Nirvana
– Bleach
Bleach is Nirvana before the polish, before MTV, before history carved them into a monument. It’s raw, murky, and fed on cheap beer and borrowed gear. Cobain’s growl hasn’t yet learned to be iconic—it’s just pissed. And that’s the point.
Best of…
You don’t come to Bleach for perfect choruses or grand statements. You come for the gnash and sludge, the way Krist Novoselic’s bass throbs like it’s trying to break out of a basement wall, and Chad Channing’s drumming stumbles just enough to feel human. It’s a dive bar record, half-feral and fully alive.
Sub Pop’s fingerprints are all over it: thick fuzz, dirt under every note, and that special kind of loud that feels like a personal dare. Cobain hadn’t settled into melody yet, but the bones of greatness are rattling. You hear the band still figuring out their violence. That’s what makes it hit.
Choice Tracks
Blew
Grimy, slow, and seething, “Blew” sounds like a fight starting in slow motion. Cobain’s riff circles like a hungry dog, and his voice carries a threat it doesn’t need to explain.
About a Girl
This one’s the curveball—a sweet, sharp hook buried in jangle-pop structure. Cobain hated being called a sellout, but this song was practically a postcard from his Beatles obsession. It’s also the best song on the album.
School
Two lines, one riff, and a whole lot of attitude. “School” doesn’t need to say much—its menace is in the repetition, like a locker door slamming over and over again.
Love Buzz
A cover, yes—but Nirvana tears through Shocking Blue’s psych-funk with a sneer and a stomp. Krist’s bass is the real star here, bending the groove into something nastier and much more desperate.