(I am in Nirvana)
This is already becoming a bizarre habit of mine, every after a workout I raid all accessible record bars within the quad-mall range in Ayala, Makati (Glorietta, Greenbelt, Landmark, and SM). Trying to stave-off eating until I reach home after hitting the gym, I turn to album-buying (sometimes books). My latest grab, Nirvana’s greatest hits compilation.
The album rocks. Smashing. Awesome.
All quinze tracks are amazing. Poetic lyrics. Earnest expression. Raunchy vocals. Kick-ass band!
You Know You’re Right is haunting. Love the way the intro goes. Love the way Dave pounced the drums towards the bridge. And the way Kurt shouts pain all throughout the song, especially towards the end like he’s ran out of breath, and that all the sound you can hear is the wheezing produced by his lungs due lack of oxygen. It’s like he’s indeed in some kind of pain. I heard this was the last song recorded before Kurt shot himself dead, explains the feelings poured onto that word.
All About A Girl is one them couple o’ songs in the album that’s light (the other one’s Silver), the rest of the songs are of pure grunge and grudge. This song sounds so Beatles-ish.
Been A Son is an irony. Simple words, profound meaning. The song’s just short enough to leave an impression.
Silver reminds me a lot of those Greenday songs. The track apparently is a story about Kurt’s childhood which was spent a lot with his grandparents.
Smells Like Teen Spirit for me is the highlight of the album. The pinnacle. The apex. The epitome of Nirvana’s grunge music genre. Enjoyed every microscopic fragment of the song. Mulatto, albino, mosquito, and libido, I mean, who strings these words together, and yet still sounds intense, ardent, and a tad sage-ish. Only Kurt can.
Come as You Are has clichés sticking-out all over the sides. I really like the line Come doused in Mud, cept in Bleach, as I want you to be. I also like the watery tones, and the unaccompanied guitar riff in the intro.
Lithium is one of my favorites. The distorted guitar while Kurt shouts Yeah is a neat touch.
In Bloom to me is about a person who likes swell stuff, but is broken inside. A sad song, but a badass at the same time.
Pennyroyal Tea. Upon hearing the song for the first time, all I can think of is it’s about abortion, pennyroyal tea being an abortifacient, then throw in laxatives and cherry-flavored antacids, there goes my impression. After running the song for a third, it eventually turns to be about chilling-out, looking for an outlet to introduce peace of mind and sense of well-being. Distilling the life out of from within, and using it to avert negativity.
Rape Me is a statement addressed against people who takes advantage of others, and not just with the literal connotation associated to the word rape. It’s like telling someone “OK do as you pleased, violate me (in every sense of the word), but be prepared, I’m gonna get you good”.
Dumb is about being optimistic in spite of mishaps in life. My heart is broke, but I have some glue. And being confident in your own skin, despite of condescending remarks from the conceited, and self-righteous.
All Apologies for me is a comforting, peaceful song. Also reminds me a lot of the R.E.M. song, Losing My Religion. The guitar riff towards the end was fantastic.
The Man Who Sold the World is a David Bowie original. Nirvana’s cover was better. You can really feel the soul of the story, and that of the protagonist.
Where Did You Sleep Last Night is an American folk song, AKA In the Pines and Black Girl. It’s a lonely, sad, sad song, of remorse, and regret. Kurt delivers with the apt raw emotions required of the song.
Bookmarked! 