This is an Unreleased 1991 Demo from Nirvana, "Horrified," that I found on SPIN.com today. WOW.
1991 was the same year as the release of Nevermind, the album with the baby on the cover (allmusic.com). Let's just say that we have TWO fine gems of Nirvana history in one year. That may be an understatement. I only have snippets of the blue Nevermind through various other Nirvana albums, such as From The Muddy Banks of the Wishkah and the MTV:Unplugged album... (wikipedia.org). So, I know, I know. I have some CD hunting to do (oh man, not that again... just kidding). I definitely have some CD shopping to do with Nevermind among the top of my list.
When I heard this song, just now, I was floored. The brilliance of it comes from the experimental nature of the guitar riff (Cobain, I think), Krist's bass and Grohl's sturdy as hell drumming. Because, well, it's either Krist or Cobain or Grohl (one of the three) who's created this genius guitar riff that sounds confidently slightly out of tune. When I listen to it I'm kind of shaken, not stirred, I have to say. You can hear Cobain saying "simple song" and immediately after hearing him say that, I understood... "Holy ****" this is what it's about. It may be Krist who calls for the song to be played more slowly. The track is saying, "Make it more simple, and make it slower" as it speaks to you. It's truly brilliant - naturally, I start typing faster, but then I'll have to take the time to let the slow and simple brilliance take over again. They're saying, "just chill out." In a way that makes you. In this brilliant track, Grohl, Cobain and Noveselic are creating the light, raw sense of what is obviously absolutely easy for them musically.
For the rest of us, we're floored. Because Nirvana created this incredible sense of "we do it all" upon listeners hearing this, and throughout this, they are WOWING us. In other words: they do do it all. Their form and content are drawn together so much in this track - their content is simplicity, their form is very specific notes. Their personalities - in this very moment in the 90s - speak through their instruments. Don't misread that.
Nirvana was and is about the music, the personalities. Kurt's presence is still here, even for those of us who never knew him. The boys of Nirvana seemed to be living life for who they loved and what they loved to do. I feel so much from this track.
This song has a sense of enrapture to it. This beautiful force that sucks you into the song; then later, a force that gets confusing. The more you listen, the more you feel. Simplicity takes on a grander form here, in "Horrified," because simple isn't always so easy to play correctly. The way they play these notes is purely, organically, clearly. It's also beautiful - the simplicity - because we know how complex Nirvana can be in their songs like, "Smells Like Teen Spirit." This song has this sort of mysterious, vocally kind of scary, and incredibly organic and awesome feel to it. Plus, keeping it simple reminds me of love. I think that music is about love to such a strong and everpresent degree, even when a song isn't directly about love.
The love for music seems to ebb and flow, for me. Music is always there, and then, sometimes I've floated away from it not being sure if it was "the way," in a sense. It's hard to explain. But, when the love for music is there, it doesn't quit. It evolves, it lets you hear and be a part of new and different sounds. It stays as strongly as incredible and legendary bands imprint our minds. It opens you up to everything that notes are and everything that pitch and tone and rhythm create.
Just last night, or maybe the night before, I was thinking to myself... "What's my favorite Nirvana song?" This, I'll have to leave unanswered.
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