Another Certain Success
Following the success of his gritty, garage-rock fed Grinderman project, Nick Cave is back for his fourteenth tryst with The Bad Seeds. It keeps the raw feel of the singer's recent guise and moves beyond Cave's usual examinations of all aspects of the complicated prism that is love, to explore every other emotion on the scale, relating from the Bible back to the present day.
There's a definite psychedelic sixties strut to the whole record, the Little Janie of 'Today's Lesson' is poised for a "real cool time" with skedaddling keyboard riffs and a chilled, bright bassline while opener, 'Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!' is a revved up, jangly blues tune busting straight out of the hippy haunts with sheer synth squeals and jaunty percussion.
'Moonland' is a more pared down and sexy tune with the slick guitars creeping up to your ears with a sensual closeness, embellished with shimmering tambourine and handclaps. Eerie and echoing 'Night of The Lotus Eaters' seems to shimmer from the images of latent heat hovering over desolate deserts conjured up in your mind. 'Hold Onto Yourself' inspires thoughts of similar expanses with its pained vocals echoing over a sparse backing of shuffling bass and calling guitars.
'We Call Upon The Author' to explain attempts to take God to task in an extended, colourful rant with vocal chant of, "I called upon the author to explain" and smatterings of crunchy overdrive, chiming guitars and jazzy backing. While, 'Lie Down Here' is closer to Cave's usual aggressive as her rasps, "Be my girl" over rapturous guitars and rippling keys. 'Midnight Man' is a sparkling concoction glittering from scrabbling shrill sounds and maintaining the more traditional raw rock sound as Cave snarls, "Everybody's coming round to be your midnight man'".
'Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!" is as adventurous and larger than life as you may expect from Nick Cave, its bluesy vibe and easily charms the ears, while the raw rock passion we're come to expect from The Bad Seeds is maintained.