CLASSIC ALBUM: Nirvana – In Utero

I guess it could be said that in the grand scheme of things, Nirvana’s 1993 studio swansong In Utero doesn’t quite get talked about enough. Often shoved to one side in favour of 1991’s seminal Nevermind, and in more recent years, the MTV Unplugged Performance. Which is a shame really, as despite the album not being presented in quite the manner Kurt Cobain would’ve wished for, In Utero perhaps presents the best example of the late songwriter’s visceral vision of pop/rock music, and finds the band at their most accomplished – both musically and lyrically.

Both sides of Cobain’s songwriting are on show, fairly equally across In Utero’s 12 tracks. With Dumb, All Apologies and Pennyroyal Tea we get sublime examples of his plaintive, idiosyncratic and introspective songcraft, while tracks such as Radio Friendly Unit Shifter, Scentless Apprentice, Milk It, Very Ape and Tourette’s display the band’s love punk rock, and Cobain’s growing interest in more varied song forms. Not to mention Heart Shaped Box (one of the band’s greatest singles), as well as Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle and Serve The Servants which rank amongst the best noise-pop songs they ever recorded.