The Boys Season 4 just had its epic finale on Amazon. Over the final scenes and end credits of the episode Nirvana’s 1990s classic song “Heart Shaped Box” could be heard. The track comes from In Utero (DGC Records) album, which has its 30th anniversary last year and saw a deluxe boxed set both as a vinyl boxed set and DSPs. The song has been one of the most covered Nirvana songs, used especially in television and movies. Continue reading
Arguably the most influential producer of the last 30 years Steve Albini has died. He was 61 years old Steve died of a heart attack. And no further information is available. That’s known as the iconic producer with his own electrical audio studios in Chicago, who confirmed the news of Steve’s passing to Pitchfork.com, Steve is also the well-known leader of bands such as shellac and Big Black. Shellac is about to release a new album, and Ghost Cult was attempting to secure an interview with Steve to discuss it. As a producer. He recorded incredible eighties and nineties albums such as Nirvana’s In Utero, Pixies’ Surfer Rosa, PJ Harvey’s Rid of Me, and many more. Unique in his approach Steve considered himself less of an actual typical producer and more of an engineer who translated the music that was made to tape as opposed to having the ego that led him to believe he was influencing the performances of the band much. He also refused to charge a lot of money, considering the stature of his name and experience, and he never took points on records in his entire career which is something that has now become a standard for producers in lieu of former high pay rates. He also believed in bands coming in prepared to record asap, getting instrument sounds and levels and often recording albums in a day or two, not months and years. A record produced by Steve meant it came with an instant cache, and that it was going to be one of the best albums you ever heard in your life. Steve had a keen sense of years and knew what was going to translate to every format a record was made on. This is a tragic loss for the music world as Steve is very young at 61 and we send our condolences out to his family friends and fans. Continue reading
Today marks the release of the quasi-psychedelic visualizer for the newly remastered track “Dumb” from the upcoming 30th anniversary reissue of Nirvana’s In Utero. Directed and created by RuffMercy from hand-painted Super-8mm film. Also available is the digital single “Pennyroyal Tea” (Live in Los Angeles)” + “Scentless Apprentice” (Live in Seattle)” — Released September 29, these live renditions of In Utero classics are the first of 53 previously unreleased tracks included in the three Super Deluxe editions of the In Utero 30th anniversary multi-format reissues arriving on October 27, 2023. Configurations include a limited-edition 8LP Super Deluxe box set, 5CD Super Deluxe box set, 1 LP + 10” edition, 2CD Deluxe edition, and a Digital Super Deluxe edition. Pre-order the collection at the linl below.
Red Method has shown some love to their influence Nirvana with their cover of “Heart-Shaped Box’. The track came off InUtero, which debuted twenty-six years ago this week. Check it out!Continue reading
Nirvana has shared professional quality concert footage of the band from their entire Live and Loud performance in 1993, during the tour for In Utero (Geffen Records). The full album is releasing today. In Utero turned twenty-five years old last year. Continue reading
For those of a certain age, the news that twenty-five years have passed since the death of Kurt Donald Cobain will scarcely be believable. But it is 25 years and yes, you do now feel old. You probably still feel sad and melancholy. Time has a terrible way of playing tricks with your memory but the passing of Nirvana’s frontman still resonates as if it were yesterday. The past remains, undoubtedly, a foreign country but I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing. I was in laundrette in Bristol, England doing a weekend load of washing (this is what students did then). I was listening to the BBC on my five-year-old Sony radio walkman- remember those?- when the terrible, heart-stopping news came through on that grey, terrible slate grey April day.
After being teased before the season, the full piano and orchestra-based version of Nirvana’s classic track ‘Heart Shaped Box’ appeared last night in the Season 2, eighth episode Kiksuya of HBO’s Westworld. The cover was created by acclaimed series composer Ramin Djawadi, also known for his work on Game Of Thrones. The trailer uses imagery that also called to mind the lyrics and even the music video for the song, which came from the In Utero (DGC Records) album, which has its 25th anniversary this year. Djawadi’s Westworld soundtracks have featured re-imaginings of classic songs from artists such as Nine Inch Nails, Wu-Tang Clan, Soundgarden and more.
An elegant orchestral version of Nirvana’s late-era classic ‘Heart Shaped Box’ debuted last night in the Season Two trailer for HBO’s Westworld. The cover was created by acclaimed series composer Ramin Djawadi, also known for his work on Game Of Thrones. The trailer uses imagery that also called to mind the lyrics and even the music video for the song, which came from 1993’s In Utero (DGC Records) album. Season 2 of Westworld premieres on April 22nd at 9 PM local time. Watch the trailer now!Continue reading
Do you remember where you were on September 24th, 1991? That is, if you were even alive, since it was a quarter century ago. I was in class at community college in my home town. As usual I was hanging out on the soccer field, guitar in hand, hanging with my usual band of freaks, geeks, stoners, punks, metalheads, and the like. The buzz around campus was this song ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit,’ that was not only all over MTV, but also becoming an actual hit song on the radio.
A wail of feedback, a sludgy, laconic riff, a jarring bass line and Success (Season of Mist) shudders into being in the style of that too-cool-to-give-a-fuck band that ambles on stage and begins the song with each member starting at their own pace and point of choice. KEN Mode, kings of the post-surf/noise rock power-trio kingdom stroll acerbically into their sixth album.
Jesse Matthewson, known for intelligent, confrontation and biting observations, has chosen to measure his delivery this time, and most of his outpourings are part-spoken and spat, rather than roared or thrown from his maw, seemingly intent on imparting off-centre soundbites. “I would like to kill the nicest man in the world” he states at the outset of ‘These Tight Jeans’, where he trades off lines with Jill Clapham in both a catchy and knowingly cool fashion, channelling his inner Jesus Lizard.
The hand of Steve Albini is present all through, as the In Utero (Geffen) producer skuzzes up ‘The Owl’, an astringent swagger with stoner undertones, before a bass crunk and cello mid-section pull the song into a discordant yowl over clashing chords, as KEN Mode play with the notion of traditional song-structure effectively. Sonic Youth would be proud.
Yet all is not rosy in KEN and Barbie’s world. There is a nagging feeling that while Clutch (for whom KEN Mode certainly owe a something to) are naturally and instinctively quirky, for the first time KM things feel a bit forced, as if stating “Handfuls of proverbial shit tossed over and over against that same proverbial wall” (‘Blessed’) is a little close to the mark, and that moving to a more caustic pop sound may be contrived, such as on the overly self-aware and smug ‘A Passive Disaster’. The cap might not fit at the moment, but all it would take is adjusting the clasp at the back. At times, this new KEN Mode just sits a little uncomfortably. But then such doubts are stomped to dust by the rising dynamic of ‘Management Control’ which builds to feedback end, or the exemplary dark, brooding, sprawling ‘Dead Actors’, that recalls The Doors clashing with a more progressive Nirvana.
Mixing a Clutch of stoner, a Tad of grunge and pinch of Mudhoney slovenliness in their Helmet of groove, KEN Mode can consider their transition a Success. Just.
7.0/10
STEVE TOVEY