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Abattoir Blues/The Lyre Of Orpheus by Nick Cave

Alex's Grandma

20:57 / 21.09.04

Or so the hype goes, as it usually does when Nick Cave puts out a record. There's so much residual goodwill involved with his work as far as the music crit establishment goes that whatever he does, it's never going to get uniformly bad reviews.

So a certain amount of scepticism about the latest rebirth is perhaps understandable, but it's also not justified. Basically, everyone SHOULD rush out and get themselves a copy, because there's not a bad tune on there, because it sounds feral and energised, and often pretty abandoned, because that particularly engaging streak of patent black humour's right to the fore again, and because it's just great. Damn it.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

21:20 / 21.09.04

Damn straight. It's got a lovely range of stuff on there too, from the poppy to the full-on Cavetacular ones like "Hidin' All Away". Truly splendid. Roll on Niovember and the tour.

The gospel choir is a stroke of genius, too... I was a little unsure for, like, the first few seconds, but that didn't last.

Strange to think it's the first without Blixa though.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

21:21 / 21.09.04

Oh, and "St John of the Cross did his best stuff imprisoned in a box/And Johnny Thunders was half alive when he wrote Chinese Rocks" is the best couplet ever.

Alex's Grandma

10:46 / 22.09.04

Yes, it is. I suppose as lyrics go it's some sort of comment on those of us who've wondered why he doesn't just ditch the wife and kids and start starting the day with a scotch and speedball, again. Who he was referring to on The South Bank Show that time as having felt he'd gone soft. I'm pretty sure he hasn't altered his lifestyle one iota to accommodate that point of view, but the thing is, crucially, that it sounds like he has, which, after all, is what really matters.

It's a shame about Bargeld leaving, but you can kind of imagine the conversation with the rest of the band once he'd handed in his notice -

CAVE ( slightly panicked, wanting to keep them around ) - Guys, what's the problem ?

THE BAD SEEDS ( as one ) - Mate, those ballads you've been doing lately...

CAVE - What about them ?

THE BAD SEEDS - Well no offence or anything, but they... They just aren't that interesting to play, y'know ?

CAVE - Oh. Oh okay.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

21:19 / 26.09.04

My review of it's online now at Freq.

■

06:59 / 27.09.04

I'm pissed off because there is no warning on it that it's not a normal CD. For some reason they have locked it so that it can't be played on Linux systems (which is what my stereo is based on). Muppets. This means I'll have to illegally copy it in order to play it, even though I own an original copy. Grr.

Baz Auckland

09:28 / 27.09.04

I'm annoyed that it won't be out here until the 26th of Octoberm forcing me to resort to...other...methods of getting a copy. It's great, but there's a noticeable lack of Warren Ellis's violin on it... but that's just me.

haus of fraser

13:51 / 27.09.04

I personally love it- something of a return to form- not that i didn't like all the ballad stuff, but it feels great to hear a stonker like 'get ready for love' at the start of abattoir blues - it reminds me of 'Let love in' period which is nice and nostalgic cos thats the time when I got into him. I bought it on saturday and my only complaint is its so bloody long I haven't got into all of it (a treat for the next few weeks..)
On the blixa front- its always a shame to loose a long term band member - but hey you can't knock the music when it appears to be the best thing he's done in ages (don't they always say that about Nick Cave albums though).
Also very nice packaging.
mmm textured wallpaper...

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