Album of the Week - Vol. 24

Push the Sky Away NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS (2013)
Week: Tue 14th to Mon 20th February 2023
Format: Spotify, iPod, CD and vinyl
Producer: Nick Launay with Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Track listing:
1. We No Who U R *
2. Wide Lovely Eyes
3. Water's Edge
4. Jubilee Street *
5. Mermaids *
6. We Real Cool
7. Finishing Jubilee Street
8. Higgs Boson Blues *
9. Push the Sky Away *
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 42:40

Celebrating the tenth anniversary of its release this week is Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds' fifteenth studio album, Push the Sky Away. I was alerted to this fact by various social media posts from the official Nick Cave accounts. It got me thinking about the album, and how much I liked it. To give me a bit of a push, the next round of posts detailed that for a limited time, the live album launch they performed at Fonda Theatre in L.A. during February 2013, was available to stream for free. I didn't need much encouragement! To https://ptsa.nickcave.com/live-stream (link now defunct) I ventured, and streamed I did! I'd ever seen the show before, and apparently it was released live via YouTube when they first performed it, but it was only available for 24 hours afterwards. I don't believe that it had been seen since. Well, legally anyway. 

The concert started with the band playing the album in full, filmed in black and white footage. Noticeably absent is longtime Bad Seeds drummer Thomas Wylder, who was battling illness at the time, so percussion and drum duties fell to Jim Sclavunos and the newly-returned Barry Adamson. Although Adamson only plays bass on two tracks on Push the Sky Away, he remains on stage throughout the show, contributing guitar, keyboards and backing vocals. His appearance on this record is one of many notable facts, as this was his first time on a Bad Seeds album since 1986's Your Funeral...My Trial. It was great to see the late Conway Savage behind a keyboard, and the mighty Martyn P. Casey on the bass, of course. Cave's right hand man since the late nineties, Mr Warren Ellis, is ever present on an array of loops, instruments and even a little conducting of the small string section. George Vjestica plays on a couple of tracks on the record too, but I am unsure if he is onstage for this concert. There was at least one person I didn't recognise. 

The band, and previously mentioned string section, are also joined by a group of young children from the Silverlake Conservatory, all donned in wireless headsets. Kids from Ecole Saint Martin sing on three of the songs of Push the Sky Away, but these children sing on almost everything they're on stage for. This live performance is just as mesmerising as the recording, with Cave occasionally calling attention to the singing children. Ahhh, scary Uncle Nick, he he he...  

Once the album is flawlessly recreated, the film stock changes to full colour and the group launch into some of their old classics, starting with From Her to Eternity. The children remain with the band for O Children and The Ship Song before they retire for the night. As they begin to leave someone in the crowd yells for them to play Stagger Lee, to which replies "Well, we can't right now..", he he he, protective Uncle Nick. They then run through terrific renditions of Red Right Hand, Deanna, Love Letter and The Mercy Seat. Anyway, the performance was very enjoyable, and if you're a fan and it's still available, I highly recommend it. 

Back to the album in question! I think I bought this shortly after it came out. I had dabbled in Nick Cave's music since 1995's Murder Ballads, but have never really warmed to his eighties output. But I had amassed most of his albums since that landmark offering. While I've listened to bits of them, I don't own the Grinderman albums either. I think it was either word of mouth, or good reviews, or something which drew me to wanting this album, and I bought it without hearing any of the tracks. 

The first notes of album opener We No Who U R drew me in and I loved the track instantly. Although I did enjoy the rest of the album as a whole, it would take a few more listens before I 'got' some songs. Jubilee Street was probably the next track that I really took to. It seemed to be the perfect marriage between previous Bad Seed eras and the new one. The voices of the children in the song's climax just added that little something that made you feel that this was a bit special. Whereas We No Who U R used imagery and feeling in weaving a melody, Jubilee Street is more of a narrative affair, harking back to songs like The Carny and Red Right Hand. The closing title track also became a firm favourite. Almost hypnotic, and somehow sorrowful and uplifting at the same time, it's just a brilliant final song. Set right down in Cave's lower register, it feels like the full stop some albums want but never get. 

