the words of Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle are simply stellar and in the end prophetic. Cobain seems to have understood that the Seattle music scene was on the way out. That ironically the popularization of “grunge” killed the popularity of the subgenre.
In Utero is a wonderful, though not complete, experience. Nirvana was unquestionably talented. Cobain had a way with words that was unequalled among contemporaries. Certainly there are better albums from the band, but In Utero is still a worthy purchase for all fans of all familiarities. Still, I find myself returning time and time again to another album from Nirvana--Unplugged In New York is perfect. In Utero is not.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Track Listing:
1. Serve the Servants
2. Scentless Apprentice
3. Heart Shaped Box
4. Rape Me
5. Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle
6. Dumb
7. Very Ape
8. Milk It
9. Pennyroyal Tea
10. Radio Friendly Unit Shifter
11. Tourette's
12. All Apologies
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