Abattoir Blues / Lyre of Orpheus
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Music CD Cover
Edition: Music CDCD Release Date: 2004-10-26
Music Label: Anti
Soundtracks:
Music CD 1
- Get Ready For Love
- Cannibals Hymn
- Hiding All Away
- Messiah Ward
- There She Goes, My Beautiful World
- Nature Boy
- Abattoir Blues
- Let The Bells Ring
- The Fable Of The Brown Ape
- The Lyre Of Orpheus
- Breathless
- Babe You Turn Me On
- Easy Money
- Supernaturally
- Spell
- Carry Me
- O Children
Free Music Notes for Abattoir Blues / Lyre of Orpheus
Free Music Review: Nick Cave Triumphant
Hit: 5 Stars
Ever since the release of The Boatman's Call, Nick Cave has been subjected to a slew of criticism regarding his having "gone soft," "sold out," or what-have-you. I'll grant that the change from the demonic energy of Let Love In or Murder Ballads was pretty dramatic, but I've never had much of a problem with the "new" style -- and I find No More Shall We Part to be a work of absolute genius. However, it is certain that Nocturama was probably the tamest Bad Seeds album yet, dominated by ballads and only occasionally punctuated by outbursts like "Dead Man in my Bed." This is all well and good, but there is no question that the Bad Seeds are a very tight and intense group, and it makes little sense to rein them in too much.
All this climaxed in the departure of integral Bad Seed Blixa Bargeld, German avant-guitarist and frontman of industrial band Einsturzende Neubauten. Quite frankly, when I heard some pre-realeased sound clips from Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus, I couldn't hear much besides some gospel choir singing and a few segments of Nick going on about wistaria and juniper, and I sadly assumed that Bargeld was the only person keeping the band's "edginess" together, and that Abattoir/Lyre would be little more than Nocturama's weakest cuts spread out over two, agonizing albums.
Fortunately, I couldn't have been more wrong. The only thing Bargeld's departure seems to have done is convince Mick Harvey to add some chaotic Blixa-esque touches to his guitar work, and Cave himself is clearly at a songwriting peak. Chanelling the sense of bifurcation that made Nocturama seem a little unbalanced, Nick and the Seeds put most of the rambunctious songs on one CD (Abattoir Blues) and the ballads on the other (The Lyre of Orpheus). This is not nearly so bad an idea as it seems; there are no real problems with variety.
The first CD begins strongly with the gospel-tinged "Get Ready for Love." Nick doesn't introduce the gospel choir gradually, by any means; they're booming "Praise Him!" within the first couple of seconds. I have to admit, the gospel-choir sound is an acquired taste; fortunately, considering music of this quality, it's not terribly difficult to acquire. Not all the songs on Abattoir are quite so rumbustious as this opener (the excellent Cannibal's Hymn, for instance) but the tone is generally intense. My vote for best cut goes to Hiding All Away -- this brilliant piece of songwriting starts quietly, tension gradually winding as Nick's voice alternates with blazing guitars, the whole thing ending with Cave and the entire choir shouting "there is a war coming." Awesome stuff.
The Lyre of Orpheus is supposed to be the "quiet" album, but the title track/opener is anything but quiet. The song is funny in a dark way, but I can't quite tell what Cave is trying to say; the way in which he makes Orpheus into a figure of horror and destruction seems to question the validity of musical creation at all. Fascinating lyrics. Tracks 3 and 4 -- "Breathless" and "Babe, You Turn Me On" -- are my favorite from this CD until the closer, "O Children," which is probably the best song on either CD. It is perfectly paced, the lyrics are glorious, and the conclusion is absolutely transcendent. Don't miss this.
It's true, a few of the songs on each CD tend to sound like slightly less inspired versions of the better cuts; but this sort of thing is nearly inevitable on double albums. I don't know if Nocturama should be called a misstep, but even so, Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus is an astonishing "return to form." At the price for which this double album is being sold, it ought not be missed.
Abattoir Blues / Lyre of Orpheus Poster
Nick Cave changed the sound of music as part of the seminal goth-punks The Birthday Party. With his band of 20 years, The Bad Seeds, his solo work has veered between poignant gospel-inflected ballads and the steamy thud of backwater blues and country. This double album showcases both these sides of Cave's songwriting, with The Bad Seeds rising to fine, even funky, form. "Abattoir" is more rock 'n' roll with gospel overtones and salacious grooves, while "Lyre" is rawer and more experimental with a lot of acoustic instrumentation.Alternative Rock Music CDs
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