Review: Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds- Push The Sky Away
In General, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds predominantly create
tense, reserved, gothic “alternative” rock. Save for the few explosive songs
here and there, their canon is relatively somber, and Cave’s very low, ominous
speak/sing voice lends itself well to that.
It’s been a minute since The Bad Seeds have put out a new
record. 2008 saw the release of Dig
Lazarus Dig, a relatively awful, bombastic rock album—carrying over many
traits from Cave’s “mid-life crisis set to music” The Grinderman. Grinderman
saw Cave abandoning his main instruments of the organ and piano, strapping on a
guitar, and writing songs like “No Pussy Blues.”
Grinderman is long gone now, put to rest after two albums.
And Push The Sky Away is a welcome
return to form for Cave, reuniting with The Bad Seeds. It’s a relatively short
affair—nine songs spanning a little less than 45 minutes. But that’s quite
enough time to spend with Mr. Cave, because damn, this is one seriously dark
affair. There’s a foreboding tension and dread that runs throughout the record,
and it specifically shows in the album’s outstanding first and second singles,
“We Know Who U R,” and “Jubilee Street.”
Physically speaking, Nick Cave seems like an unlikely
lothario. Over the course of his 30+ year career, whether fronting The Birthday
Party, or later on The Bad Seeds, his hairline continues to recede, the length
continues to grow in the back; he’s skinny, pale, and often experiments with
questionable facial hair. But Cave has been known to sneak in strange, off putting,
sexually charged lyrics—my wife has always been a little iffy on Nick Cave
specifically because of the lyric, “I put
one hand on your round, ripe heart. And the other down your panties,” from
the song “Babe, You Turn Me On,” found on his double album Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus.
(an attractive man, indeed)
Cave plays the sleaze card in the opening lines to the
albums’ fifth song, “Mermaids”, “She was
a catch, We were a match, I was the match that would fire up her snatch.”
It’s tenderly and earnestly sung, but the first time I heard it, I did a double
take to make sure I had heard him right. The rest of the song is actually quite
gorgeous, built around swirling, partially reversed guitar work.
“Mermaids” splits the album in half, and the second half of
the record begins with the Wikipedia-name dropping, menacing bass driven, edgy
as all hell “We Real Cool,” which leads right into the album’s most bizarre
track—a self-referential spoken word piece called “Finishing Jubilee Street.”
It’s about exactly what the title says—Cave walks you through what happened to
him in a dream after he finished writing “Jubilee Street.” A meta-moment like
this, coupled with the mention of Wikipedia paints an interesting, modern
picture of Cave—a man who doesn’t seem to give a shit one way or the other
about technology, modern popular culture, etc. In a way it almost humanizes
Cave as somewhat of a regular person, as opposed to the dark, shadowy lecher he
wants to come off as.
The double shot of “Finishing,” and the following track,
“Higgs Boson Blues,” slows the pacing of the record a bit. “Higgs” is a
sprawling, strange narrative, where at one point, Cave uses Hannah Montana as a
character within the song (another interesting pop culture reference to work
in, coming from a 55-year old former heroin addict.)
The record closes out with the title track, “Push The Sky
Away,” a slow burning song that continues on with the theme of tension found
throughout, built around somber organ drones.
I would say to anyone not familiar with Nick Cave that he is
an “acquired taste.” His low, speak/singy delivery may not be for everyone. And
certainly the heavy gothic tone of The Bad Seeds’ canon is not readily
accessible to a casual listen. Push The
Sky Away is a very complex, weighty record. As short as it is, it requires
multiple listens to work your way through the layers, and it is most definitely
not a “feel good” record. It’s not a “feel bad” record either. It’s moody and
distinctive, and demands your full attention while you listen.
Comments
Post a Comment