In the Book Notes series, authors create and discuss a music playlist that relates in some way to their recently published book.
Liz Allan’s novel In Bloom is a propulsive and bold debut that brings the early 1990s back to life through its literal band of teenage protagonists.
The Observer wrote of the book:
“Written in an eerie first person plural – ‘We practice our songs on the skate home, singing in harmony, over and over’ – that narrates short, propulsive chapters, In Bloom is deeply evocative of 1990s suburbia, passionate teenage friendships and the looming shadow of patriarchal violence.”
In her own words, here is Liz Allan’s Book Notes music playlist for her debut novel In Bloom:
In Bloom explores the redemptive power of friendship for a group of disenfranchised young women. It’s also a story about being the biggest Nirvana fans in THE WORLD. What follows is a list of the best Nirvana songs according to grunge band The Bastards: Amy, Violet, Jade and (ex-member) Lily Lucid.
“In Bloom”
In Bloom is the second song on the 1991 album Nevermind and features one of Amy’s favourite choruses about an American man who loves guns but doesn’t know why. This song features the quintessential Nirvana style of quiet verse followed by deafening chorus, and the black and white music video is an amusing satire of 1960s band performances on American talk shows. Nirvana wear pinstriped suits and bop in unison with robotic smiles. Kurt Cobain wears his grungy hair in a conservative ponytail while Dave Grohl rocks a platinum blonde wig. Amy finds this video hilarious, although she would secretly sacrifice anything in the world just to be one of the screaming fans in the audience.
“Love Buzz”
Love Buzz is one of Violet’s favourite songs because of the sludgy bass riff. The other girls don’t rate it due to the cheesy lyrics, but Violet is a romantic at heart. Plus, they have to agree that the Live at the Paramount 1991 recording is legendary. Love Buzz is a song by Dutch rock band Shocking Blue, and Nirvana put out a cover in 1988. The story goes that Kurt went into a local radio station and handed over a physical copy of the single and asked them to play it. He sat in his car and waited, and when they didn’t do what he asked Kurt called the radio station hotline and anonymously requested it. Violet would never do something so self-promoting, being the shyest member of the group. But every time Violet hears this song, she feels a rush of adrenaline that obliterates all of her petty insecurities for 3 minutes and 35 seconds.
“About a Girl”
Lily Lucid’s favourite Nirvana song is About a Girl; the MTV Unplugged in New York version. This was the first song of the set, and an unpopular choice at the time because of its softer, pop sound. But from the opening bar you can tell that the set is going to be something special, a performance that will go down in history. What Lily loves most about the song is the earnestness and romanticism of the lyrics, and the raw, heartfelt vocals. Kurt has a crush on a girl, so he picks a number and stands in line. He promises that if the girl gives him a date, he will be there for her. Lily Lucid had to grow up quickly, and she doesn’t believe in much anymore. But she believes in him.
“Breed”
Jade is adamant that the definitively best version of Breed is on the Live in Amsterdam recording. With its aggressive drumming and driving beat, this is the song that established Dave Grohl as an otherworldly, talent-fuelled beast. Breed is also one of the songs the Bastards always put on and dance to during sleepovers because the intro goes OFF. It’s a test of Jade’s stamina when they perform it, and she had to practice for a long time in private before she was willing to share. The guitar riff compliments the drumming so perfectly that Jade feels in harmony with the band when they play it. This is a rare feeling because Amy and Violet are constantly messing with her tempo. The lyrics of this song speak to Jade on a personal level, as she is absolutely certain that she will never have children. The birth of her twin brothers, while appearing to be a source of joy for her mother, was the death knell to Jade’s belief about the necessity of procreation.
“Lithium”
Lithium is one of Violet’s favourite songs because the bass is what holds it all together. Kris Novoselic uses a Gibson RD Artist with a giant, clear and surging staccato that Violet can only dream of with her beginner fingers and cheap Yamaha. But she still loves the song because it’s bouncy and fun and she can play with the counter melodies instead of just trying to keep up with Amy. Plus, the distortion sounds so thick and fuzzy, like that woolly sea green cardigan Kurt wears in the music video, god he’s beautiful she just loves him so much.
