Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Nirvana - In Utero

I'm old enough for Nirvana to have had a real impact on me when they made it big, but they became verboten in my household and I didn't hear In Utero until I was an adult. That puts me in an odd place with this album. Most people loved it because they genuinely wanted it to be as good as Nevermind. Because it was the last studio album Kurt Cobain was ever a part of, people tend to like this album more than it deserves. Nobody wanted Nirvana to be heading into a slump when they ended. They were too important to the decade and to music in general. I think the masses have willed In Utero into five star status when it is unfortunately not quite that good. Some of the songs just aren't any good at all (I'm looking at you, "Scentless Apprentice"). There are some very good songs on the album but the overall impact is less than Nevermind, and I would even argue that it's less than Bleach. I'm sorry everyone, but Kurt Cobain didn't write a perfect album here. His career benefited greatly from his untimely demise. Who knows if Nirvana's 4th album would have been any good? Let's just be grateful for what we have and realistic about what it all means.

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