Go back to the main Nirvana page, you lucky devil! In the Utero Closet Overall Album Score: 8.1 out of 10 First, let me get something important off of my chest (other than my fake boobs): I think that In Utero is an overrated album. I don't think this is a great album by any means. The melodies are generally mediocre, and sometimes either Kurt Cobain's voice or the ugly arranging completely irritates me. That said, I still think In Utero is a good album. In fact, the 8.1 it got out of me is a sign indicative of that! That's an 8.1 considering that I don't normally respond well with music that is supposed to be ugly. (Critics and fans alike mention that this album was supposed to be ugly ... some even say that Kurt actually wanted the album rawer than it turned out to be ... although, I can't tell if that would have added or detracted from the sheer ugliness of this music.) The reason for In Utero's 8.1 is entirely because this music is so danged intense and so danged involving that it's difficult not to be somewhat affected by it! And, it depends entirely on how far you can get involved with this music that would define your opinion of it. I'm also going to warn you that listening to this did put me in a bad mood several times! I am willing to attribute that to the fact that I wasn't quite ready for it during those instances. It wasn't until I really began to pay attention to it when I finally learned to appreciate it. The only reason you would consider In Utero is if you really enjoyed Nevermind. Overall Album Score: 8.1 out of 10 (For the follow-up to something like Nevermind, this is a bit of a disappointment. I'll never be sure what the rationale for ugly music is. It's very intense, though, and like it or not, Kurt Cobain was an insanely talented guy.) Average Song Score: 8.2 (I will not deny that these are some very strong tracks. There was a good reason for people to buy this back in 1993 other than the fact that it was the follow-up to Nevermind. But this ain't no Nevermind.) Album Tilt: 8.0 (As I was listening to this album to get the feel of it before trying to write a review of it, it really put me in a bad mood ... it did that more than once, actually. Just the same, I'm going to keep my chin up and recognize that In Utero is an interesting experience. I also recognize that there's a time and place on the cycle of your mood swing for something like this.) Artist Rating: 8.0 (Alright. I'll be the last to say that screaming your head off in front of a microphone and writing ugly songs is up for artistic merits ... but I'll be the first (or the 4328439384th) to say that this stuff is very intense.) Track Reviews Serve the Servants 10/10 Oops! Nirvana's determination to be completely ugly backfired here, because Kurt Cobain was too dense to write a bad melody! Ahem. Yep. Even though "Serve the Servants" is ugly on most accounts, it is played exceptionally well, and the melody is pretty good. Heck! I'm even to call this one 'exhilarating.' Quite starkly, this is the greatest song on here. Scentless Apprentice 8/10 Hey! Why don't you try SCREAMING ANY LOUDER INTO THAT MICROPHONE! You know ... this really isn't too bad. The only irk I get from this is the fact that 19284393984 million bands have tried doing the exact same thing as this, but they ended up being 19283943932943 times worse. It wasn't like it was back in the 70s when everybody tried copying the Beatles ... but the Beatles were actually 'pleasant' to listen to. That's not to say that listening to "Scentless Apprentice" is a bad listening experience. It's just intense. I'm pretty sure that all of my middle school classmates liked it because their parents couldn't stand it. Heart-Shaped Box 8.5/10 This is pretty good, too. I might have actually wished for a hookier melody, but ... you take what you get. I must admit that I also get caught up in the intense atmosphere of this one. It tries (and succeeds) to be ugly, but it's not irritating to me whatsoever. (This is slightly overrated ... it really does little for me.) Rape Me 9/10 Oooof! (I'm really not getting the whole artistic value of a song called 'Rape Me' ... the lyrics aren't profound in the slightest...) Again, Kurt Cobain impresses all with his glistening talent and how ugly could be good. Hmhmhmhmhmmhmhmhmhhmhmmmm. Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle 7/10 Alright. I do have a problem when bands try to sound like The Velvet Underground and Nico with those completely irritating microphone screeches. (You know The Velvets weren't terribly good at that, either.) Not only that, but Cobain's performance is particularly awful here ... it almost sounded as if he needed to clear his throat or something. But, ya know, I still think it's alright. I'm not quite at the point of puking when this track pops up. Dumb 8/10 This one's pretty good ... the melody is fine. The lyrics are ... interesting ... Um. This isn't priceless. Very Ape 8/10 ...It's very short, too. Not that I would ever downplay a song just because it is short. Most of the time, when it is short, there is a darn good reason for it (i.e. the song sucks). But in the case of "Very Ape," it doesn't suck, but it did end at a correct time. I might have gotten really sick of it if it were over two minutes. Milk It 8.5/10 I really like the attitude at the beginning of this one ... those creepy basslines ... that eerie drum beat. Even though Kurt undergoes one of his huge screaming rampages at many points of this song, he can't let me forget the fact that he is a creep----I mean that the song is creepy. Pennyroyal Tea 8/10 Pretty good! On a personal note, I might add that it is very difficult to let a song like "Pennyroyal Tea" into my heart because it is so UGLY. (ARRRGGHHH!) Just the same, I think the chorus was well done ... even though it is ugly. (Holy cow ... no wonder the guy committed suicide. He had stuff like this creeping around in his head. I'm thinking about committing suicide, too, and I only had to listen to it.) Radio Friendly Unit Shifter 7/10 Velvet Underground wannabes! Please no squeaky things in these songs pleeeease. Actually, this song is so awful that I have reason to believe that it was done on purpose. The surprising thing is that I don't despise this. So I'll give it a 7. Fair? Tourette's 7/10 You know ... Even if I tried, I could never scream like that. Just like the previous track, this one is so awful that I think it may have been done on purpose. I can't prove that, of course. I'm giving it a 7, too. All Apologies 9.5/10 Hey! Is he apologizing for putting me in a bad mood so many times with this album? Well, at least he makes up for it slightly by closing his In Utero album with a pretty darn good song. It has some nicely done acoustic guitar strumming, a well written melody and ... hey! It's only a little bit ugly! That's pretty cool. (I think he's yelling "Gatorade" at the end of this ... but I can't prove that, either.) Utero your talents and leave me a worthwhile comment about this album here!

All reviews are copyrighted by Michael Lawrence. He doesn't have a utero.