Just ducking in to say that the new Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds album is amazingly good. My previous take on Mr. Cave was all gloom and no sense of humor. I guess I missed something. Here’s a quote from an interview in the newest Harp magazine: “I primarily see myself as a comic writer, so it’s especially disheartening when you find that people don’t find you funny.” My apologies, Nick, ‘cause you are one funny guy.
Orpheus went leaping through the fields
Strumming as hard as he did please
Birdies detonated in the sky
Bunnies dashed their brains out on the trees
“The Lyre of Orpheus”
It’s dark black humor, but it’s still pretty hilarious. Nobody loves birdies and bunnies more than I, but the idea of sonic beauty causing spontaneous avian combustion… that, as they say, is comedy gold. Your mileage may vary, of course.
The album is quite strong musically as well. Abattoir Blues is the more rockin’ of the two discs; The Lyre of Orpheus is somewhat more contemplative. To be honest, I’ve never listened to a Bad Seeds disc all the way through before – most of what I’ve heard of them has been via radio or the film Wings of Desire. To my ears things seem to be a bit looser this time around, versus what I’ve heard of the last few releases. I don’t know if that’s a function of Blixa leaving the band or what. At any rate, I’m digging it all very much. I don’t really have time tonight to go into any sort of in depth analysis (at which point you heave a sigh of relief at having dodged that particular bullet), but I’d have to say that this is a very strong contender for album of the year.
I’ll leave you with a little more black humor. “Abattoir Blues” fits very nicely with the mood I was in earlier this week.
The sun is high up in the sky and I’m in my car
Drifting down into the abattoir
Do you see what I see, dear?
The air grows heavy. I listen to your breath
Entwined together in this culture of death
Do you see what I see, dear?
Slide on over here, let me give you a squeeze
To avert this unholy evolutionary trajectory
Can you hear what I hear, babe?
Does it make you feel afraid?
Everything’s dissolving, babe, according to plan
The sky is on fire, the dead are heaped across the land
I went to bed last night and my moral code got jammed
I woke up this morning with a Frappucino in my hand
I kissed you once. I kissed you again
My heart it tumbled like the stock exchange
Do you feel what I feel, dear?
Mass extinction, darling, hypocrisy
These things are not good for me
Do you see what I see, dear?
The line the God throws down to you and me
Makes a pleasing geometry
Shall we leave this place now, dear?
Is there someway out of here?
I wake with the sparrows and I hurry off to work
The need for validation, babe, gone completely berserk
I wanted to be your Superman but I turned out such a jerk
I got the abattoir blues
I got the abattoir blues
I got the abattoir blues
Right down to my shoes
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