“Where Did You Sleep Last Night”
Lily Lucid has a recorded copy of Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged in New York performance on tape and the Bastards used to have sleepovers in Lily’s back room and watch it repeatedly. Where Did You Sleep Last Night is one of Lily’s favourites, even though it’s not an original Nirvana song. There’s a moment in the final chorus when Kurt opens his blue eyes wide and howls, his grief otherworldly, like something born out of an abyss. Lily rewinds the moment over and over, wishing she could provide Kurt comfort for his pain. This American folk song from the 1870s is the perfect ending to the live performance: the haunting cello like the wind through the trees, and the grieving widow’s blood-chilling scream at the end. It makes Lily want to cry every time she hears it and she imagines the woman lost in the woods, her husband dead in a gruesome car accident.
“Been a Son”
Jade hums the chorus of this song over and over, following the Bastard’s arrest. Been a Son is a song about a brand-new American father bemoaning the misfortune of having a baby girl. Jade is so tough that she can win a game of bloody knuckles, but she often wonders if life would have been easier if she’d been born a boy. Been a Son is repetitive and catchy and Jade likes to drum and sing along to the things she might have done. Jade hums this song while sitting in a plastic chair in the cop shop with Violet and Amy. They wait for their mothers to arrive after getting picked up by a patrol for break and enter. The Bastards are in a big trouble, and as they wait for their punishment to be handed out, they hum the lyrics of the chorus together, wondering if things might have been different if they had been born sons.
“Something in the Way”
Amy loves the song Something in the Way, even though she finds it difficult to sing. Butch Vig, the producer for Nevermind, said himself that this was the hardest song on the album to record. It’s a mournful song about being homeless and afraid, as soft and sinister as a paper cut. The cello is mournful and bereaving and it’s a bit out of tune but that just adds to the creepiness. The timing is difficult, and it’s hard for the band to get it right when they practise. Every time Amy sings this song she imagines being all alone in the world, without the Bastards to protect her. She feels the coldness of the river, hears the dripping water through the broken tarp and sees the drowning fish on the riverbank. When the song ends, Amy comes back to herself. She looks at her friends on either side of her and is reassured that she is safe.
Bonus Track 1
“Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle”
This song is a favourite of the band to play together. They rate the grating guitars and heavy distortion and the melodic chorus. Most of all they like the lyrics of the song, which are about a beautiful and talented American actress who was persecuted by the media, locked in a psych ward against her will, and eventually diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Kurt is an outspoken supporter of freaks, weirdos, and underdogs: people like the Bastards who live on the edges. Kurt read multiple biographies of Frances Farmer and wrote a song about her enacting justice for her mistreatment, imagining a better ending than the one she was given. Kurt’s advocacy for all the weirdos of the world is one of the many reasons the Bastards adore him.
Bonus Track 2
“Aneurysm”
The Bastards agree that Aneurysm should have been a single, rather than a B-side. The song goes off, with pounding drums and constant change ups in tempo and intensity creating an urgent, adrenaline-pumping song that the Bastards have to choice but to mosh to. The chord progressions make it a tough one for them to play together but one of their favourites to dance to and they put it on in Lily’s back room and they turn it up loud and they throw their hair and limbs everywhere and they just FEEL FREE. Plus, they all know that when Kurt sings, ‘she keeps it pumping straight to my heart’ he’s not singing about Courtney Love, or even Tobi Vail. He’s singing about them.
Liz Allan’s fiction has won the Rachel Funari Prize and been shortlisted for the Alan Marshall Short Story Award, the Aesthetica Creative Writing Prize, and the Overland Writers Residency, and longlisted for the Leicester Writes Short Story Prize. She is the author of the novel In Bloom and her short stories have appeared in Overland, Verge, Yen magazine, Aesthetica, and Best Summer Stories 2018. She teaches at an all-girls school in the United Kingdom.