UUSI NICK CAVE 2CD (2004) - ILMAINEN TOIMITUS

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds:
Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus
2CD (2004)

When Blixa Bargeld left Nick Cave's Bad
Seeds, who would have predicted his de-
parture would result in one of the finest
offerings in the band's catalog? Abbatoir
Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus is a double
CD or, rather, two completely different al-
bums packaged in one very handsome
box with a stylish lyric booklet and subtly
colored pastel sleeves. They were record-
ed in a total of 16 days.Abbatoir Blues the
first disc in the set (packaged in pink, of
course), is a rock & roll record. Yeah, the
same guy who released the Boatman's
Call, No More Shall We Part, and Noctu-
rama albums has turned in a pathos-dren-
ched volume-cranked rocker full of crunch,
punishment -- and taste. Drummer Jim
Sclavunos' aggressive propulsive kit work
is the bedrock of this set. It and Mick Har-
vey's storm-squall guitar playing shake
things loose on Get Ready for Love which
opens the album. As Cave goes right for
God in the refrain - "get ready for love" -
in the maelstrom, a gospel choir roaring
"praise Him" responds. His tense, ambi-
valent obsession with theology is pervasi-
ve; he mocks the Western perception of
God in the heavens yet seeks the mystery
of His nature. That he does so while care-
ening through a wall of noisy rock damage
is simply stunning. It leaves the listener
revved up and off-center for what comes
next. The chorus -- members of the Lon-
don Community Gospel Choir -- is preva-
lent on both records; the Bad Seeds' ar-
rangement utilizes them wisely as coun-
terpoint and mirror for Cave's own barito-
ne. "Cannibal's Hymn" begins as a love
song musically; it's chocked with Cave's
dark wit and irony and ends far more agg-
ressively while retaining its melody. The
single, "Nature Boy," finds itself on Scal-
vunos' big beat. Cave and his piano use
love's irony in contrast with cheap innuen-
do as underlined by the choir in their best
soul croon. "Let Them Bells Ring" is a
most dignified and emotionally honest tri-
bute to Johnny Cash and the world he
witnessed. The Western wrangle of "The-
re She Goes, My Beautiful World" referen-
ces Morricone's desert cowboy groove
against a swirling cacophony of drums,
bashing piano, and the chorus swelling
on the refrain, while Cave name drops
Johnny Thunders and poet Philip Larkin.
The pace is fantastic; its drama and musi-
cal dynamics are pitched taut with lulls in
all the right places.

The Lyre of Orpheus, by contrast, is a
much quieter, more elegant affair. It is
more consciously restrained, its attention
to craft and theatrical flair more prevalent.
But that doesn't make it any less satisfy-
ing. It is a bit of a shock after Abbatoir
Blues, but it isn't meant for playing imme-
diately afterward; it is a separate listening
experience. The title track tells the myth's
tale in Cave's ironical fashion, where God
eventually throws a hammer at the sub-
ject and Eurydyce threatens to shove his
lyre up his nether orifice. Warren Ellis'
swampy bouzouki and Thomas Wydler's
more stylized drumming move the band
in the tense, skeletal swirl where chorus
and Cave meet the music in a loopy dan-
ce. But in "Breathless," the bard of the lo-
ve song emerges unfettered at the top of
his poetic gift. On Babe You Turn Me On
he wraps a bawdy yet tender love song
in a country music waltz to great effect.
But on this album, along with the gentle-
ness, is experimentation with textures
and wider dimensions. The sparser sound
is freer, less structured; it lets time slip
through the songs rather than govern them, check the wall of Ellis' strings married
to a loping acoustic guitar on the moving
"Carry Me" as an example. Cave's nasti-
ness and wit never remains absent for
long, however, and on "O Children," the
album's closer, it returns with this skin-
crawlingly gorgeous ballad of murder and
suicide.This set is an aesthetic watermark
for Cave a true high point in a long career
that is ever looking forward.

Eclectic and powerful post-punk band
that's steadily evolved under the leaders-
hip of one of rock's most celebrated song-
writers.

Levyjen lukumäärä:  2

Levyn mukana tulee 24-sivuinen kirjanen.

Genre:  alternative pop/rock, indie rock

Abattoir Blues
    
01. Get Ready For Love  5:05
02. Cannibal's Hymn  4:54
03. Hiding All Away  6:31
04. Messiah Ward  5:14
05. There She Goes,
      My Beautiful World  5:17
06. Nature Boy  4:54
07. Abattoir Blues  3:58
08. Let The Bells Ring  4:26
09. Fable Of The Brown Ape  2:45
        
The Lyre Of Orpheus    

01. The Lyre Of Orpheus  5:36
02. Breathless  3:13
03. Babe, You Turn Me On  4:21
04. Easy Money  6:43
05. Supernaturally  4:37
06. Spell  4:25
07. Carry Me  3:37
08. O Children  6:51

2CD on UUSI ja muoveissa.

Levy-yhtiö:  Virgin

Nopeat ja luotettavat toimitukset !

ILMAINEN TOIMITUS !