METZ “II”

METZ

II

[SubPop; 2015]

Rating: 8.5

Brett Morgen’s HBO documentary Montage of Heck is a gut-punch for anyone who grew up listening to Nirvana and lived through the eventual suicide of Kurt Cobain. In the film, Cobain’s life is told through his own home videos, journals, and drawings, all conveying the troubled life of a genius that never truly felt accepted by those around him and the world as a whole. As I watched this therapeutic film, I couldn’t help but wonder if we’d ever have another artist come along that has as big of an impact on a generation as Kurt had on Generation X. In a musical landscape that is littered with Justin Beibers and Taylor Swifts, where are those kids who were weaned by Nirvana from birth and why hasn’t that influence resonated in the music of today?

In what could only be a sign from beyond, the latest METZ album, II, arrived in the mail the day after I viewed the documentary.   On their sophomore release, this trio of 20-somethings from Calgary, Canada burst from the confines of the recording studio with a frenzied dissonance and unbridled fury that could only come from the womb of Nirvana.

Video Clip of the Week: Miley Cyrus vs. Elaine Benes

As a Nirvana fan boy, Miley Cyrus performing “Smells Like Teen Spirit” should offend me. But it doesn’t. This is probably due to this video’s splicing of her dance moves with clips of Elaine Benes cutting a rug.

On a side note, it’s crazy to think that “Seinfeld” is still the funniest thing on TV.