If Nevermind was praised for its pop sensibilities and making grunge accessible to the masses, In Utero should be praised for attempting to go right against that precedent. In Utero is raw and abrasive with each, howl, yelp, gut wrenching scream to begging whisper, there lies a sense of desperation, this is Kurt Cobain’s exorcism, and what’s streaming out seems purely acidic.

Cobain’s lyrics are at times overly childlike, “I miss the comfort in being sad,” but feel horribly personal, giving you the feeling you’re looking into his diary, and what you’ve found is more than worrying. It’s the simplicity that makes the lyrics work though, the grating guitars along with the throbbing, at times tribal drumming, accompanies them fittingly, adding power and urgency when needed (see “Tourettes”), but slacking off, and mellowing into the pop riffs that Nevermind became so famous for e.g. “Heart Shaped Box.”

However, the lyrics are at a shocking juxtaposition to Cobain’s classic pop hook lines, take “Rape Me,” in which Cobain sings almost sweetly, over a threatening guitar, “rape me, my friend.” It is the brutal honesty of this record that on a first listen takes you by surprise, perhaps enough to put off anyone who was expecting Nevermind the second. “All Apologies” sees Cobain at the end of the line apparently, despairing lyrics, sung/screeched over a pretty melody that soars into a pounding chorus, leaving Cobain to set out his feelings clearly, “all alone is all we are.” Considering what followed from this album, it would be easy for this record to have been a heap of sell-out yet self-pitying rubbish.

Instead Cobain and the rest of Nirvana made In Utero, and for that, they should be given the respect they deserve. Review by Kate Moore

Recommended Links: http://www.nirvanaclub.com – The Internet Nirvana Fan Club – A brilliant fan site.

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