Nirvana

At some point, the polite, cross-legged Nirvana of Unplugged in New York supplanted the seismic noise-punk trio in the popular imagination. This expanded reissue of the band’s 1989 debut should do much to remedy that.

Considering Kurt Cobain’s oft-discussed obsession with DIY authenticity, it’s remarkable how unself-consciously gritty Nirvana’s debut still sounds. The heaviest tracks here, such as “Negative Creep” and “Downer,” come off as gloriously unhinged, rivaling hardcore kingpins like Black Flag for scuzzy ferocity while presaging outfits such as Pissed Jeans, a staple of Sub Pop’s current roster. (It’s telling that an edgy 1990 live performance tacked onto this reissue feels largely redundant.) Original drummer Chad Channing sounds wobbly in spots—Melvins stickman Dale Crover, who subs on three tracks, blows him out of the water—but Channing’s primitive approach generally suits the material.

Aside from its bracing rawness, what makes Bleach a truly enduring listen is its evidence of Cobain’s nascent pop smarts. The Beatlesque perfection of “About a Girl,” later a radio staple thanks to Unplugged, beautifully complements the surrounding din. And a goofy cover of “Love Buzz,” a 1969 track by Dutch group Shocking Blue, evinces the sardonic humor that distinguished Nirvana from its stone-faced grunge peers. As you can see on Live at Reading, a newly released DVD of a fabled 1992 performance, Nirvana quickly evolved into a world-class rock band, but Bleach 2.0 proves that the building blocks were there nearly from the start.—Hank Shteamer

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