Nirvana ; In Utero

Nirvana lead the grunge movement in the early 90s. The three-piece band was made up of Kurt Cobain, bassist Krist Novoselic and drummer Dave Grohl. In the space of just three years and two highly acclaimed albums - Nevermind (1991) and In Utero (1993), they attained legendary status before the untimely death of frontman Kurt Cobain.

Their album 'Nevermind' first propelled them to worldwide popularity due in part to the single 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' which is considered to be one of the all-time best rock single. To me, it was their next and final album 'In Utero' which captured my attention and my heart. It remains a staple listen all these years since i heard it during my college days.

'In Utero' was banned in this country (it was a silly act) due to a controversial track called 'Rape Me'. It has got nothing to do with rape but is only used metaphorically to describe the media attention and scrutinizing on Cobain's personal life, which he described lyrically as akin to 'being raped'. It is one of Nirvana's best tracks and one of the highlights in the album. It is also one of my personal favourites. The rest of the album is a non-stop barrage of heavy guitars, wailing and powerful drumming set against a backdrop of melodic guitar riffs. It is an in-depth listen into Kurt Cobain's musical genius and also his tortured and troubled soul within. 'Dumb', the only quieter but an almost perfect beautiful song. Dave Grohl's impressive drumming on this album inspired me to take up drumming during my final year in college. Luckily enough, i remembered stepping into a CD shop that time and chanced upon this album (i wonder how it managed to sneak through those censors) and bought it on the spot without hesitation. Check out 'Scentless Apprentice', 'Very Ape', 'Tourette's', 'Milk It', 'All Apologies' and 'Pennyroyal Tea'.

Soon after the release of this album, Kurt Cobain committed suicide by putting a gun to his head, but not before he left the world with one of the best rock albums ever.

Today marks 9 years since grandma's passing away.

'I think i'm dumb
maybe just happy' - Dumb