Nirvana “Nevermind” Review: Initial Listen

On my first initial listen to Nevermind, I immediately understood why even if the genre is not your favorite, and the lyrics don’t appeal, the overwhelming amount of catharsis on every song explains why Nevermind is a classic. Each song brings about a highly volatile mood that is subject to change at any point in the song: volume levels come and go, vocals turn from raw screams to almost a low groan in sudden instances. Listening once straight through only gave me one definite concensus about the album, and that is the sheer amount of varying obsessive emotions contained (and unleashed) on every song.

I began to listen while sitting at my desk, I was pleasantly surprised when the forever-memorable guitar chords for “Smells Like Teen Spirit” came through my headphones. This song, listened to in any venue, at any time, I feel has the ability to bring anyone who knows it back in time to some place years ago when you first heard it. The song is pure magic, one of the most prolific anthems in U.S history for good reason. “In Bloom” and “Come as You Are” are both songs I have heard before, but not in the context of the album’s entirety. Both songs are relatively mellow in comparison to the rest of Nevermind.  The lyrics are also the easiest to determine in these two songs, following the almost-indistinguishable words of the first track. The content, or at least the content I could grab a hold of on “In Bloom” seems to be a warning shot to fans who don’t exactly embody what ever it is that Nirvana is about. But then, “Come as You Are” comes along and suddenly Cobain appears to be Mother Theresa, in a only-god-can-judge-you type vibe. It’s peculiar and hypocritical that these tracks are next to each other at 2 and 3. In addition, both songs have serious sing-a-long value, which probably explains why I have heard them before.

The mood and tempo changes drastically on “Breed”, this is the first instance of  Nirvana’s punk/grunge classification. The lyrics are difficult to make out, but the bass line is prominent and distinct, If I played this in my car too loud, the rearview mirror would surely be rattling. Vocals from Cobain ring out at top-of-the-lungs extremes, immediately contrasting the beginning of the album and showing an unexpected versatility. “Territorial Pissings” joins “Breed” in the unappealing category of intense, yet boring. They both feature an up-tempo, punk-ish sound, with loud drums and a lot of head-banging potential; however, both vary minimally and leave little to the imagination. The only thing that saves the two snoozers is an innovative guitar solo on “Breed” that increases gradually in volume, and a distorted sounding guitar on “Territorial Pissings” that had me guessing how many guitars were actually being played. The drums on each of these songs, played by David Grohl, fit each of the songs perfectly and continuously drives them, longer than I would’ve liked- I might add.

“Lithium” was one of my favorites, combining a driving chorus of one word “yeah,” and a slow melodic verse structure, that demonstrates Cobain’s rusty vocals and inner-conflict. The one line I caught made the song worth listening for me “I’m so ugly, It’s ok, so are you”. “Polly” is another softly-played melody, sounding acoustic. The lyrics were unexpectedly vulgar however, as I did not realize that Polly was a girl at first.

The second half of Nevermind is where things begin to get complicated and confusing. I had no clue what to think of “Drain You” because, aside from the timbre of Cobain’s voice, which almost doubles as a lead melody, the other elements of the song sounds like an average combination of the rest of the songs I’ve heard so far. “Lounge Act” follows with a joint melody played by the Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic’s guitars, which overall is rather boring. Cobain’s vocals carry this song, changing completely from singing to screaming what seems to be the same lines from verse 1 and 2. The way he lays his lyrics out over the melody shows true talent and ingenuity.

“StayAway” joins “Endless, Nameless” as the two songs that leave me dumbfounded on this album, as to “why did they ruin it with this garbage?” The word “weird” does not do the two of these songs justice. “StayAway” seems to be comprised of a talking Cobain and a screaming Cobain, in a call-and-response structure that leads to the ear-shattering shouting of “Stay Away!” “Endless, Nameless” sounds like the soundtrack to an endless mass-murder scene in a horror movie, plain and simple. This song is pure chaos, reminiscent of the random sounds produced by Igor Stravinsky in his “Rite of Spring” that caused the audience in Paris to riot in the venue. If I were to leave my worst enemy on an island with a one-song cd, it would be “Endless, Nameless” undoubtedly.

“On a Plain” was downright lack-luster, and apparently my brain didn’t bother putting any instance of it into my memory bank. From what I do recall, it sounded like the perfect example of an average rock song. The instrumentation was beyond boring, hopefully upon reading the lyrics, something can be salvaged from track number 11. “Something In The Way” was my favorite song on Nevermind, the slow-somber story telling was a great change of pace. The drums don’t come in for a minute, adding to the heartbreaking, yet elegant tone of the verses. The cello or violin that plays behind Cobain’s attesting that indeed, something is in the way, gives the song an amazing depth, and gives it an epic characteristic.

My overall first impression of Nevermind is a feeling of unexpected surprise, because, while I can understand why it called one of the greatest albums of all time, songs like “Endless, Nameless” “StayAway” and “Territorial Pissings” make me question it’s consistency. While the album as a whole, shows a wide variety of sounds, moods and styles, there are a few snoozers on the track list. There are definitely a few great songs on the album, but the lyrics on them are hard to distinguish and even when they were easily recognizable, some were just as difficult to decipher. To it’s benefit, the album demonstrates a wide and deep variety of textures and emotions. The instrumentation was appropriate on most songs, and even great on a few, with creative bass lines and spotless drum patterns. However, upon first listen, it seems that Cobain’s vocals truly drive the music, even on “Something In The Way” where he repeatedly sings the same line, it only drew me farther in, and did not bore. From raw groans on “Come As You Are” and “Lithium” to demonstrations of top-of-the-lungs ability on “Lounge Act” and “Smells Like Teen Spirit” Cobain’s versatility and talent are on full display. Given, this is only the first listen, and every song will require a look-up of the lyrics because of Cobain’s vocal style.