Nevermind was never meant to change the world, but you can never predict when the zeitgeist will hit, and Nirvana's 1991 "Nevermind" turned out to be the place where alternative rock crashed into the mainstream.
No matter how much anguish there is on Nevermind, it's bracing because Kurt Cobain exorcises his demons through evocative wordplay and mangled screams paired with the band's a tremendous, unbridled power that transcends the pain, turning into pure catharsis. And that's as key to the record's success as Cobain's songwriting, since Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl help turn this into music that is gripping, powerful, and even fun (and, really, there's no other way to characterize "Territorial Pissings" or the surging "Breed").
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