Other songs took me a while to really appreciate, and I don't think I've ever really taken to Wide Lovely Eyes, although it's a pleasant enough listen. Written for Cave's wife Susie Bick (who also graces the cover), the constant jarring loop took a bit of getting used to. While it's my least favourite song on the album, it's still pretty good. Two songs really came alive for me after I saw Nick Cave perform at the Fremantle Arts Centre in November 2014 for his solo Australasian tour. Despite being billed as solo Cave, there were still some Bad Seeds in tow, namely Ellis, Casey, Wylder and Adamson. The intention was make those shows an intimate affair, and not a full-blown Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds tour. But yes, the two songs in question were Mermaids and Higgs Boson Blues. I'd always kinda liked them, but after watching Cave draw the crowd in with the latter just changed the way I heard the song. He reached out and touched members of the audience like an evangelical figure, rather than a singer. His swagger and charisma was something to behold. Mermaids really came alive that night as well, with Ellis' wonderful guitar solo at the song's end garnering praise from Cave: "Warren, that was bloody lovely". The studio recording fades out unfortunately, and there's no solo, something that was rectified on the performance of it on Live from KRCW, which was issued in late 2013. I was nearly won over by Water's Edge that night as well, with Cave's suggestive interpretive dance painting a clearer picture than the studio recording. Casey's thundering bass on We Real Cool had a similar effect on me, and I dig both tracks now.

The concept of the song Finishing Jubilee Street, I absolutely love. The narrative just follows Cave after he has completed writing Jubilee Street and falls into a dream. The song didn't really do it for me though. It felt a bit like it was tacked on, despite its direct relevance to the album. I have since grown to really dig the track. I managed to let go of what it might have been, and accept it for what it is. There's a dreamy quality to it, which enhances the feverishness of Cave's descriptive lyrics. Anyway, it's an album I have come to cherish now, and it would be right up there with my favourite Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds records. It's possibly the record that has seen me cross over from casual listener to definite fan. 

There are definite eras in The Bad Seeds as members come and go, and Push the Sky Away ushers in another one. The aforementioned Grinderman albums Cave recorded with Bad Seeds alumni Ellis, Casey and Sclavunos bookend 2008's excellent Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! record, which was the last long player he released with The Bad Seeds. This mini-era was somewhat overshadowed by the thankfully short-lived arrival of Cave's moustache. Push the Sky Away is also the first album produced after the departure of founding Bad Seed Mick Harvey in 2009. Cave's right hand man for many years, the hole Harvey left the group was now being filled by Ellis, who brought loops and soundscapes to this record, cementing the new direction the band would be moving in. Where Ellis' songwriting contributions were peppered throughout earlier albums he played on, he is front and centre with Cave on this one. All songs being written by the two of them, save for Water's Edge and Finishing Jubilee Street which have drummer Wylder receiving co-credit. Sadly, this album would also be the last recorded appearance of Bad Seed Conway Savage, who passed away in 2018 after being diagnosed with a brain tumour the year before. 

Unlike some of my other subjects of the Album of the Week blog posts, I made sure to listen to this record in a variety of ways. Firstly, I wanted a headphone experience, so I streamed it via the Spottersfy. Next, it became my soundtrack in the car as I went to and from a gig over the weekend, via my iPod. At opportune times at home I spun the vinyl and the CD as well. I managed to nab the vinyl copy on Record Store Day in April 2019, while we were in St Kilda, having just seen Norah Jones a night or two beforehand. One thing I liked about listening to it in different ways is that you hook into different aspects. I really liked the vinyl experience, as Mermaids gets a chance to sink in a little bit before you flip the disc. Something that's missing in today's listening. And also holding a record-sized cover of the album artwork. 

Push the Sky Away is the sound of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds entering a new playing field. I've really enjoyed the subsequent releases of Skeleton Tree (2016) and Ghosteen (2019), with the three albums making up an unofficial trilogy of sorts. Cave and Ellis' duo effort Carnage from 2021 is also excellent. Cave teased via The Red Hand Files that there was a new Bad Seeds album coming out this year. The bad news was that he had yet to write it, he he he. I'm very interested to see what comes next.

Happy 10th anniversary, Push the Sky Away!

