Originally written Feb 20th 2013
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds have been on quite a roll as of late. Since Lyre of Orpheus, Cave and Company have delivered one great album after another (Grindermans included). But for all the power, punch and force of the last few releases, Push the Sky Away is quite the departure (musically at least). Thematically, it’s Cave delving into his usual morose territory. But here, there is a hopefulness and spirituality that I don’t think I’ve ever heard from him. Yet, that spirituality is laced and shrouded with his usual dose of irony and bitterness. As an album, it is quite cohesive, sonically, thematically, and production-wise. It almost feels like one long song. The jagged electricity of his last few efforts is replaced here by subtle textures and dream like instrumentation. It’s almost like the Boatman’s Call on acid. Of course, the center piece of this album is Jubilee Street, a bonafide masterpiece. This song is so haunting that it stays with you for days. Even for all it’s earnestness, there is still a definite darkness that surrounds the proceedings, especially on Jubilee Street. And if Jubilee Street is a peak, so is Higgs Boson Blues. Lyrically, Cave is never afraid to delve into new territory. And here, Cave most certainly unleashes some ideas I’ve never heard in a song before. Writing Jubilee Street comes to mind with it’s esoteric references to Wikipedia and various arcana and trivia that most song writers wouldn’t have a clue how to incorporate into a song. Unlike Dig Lazarus Dig, Push the Sky doesn’t set you ablaze with its power but instead it slowly cooks you over the fire.
No comments:
Post a Comment