You ever wonder why you even bother listening to any other band that isn’t Nirvana?

This week I’m giving a nod to In Utero, which often gets the backseat treatment to Nevermind. The Steve Albini produced (credited as: Recorded) In Utero is so bizarre and dark, that I still have a hard time wrapping my head around it. It was recorded in 6 days and all Kurdt’s vocals were done in 6 hours. It’s raw and delicate and morbid and lush, and all other ripe things stitched together in a soggy knot. Every time I hear it I think about how great their next album would have been.

I remember hearing Kurdt speaking about In Utero as an attempt to destroy everything we’ve ever thought about Nirvana. Too bad he succeeded.

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Milk It (1993) – Live in the San Diego Sports Arena, CA

This is my favorite song on In Utero. It’s all bacterial and wretched, like a leaky sore oozing with junkie mucus. As much of a vile trauma tantrum this song is, the composition has an operatic quality to it… and the language of the lyrics is so unsettling. It’s a thin line between between doom and divinity.

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Heart Shaped Box (???) – Live in Milan, Italy

I always thought of “Milk It” as the companion piece to “Heart Shaped Box.” Both songs have that same operatic/orchestral feel to them. The drums on In Utero are all so amazing, but it’s on “Heart Shaped Box” where they reach their most epic altitude. The melody is so complex but simple at the same time, too. “Broken hymen of your highness?” “Eat your cancer when you turn black?” Genius lyrics. What kind of song is this even?

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Scentless Apprentice (1994) – Live in Rome, Italy

Dave Grohl wrote this song. I’m actually surprised that the drums haven’t been sampled by a rap producer. Such a sick beat. Once that riff gets going it all turns into this messy sludgy screechy sculpture. Great guitar tones on this one. The lyrics reference the novel, Perfume, which Kurdt was reading at the time. This seems like it was a fun song to play live.

P.S. No one does the hop like Novoselic!

- Cornbluth