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Album Review
by SashaS
20-9-2004
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More on: Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
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| Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' twin-CD |
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Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds: 'Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus'
(Mute)
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: “…Ring/… the real, real thing”
A twin-album only a year after the previous one? On top of losing one of the main members? Well, that’s Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, or the man himself… The way he manages to be so prolific [despite a marriage and offspring], it is having an office-cum-studio not far from home where he faces his creative juices [or droughts] diurnally.
The method obviously works well as ‘Abattoir Blues’ and ‘The Lyre of Orpheus’ are class discs that supplant equally standard-setting ‘Nocturama’ of last year. But, this could also be a turning point as it is the first album without Blixa Bargeld who decided to resign from his dual membership after a decade and re-concentrate on own Eisturzende Neubaten.
Without this guitar cherry-topping sidekick, the sounds has shifted toward keyboards, with former Gallon Drunk leader James Johnston behind a bank alongside Nick himself; there are also additional strings by Warren Ellis. That comes on later: first, and obviously ‘Abattoir’ is more bluesy, on with some deeply uplifting songs, such as ‘Cannibal’s Hymn’ or the epicly rousing ‘Hiding All Away’ or the title tracks that beats rather percussively… The concluding ‘Fable of the Brown Ape’ is a dread-blues…
‘The Lyre of Orpheus’ part of the 13th album [with Bad Seeds] is a more eclectic affair… The title track opens the parade of songs and it takes you down the dark alleys of emo-outsiders, raising their frightened voices from the silence of history. It is often gospelish [London Community Gospel Choir is most impressive on ‘Carry Me’], truly mellow on ‘Babe, You Turn Me On’, ‘Supernaturally’ goes for in-your-emotions approach, ‘O Children’ is a harrowing story about mass suicide [or murder] presented in a lullaby form.
Full of lyrical twists and references you may need to consult few books to get the full grasp of the themes; to that end, just a thought, perhaps Cave should start including bibliography. This analytical mind marches on in search of a meaning in words and sounds… Nick is the most literate of contemporary Auteurs and Morrissey-type hyped persons can only dream of being this distinctive.
One of Mr Cave’s heroes, the original Man-in-Black - Johnny Cash, died about a year ago… A veritable legend, the status which this Australian maverick deserves to atrtain, probably the only one out of his generation. Come to think of it, isn’t he already eligible for the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame?
Check: The Boys Next Door, that would evolve into The Birthday Party, were formed in 1977 and their debut album appeared few years later, as a matter of record.
9/10
SashaS
20-9-2004
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds's album ‘Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus’ is released 20 September 2004 by Mute
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