Classic Albums Review: In Utero

It is remarkable how a band like Nirvana managed to accomplish so much in so little time. Just two years after Nevermind, an extraordinary album regardless of your musical tastes, In Utero crashed onto the airwaves and music stores of the world in late 1993. Viciously acidic in both lyrics and production, the album successfully captures the raw emotion of Generation X and the personal plights of Kurt Cobain.

Like the band’s previous releases, Cobain’s jagged lyrics evoke senses of hatred, affection, and sorrow – as a writer he is almost always superb. The introverted, self-critical, and spiteful tone of “All Apologies” is perhaps the epitome of Cobain’s writing capabilities on this album. Yet, some songs on In Utero are almost too far out of left field, even for Nirvana. Perfect example: “Rape Me.” Aside from its disturbing title, “Rape Me” is essentially a ludicrous anti-rape song; a feeble attempt by Cobain to try and convey some sort of sympathy or understanding of the heinous act which is rape.

In addition to the band’s darker shift in content, In Utero also showcases much more melody in Nirvana’s songs. Sure some songs are still rough, straightforward power chord songs; “Scentless Apprentice” and “Very Ape” remain true to Nirvana’s traditional grunge style. But “All Apologies” and “Heart-Shaped Box,” two of the album’s best tracks, are perfected with Cobain’s more mature style of guitar playing. Also, the soft-to-dynamic shift which Nirvana used constantly on Nevermind is found once again on In Utero. While some critics might hound artists for not changing their style, the rest of this album has enough changes in Nirvana’s style. Plus, since the soft-to-dynamic shift isn’t used repeatedly on In Utero, it still retains its appeal.

So, what’s the album like overall? While some of the songs have utterly ridiculous lyrical content, Cobain still exhibits remarkable talent as a writer with most of In Utero. There are enough alterations in style so that you won’t hate the album for being too different and you won’t hate it for being the same old stuff. In terms of alternative rock/grunge albums, In Utero is a masterpiece. In terms of music in general, the album is pretty good. Cobain’s skill as a musician should not be overlooked, even if some lyrics are indiscernible because of his sometimes-childish singing and his chord repertoire isn’t all that diverse. Then again, keep in mind that In Utero is by no means an attempt by Cobain to become a master of complex styles of music. This is an album from the heart, an album that’s meant to make noise and disturb some people. If you decide to try out In Utero, which from a subjective point of view I recommend as it is a wonderful piece of rock music, just keep in mind what type of album it is before you possibly make remarks about how “objectively bad” this album might be.