Waking Ear

Nirvana/"You Know You're Right" -- This is not one of Kurt Cobain's best songs, but it proves why the band deserves the legacy it has received. At first listen, it struck me how much the song sounds like a lot of stuff you hear on the radio nowadays -- the crappy rock radio. I'm talking Creed, Staind, etc. But those overproduced, treacly pieces of crap can't touch the honesty in Cobain's voice, the anger and resignation, the way his voice cracks like a grunge version of Hank Williams (I'm talking to you, Isaac Brock). The guitar here is delicate and washed out, and the bass is cold and distant. Oh, and Dave Grohl can fucking drum. The result is a song that sounds effortless, straightforward and (yes, with some help from context) moving. I'll be listening to In Utero on the way to work this morning.

By the way, my friend Nick has a new blog that's worth checking out. He's one of the smartest, most creative people I know, and unlike me, he's as good at writing music as he is listening to it. I'm glad he's up and running on the Web, if only for the selfish reason that I get to find out what he's listening to on a more regular basis. Also, I've added Ineffable to my blog list in the right column, because Michelle was kind enough to link me and send some visitors my way and because she seems to be bursting at the seams with creativity.