Bad Seeds, Nick Cave - No More Shall We Part
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Free Music Notes for No More Shall We Part
Free Music Review: Cave's anomalous love opus
Hit: 5 Stars
I happened to be watching "Scream 3" on cable the other night and was surprised to hear Nick Cave's "Red Right Hand" playing over an early scene in the film. Perhaps I should not have been. Cave has long been associated with the macabre, and "Red Right Hand" plays, quite literally, on one level, like a slasher film. There is a cinematic quality to a good deal of Cave's oeuvre, in spite of his tendency to philosophical posturing and his ongoing war of words with God, and that surely accounts for his popularity with film-makers as diverse as Wes Craven and Wim Wenders. That cinematic side is somewhat muted on "No More Shall We Part," Cave's latest opus, only to replaced by a melancholic thread that runs throughout the work. The tongue-in-cheek satirical edge remains, in such anti-bourgeois anthems as "God Is in the House" ("Our town is very pretty / We have a pretty little square / We have a woman for a mayor / Our Policy is firm but fair"), but the emphasis is on heartache and loss (consider the achingly beautiful "Love Letter": "I kiss the cold, white envelope / I press my lips against her name / Two hundred words. We live in hope / The sky hangs heavy with rain"). From the first Schubertian arpeggio to the last Audenesque balladic line, the mood is quietly funereal. I find this anomalous, perhaps because I read somewhere that Cave had finally found happiness in a relationship and that "No More" was intended as a reflection of that mood. Romance is indeed in the air, but Cave cannot seem to believe his good fortune. His fans reap the benefits, for this is a top-drawer album, with some of Cave's most inventive piano work and glowing harmonies from the McGarrigle sisters. The Bad Seeds have never sounded better. If you liked "Boatman's Call," you'll love "No More Shall We Part."Free Music Review: The Boatman's Dream (and then some...)
Hit: 5 Stars
I feel I've now listened to this album enough since it's release to be able to adequately review it - as akin to all Nick Cave albums it takes a while to firmly embed itself under ones skin and even longer to claw it's way up the cerebral cortex.The album begins with the quietly strummed guitar and lilting piano of the first few bars of "As I sat sadly by her side", the first single, which would seem to indicate that this album is going to become "The Boatman's Call Part II". However, as we move on it becomes apparent that this is not entirely the case.
The third track "Hallelujah" exhibits a lush musical backdrop far less spartan than anything found on the previous album and is one of the highlights of this one. From this track in, the songs are more musically complex and often louder than the previous work. It's not however until we reach "Oh my Lord" that the Bad Seeds really let rip. This song appears to be in part Cave's response to his detractors who claim he's gone a bit "soft" of late, the loud orchestration easily matching the anger of any of the pseudo-punk on "Henry's Dream" with a suitably vitriolic lyric.
Nick Cave has always been able to turn lyrical cartwheels and this album is no exception. It's the oh-so-easy mix of the sublime, mundane, ridiculous, dramatic and tragic imagery that's so moving - but I'll refrain from quoting any because I suspect that out of context it'll all seem a bit silly.
But if you fancy an album of brown cows, white kittens, lady mayors, absent nurses, buried hatchets, snarling pianos, love letters, white churches, plastic antlers, garden gates and smoking guns - go buy this one. You won't regret it!
Free Music Review: No more shall I part with this CD
Hit: 5 Stars
It seems like long-time Cave fans can't reach a consensus on this CD. As someone who "discovered" Nick Cave 2 days ago after hearing a few songs from "No More Shall We Part" at a friend's house, I can tell you I was immediately sucked in. I bought this CD yesterday and though I've heard most of the songs 5 or 6 times, I feel like I'm just scratching the surface of getting to know this wonderful music.I admit I had previously heard a tiny bit of Nick Cave, having enjoyed "(I'll Love You) Till The End Of The World" from the Soundtrack CD of Wim Wender's 1991 film of nearly the same name. But that was the limit of my exposure to him until hearing this CD.
To me it seems like each song is almost perfectly complete and beautiful except for one ovbious and aching flaw - or perhaps it is the flaws that create the beauty; I'm not sure. I think the music is nearly perfect - these are very good musicians, playing with confidence and grace. The visual (and emotional) imagery of the lyrics is often fantastic, but on a few occasions I felt Cave was too repetitive. I can certainly relate to "sweetheart come", but it gets a little numbing to hear it 14 times in a row. Maybe that's his point. The violin solo is gorgeous, though.
I could try to tell here what I love about each song, but I'd have to listen to them a few dozen more times or my narrative would be incomplete. I'll just say that "And No More Shall We Part", "Darker With The Day", and several of the others are among the most romantic and compelling songs I've ever heard. I am definitely looking forward to hearing more of this artist's music.
Free Music Review: episodes of tragedy and beauty.... 4.5 stars
Hit: 5 Stars
Songs this soft and beautiful take courage, which is something that's here in spades. These songs cry with emotion disciplined by muted but pristine and crystal clear melodies that are fully formed things. The romanticism that makes "No More Shall We Part" thematic plays like a gentle movie that is classic from the first time you saw it. Tinged with religious references, humility, and a highly literate relay of experiences that befall one who has complex thoughts on such things, the album plays like a story that eases into it's revelations with enough strength to put it's scenes right into the heart of the listener, and regardless of the past inclinations of Nick Cave, intentions good enough to endear it to anyone willing to listen.
There is a certain type of darkness that is attempted by a number of musicians that marries tragedy and beauty to get something of an accessible melancholy that is difficult to tear away from. "No More Shall We Part" achieves this beautifully, in fact it could be definitive in that regard. Playing this is like dancing with someone you've loved all your life, after divorcing them, but having the bravery to revel in what you've shared and enjoying those things in that moment. Achieving something that makes so much sense to love even in the red tint of despair is the thing that keeps these songs so rich and makes this record so fantastic.
STANDOUT TRACKS: 02- AND NO MORE SHALL WE PART, 03- HALLELUJAH 04- LOVE LETTER, 06- GOD IS IN THE HOUSE
Free Music Review: An Absolute Masterpiece
Hit: 5 Stars
2001 is shaping up to be a great year for music, but this undeniable slab of pure genius is already a front-runner for the year's best album. The range of emotions on this album is incredible, and truly showcases the dramatic capabilities of the music medium. I have not been this profoundly moved by music since Pink Floyd's The Final Cut. Describing it, and indeed, reading the lyrics sheet, does not do it justice. It simply has to be heard to be believed. Cave's voice, incredibly, has only improved with age, and his vocal croonings on this album are the best he's ever done. From the relentless vocal stylings on As I Sat Sadly By Her Side, Hallelujah, and The Sorrowful Wife to the gut-wrenching emotion displayed on the (almost) title track, to the relentless sneer on God Is In The House, Cave gives here the best performance of his career. Also, the Bad Seeds are back in full-swing here after being sidecast for most of The Boatman's Call. Cave's piano still drives the tracks, but the violins of Warren Ellis add a beautiful and significant touch to many of the tracks, the guitar playing and musical tension prevalent on past efforts are back here. The lyrics are incredible, Cave has gone back, for the most part, to "story songs" and on songs like Hallelujah, Fifteen Feet of Pure White Snow, and God Is In The House they are all too real. An absolute masterpiece. Buy this album now, buy it. If you hear a better disc this year it will be a truly outstanding accomplishment.