‘Montage of Heck’ Provides a Glimpse Into Kurt Cobain’s Personal Creative Process

Stephanie Hernandez

Kurt Cobain’s “Montage of Heck: The Home Recordings” accompanies the Brett Morgen directed documentary of the same name, which premiered earlier this February at the renowned Sundance Film Festival and has continued to captivate audiences nationwide ever since. An aural journey through the mind of one of modern day music’s most examined and revered icons, the record not only compliments the film’s elegant dissection of a tortured soul but also provides the late singer’s fans with an intimate glimpse into his songwriting and raw creative process through various cassette recordings, early demos and experimental tracks. Uncompromising, much like Kurt himself, “Montage of Heck” becomes not only a counterpart to the film but an unfiltered journey through his creative progression and eventual demise.

Specifically focusing on Cobain’s early days in Aberdeen, Washington, until deciding to weave its way through his success and untimely fall out with Nirvana, “Montage of Heck” does its best to express Kurt’s innermost thoughts and most honest self through carefully curated unknown and rarely heard tracks. Many unfinished and unrefined, untouched by ten thousand dollar sound equipment, this over hour long track listing pulsates with rage, sadness and even a bit of fleeting exuberance. From Cobain’s take on the Beatles’ classic “And I Love Her” to an early demo of “Sappy,” “Montage of Heck” serves up tracks the dozens of anniversary editions and compilations of past Nirvana work have failed to deliver. If you only buy this album for the rendition of “Do Re Mi (Medley),” arguably the finest Cobain penned composition that never saw the light of day after his death, it would be money well spent. The record becomes more than just a partner to a character study and instead dissolves Cobain’s glorified rock and roll image into one that reveals him for what he was, a talented but troubled real person.

These small, fleeting and fragile moments become a sort of magnifying glass into the twisted world of a true musical genius. Stylistically daring, both sonically and on screen, “Montage of Heck” does a beautiful job at revealing a more emotionally wrenching and impressionistic portrait of Cobain like never before. His most personal and universal themes are given their time to shine, and his feelings of love and displacement are best understood while listening to the man himself trying to put words to a song that he does not know where it will lead him. Profound without the gloss of today’s manufactured pop processing, we find Cobain’s spirit alive in the 31 headbanging tracks. The music remains stirring after all this time — familiar and without pretentions. There is a reason Cobain’s writing has been able to endure decade after decade of examination: the man knew how communicate emotion in a way few have been able to match since. This is simply another piece in the chronicles of an icon, one that we recommend taking time to study yourself.

“Montage of Heck: The Home Recordings” is available on Apple Music Nov 13.