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| ARTIST: |
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
(Google this artist) |
| ALBUM: |
No More Shall We Part |
| LABEL: |
Warner Bros. |
| RELEASED: |
2001 |
If you can get past the voice, Nick Cave’s world just might be your oyster.
To be sure, moaning and wailing have proven a tried-and-true signature for
him, and the perfect complement to his melodramatic takes on life and love.
And No More Shall We Part is chock full of tribulation, clocking in with
almost 70 minutes worth of brooding anthems and grave hymnals.
But if you can’t get past the voice, then the joke’s still on you – because
the biggest surprise about "No More" is that Cave has developed a charming
sense of humor; one that moves far beyond pedestrian wit. Despite the
continuing obsession with desolation, in all of his searching for God
Almighty amidst the muck of his Alcoholic Mind, he’s discovered a finer
appreciation for happy endings. For starters, just witness how he takes a
somber scene and nimbly trick-turns it 180 degrees in the opening track, “As
I Sat Sadly By Her Side.”
Yes, when he’s dark he can be blood-curdling – and No More traverses its fair share of tormented terrain. But it also finds Cave pushing his range,
vocally, lyrically, thematically. “God is in the House” moves from strained
tenor to almost comic whisper in rollicking, revivalist triumph, and the
respectable rant toward the end of “The Sorrowful Wife” would put even Jim
Morrison to shame. In fact, while the urgency and vitality of his approach
might suggest experimentation with standard rock-n-roll proclivities, The
Bad Seeds’ palette of stylistic exploration here is more extensive than ever
before. Nuanced and fully realized arrangements lay the framework for
Cave’s prayers, parables, and lullabies.
For Cave, the focus has always been the story, and his ability to tell one
remains both his ultimate appeal and his greatest genius. He’s still
offering up eerie spirituals (“Hallelujah,” “Fifteen Feet of Pure White Snow”),
and pleading confessionals (“Oh My Lord”). But they lack the dark
ambivalence of past work, having been replaced by a mature contemplation
capable of taking the intricacies of faith and compressing them into
childlike word craft with nursery rhyme appeal. His capacity for romantic
balladry (“Sweetheart Come,” “Gates to the Garden”) is truly inspired –
gorgeous, heartfelt, and completely void of even a hint of sarcasm. He even
manages to take a tired cliché (“Love Letter”) and spin-wash it sparkling
clean.
Ultimately, No More Shall We Part introduces us to a Nick Cave who’s been richly
transformed and opened to endless new possibilities. He reveals cool
assuredness, utter sincerity, and a faith in love’s ability to endure
despite the wicked webs we weave. It’s an awe-inspiring ride, full of
complex and beautiful emotions, yet completely void of sentimentality. And
while some diehard fans of old may decry his historical revisionism, Nick
Cave will be moving forward just the same, thank you very much. The message
is clear – he’d just as soon have us all do the same. If nothing else, this album bears witness to the tenet that creative transformation is the
ultimate power and purpose of true artistry.
review by Jon James
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©
Figgle 2001-2007