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The Student News Site of Gannon University since 1947

THE GANNON KNIGHT

The Student News Site of Gannon University since 1947

THE GANNON KNIGHT

“Montage of Heck” reveals torment of singer

Montage+of+Heck+reveals+torment+of+singer

Imagine the shock of my friends when the words “new album” were uttered along with the name Kurt Cobain. Not only did I receive looks of horror, but also concern given that the late Nirvana front man has been dead since he decided to take his own life in April 1994.

I myself didn’t even know about the “new” album titled “Montage of Heck: The Home Recordings,” a postmortem compilation of Cobain’s personal recordings, until about three weeks ago.

The album is a companion to Brett Morgen’s highly praised documentary of Cobain’s life and upbringing.

The film itself covers a vast majority of Cobain’s life and ends just short of his death, including personal material from Cobain’s archives — art, music, journals, audio montages and films — along with more recent interviews. With Frances Bean Cobain as an executive producer, one expected the documentary to be raw, personal and mind blowing.

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While a documentary in itself is one thing, releasing the private recordings of a man who was tormented to the point of taking his own life is a completely different thing.

One begins to wonder if an album like this should even be released. Clearly his recordings were personal for a reason.

With a grain of salt, I listened to the entire deluxe “Montage of Heck: The Home Recordings” soundtrack the morning it was released. Starting out with mixed feelings of the album, 33 tracks and over an hour later, I finished — changed a little.

The best way to describe the compilation is that it is a haunting memoir of a tortured, hurt soul.

The deluxe version of the album is filled with a mixture of brief recordings of Cobain just playing around with his guitar, audio diaries and full-blown demos, some of which became Nirvana songs.

Personally, I do not think the intention of this album is for every track to be enjoyed by the listener. One should come out of this experience with a little more understanding of the complex internal struggles of a truly talented man.

One of the first tracks I encountered that brought me to the realization of the mission of the album was “Beans,” in which Cobain sings in a high-pitched, almost helium induced, voice.

Personally the upbeat guitar with the humorous tale of Jeffy eating beans made me laugh a bit; however, “Beans” could not have been borne from the mind of a individual.

It is made more apparent in the diaries included in the compilation how anguished Cobain was. “Sea Monkeys,” “Rhesus Monkey” and “Aberdeen,” are raw recordings that are a little too dark to discuss — covering topics such as a failed suicide attempt — but essential to understanding Cobain a little better.

The demos and demo-like songs included in the album are a true testament to the artful genius Cobain was.

“Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle” is a somber track that was good enough to make it onto Nirvana’s final studio album “In Utero.”

“Poison’s Gone” hauntingly reminds you of how beautiful a melancholy track can be. “And I Love Her” is everything you want in a demo.

The track, while a little muffled probably due to the equipment used, delivered an artfully gloomy guitar melody and a catchy chorus.

Listening to some of the demos with titles that don’t match anything in Nirvana’s repertoire makes me a bit sad, because they honestly could have and should have been made into actual songs.

“Burn the Rain” includes half of a phone conversation mid-song, reminding us all how personal and invasive this audio is.

“Letters to Frances,” an acoustic track, is Cobain’s take on a lullaby for his daughter. While the track seems a little too gloomy for a child, it is touching and powerful.

“Montage of Heck: The Home Recordings” is a postmortem window allowing us all to peer into the anguished soul that was Kurt Cobain.

If you are willing, this album will take you on a journey that will make you appreciate the short life Cobain had.

Most of the recordings are somewhat raw and concerning, but to a true fan of Nirvana and the legacy Cobain left behind, the bone chilling tracks compiled for this album are amazingly beautiful and telling.

 

TAYLOR WOLFF

[email protected]

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