Nirvana Introduction Status: Complete

You'll never guess what I finally accomplished today. You know that tiny little band called Nirvana? Well, I finally decided that today I would properly introduce myself to their landmark release, 'Nevermind.' And you know what? It's pretty damn good.

Now you may be thinking, "What joke is this?" Well, I can assure you that this is no jest. Granted, I have (like everyone else who has listened to the radio at some point over the last 15 years) heard about half of 'Nevermind' via this artifact called FM radio, but that's as far as I cared to go. There was something about Nirvana that never quite floated my boat. Maybe it was Kurt Cobain's pained vocals, or just the grunge sound in general. Whatever the reasons were, I placed the band into the 'I'm Indifferent to Them' folder.

The cause of my sudden inquisitiveness was provoked by the slew reviews for 'Nevermind' I saw on Rate Your Music's home page last night. The back stories and reminiscences of the reviewers intrigued me. I couldn't help but imagine how I might have felt if I had been of the proper age in 1991, or simply any time during the 90's. Would the album have affected me? It's futile to imagine but curious no less. I can only speak for the present and I thought that it would be shortchanging my audiophile-ness if I couldn't at least tell someone that I have listened to it. I can safely say now that I'm glad I did.

My general impression of 'Nevermind' is akin to other times I've had when diving into a critically acclaimed piece of entertainment (be it film, music, theater, etc.) and realizing why others have found so much enjoyment out of it. 'Nevermind' is full of appealing material, be it the more abrasive numbers or the calmer spots that are on display. The balance and pacing are probably what I noticed more than anything else. Simply put, it's a well put together together record. But perhaps what's more startling for me is that the songs that I had already heard have lost none of their potency. Being able to experience them in proper place and sequence on 'Nevermind' actually made them sound better. Also, it undoubtedly assures me that they're songs that have an inexhaustible amount of spark to them.

If there's one word I can sum up this long overdue acquaintance with, it would be 'satisfied.'

Orange

So I only recently (about three months ago) was exposed to 'Music Has the Right to Children', the first proper full-length album from the legendary Scottish duo of Boards of Canada. However, my first introduction to them was 'Geogaddi' and that was no easy pill to swallow. It took many listens before I was able to solidify my opinion on what I now consider an exemplary piece of work in the electronic/ambient realm, despite it being less than perfect. Now that I've had a few exposed sessions of the aforementioned 'Music Has the Right to Children', I must express myself as slightly letdown compared to the excellence which pervaded my eardrums throughout the majority of the second album. It doesn't feel quite as consistent, and while there are a couple songs on the first half that impress me, it's not until "Rue the Whirl" and "Aquarius" roll around that I feel the album really comes into its own. My wish is that the entire album carried the infectiousness that those two songs possess, especially the latter, which has become my favorite song from them of late. Have a listen:



Nevertheless, the journey through their catalog shall press on and I can't wait to let my ears swim in my next two targets: Campfire Headphase and In A Beautiful Place Out in the Country (which I'm currently listening to actually).