Published on February 17th, 2013 | by greg
0Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: Push The Sky Away:: Review
Nick Cave and Warren Ellis exorcised their demons in Grinderman for two albums and then the band imploded shortly thereafter. It’s possible that the hoary racket that Grinderman made was too much for the aging musicians to contain and they jumped ship rather than be consumed by its devilish wiles. Everyone needs a reprieve from excess from time to time so by burying Grinderman, Nick Cave freed himself up for more time with his main gig, The Bad Seeds. The group quickly went to work on their 15th album, the stunning Push The Sky Away.
Push The Sky Away is a return to the quieter realm of Cave’s oeuvre albeit infused by the bard’s pitch-black lyricism. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds aren’t in a hurry on Push The Sky Away as the tracks feature juxtaposing instrumentation akin to a muzzled Tom Waits. Doomy opener “We No Who U R” clanks along with a syncopated drum beat and chiming organ accompaniment as Cave gravely intones about burning trees and blackened hands. “Wide Lovely Eyes” is an atmospheric and melancholy sea-side jaunt that addresses a lover’s absence. The sea is reflected again in two other tracks, the menacing “Water’s Edge” and the crudely humorous “Mermaids.”
Push The Sky Away contains two of Cave’s lengthier songs, the first being the swirling, mantra-like “Jubilee Street” which offers a sharply written documentary styled view of prostitution but reserves judgement. “Higgs Boson Blues” takes its name from the particle accelerator and is a Dylanesque track that finds Cave en route to Geneva in search of any form of redemption complete with the assorted characters of Robert Johnson, Miley Cyrus and the Devil. Push The Sky Away closes with the funereal title track which urges the listener to keep on pushing on despite what others say.
Push The Sky Away is an outstanding album and is highly recommended.
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