Album of the Week - Vol.15

Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS (2004)
Week: Mon 28th October to Sun 3rd November 2019
Format: CD/iPhone/iPod
Producer(s): Nick Launay and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Track listing:
Disc One - ABATTOIR BLUES
1. Get Ready For Love *
2. Cannibal's Hymn
3. Hiding All Away *
4. Messiah Ward *
5. There She Goes, My Beautiful World
6. Nature Boy
7. Abattoir Blues *
8. Let the Bells Ring
9. Fable of the Brown Ape
Disc Two - THE LYRE OF ORPHEUS
1. The Lyre of Orpheus
2. Breathless *
3. Babe, You Turn Me On *
4. Easy Money *
5. Supernaturally
6. Spell
7. Carry Me
8. O Children *
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 82:30

Turning fifteen at the start of 2019, this is the thirteenth offering from Messrs Cave & Bad Seeds and it's also their first double album. As with many double albums, it's a sprawling document of many moods, and some songs only seem to work within the context of the record. Having said that, this is one of my favourite long players from Nick and the lads, and it's also the album that gave me a bit of a push into delving a little deeper into the Cave. Pun absolutely intended.

While this has been presented as a double album made up of two separate records, I don't really hear a huge amount of difference between them. Some critics have remarked that The Lyre of Orpheus is a much mellower affair, but there's just as much gallop and swagger on offer, although maybe there's an extra ballad or two. For Abattoir Blues, drum duties went to long-serving Bad Seed and multi-instrumentalist Jim Sclavunos (before the formation of Grinderman) with the band's regular drummer Thomas Wylder handling The Lyre of Orpheus. Their different styles might be the main reason why some say there is a definite change of feel between the two albums. Sclavunos seems to go on the attack, while Wylder (who has been in the band since 1985) is little more restrained and subtle. Interestingly, Sclavunos would also drum on the irreverent Grinderman albums which would bookend Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!!, NC&tBS' excellent 2008 record. But to me, I don't see the two records as being that wildly varied from each other, and it comes across as a considered and well-constructed double album.

As is the case with most double albums, there is some filler here. And again, like most double albums, this possibly could have been whittled down a bit to make for a strong single disc. To me, the closing track of Abattoir Blues, Fable of the Brown Ape, sticks out like a sore thumb, as does the title track of The Lyre of Orpheus. In fact, the latter's menacing tone and dark subject matter is the main reason I can't see the second album as mellow. As a suggested step towards better listening, I would remove those two songs and bang, you've got an absolute cracker. Plus, Let The Bells Ring flows brilliantly into album highlight Breathless..and all the songs would fit on one disc!

The double record gets off to an absolutely ripping start with Get Ready For Love. Its immediacy slaps you in the face, and the joyous fervour of the lyrical delivery threatens some sort of religious conversion. While Cave and Co. utilised the wondrous vocals of Kate and Anna McGarrigle on 2001's No More Shall We Part, they employ a full female choir on most of this album; and the opening track has them at the forefront of the sound, not buried behind the music. While there is a lot of harmony blocks, there are occasional solos, soaring counter-melodies and on Hiding All Away, sinister giggles. For six female backup singers, they sound like a church full of gospel singers. The first four songs are all fantastic, with Sclavunos's drumming either thundering through the speakers or delivering the band to their destination at a fantastic gallop. 

Since joining The Bad Seeds in 1994, Warren Ellis' contribution to their albums has increased in importance exponentially. So much so that the inner sleeve photos on their new album Ghosteen only feature Cave and Ellis.The last three releases of the group have seen a reliance on Ellis' loops as well. His fingerprints are all over this double record, whether providing lovely and understated violin plucks on Babe, You Turn Me On or a jaunty intro on Let The Bells Ring, his ability to enrich the sound of The Bad Seeds is crucial. A good thing too, as this album was the first one the band recorded after the departure of longtime Bad Seed Blixa Bargeld, who had been in the fold since 1983. Thankfully, this record still benefits from the fantastic musicality of Mick Harvey, who would leave the group in 2009. Harvey had been Cave's right hand man since the early years of The Boys Next Door and The Birthday Party, and it's a role that Ellis appears to effortlessly slip in to after Harvey's exit. 

This album is also the first of two Bad Seeds releases to feature James Johnston on organ, and the wonderful late Conway Savage continues to handle piano duties. Ex-Triffids band member Martyn P. Casey wields his bass guitar deftly, and since joining the group in 1990 has been Wylder's constant in the rhythm section. Oh, except for Sclavunos' work on the first album of this set, of course! Casey's excellent playing can either be the heartbeat of a song, or can subtly underline the sound and feel. His bass part on 1997's wondrous Into My Arms almost goes unnoticed, but it's perfect.

Now, as I mentioned before, if you trim away Fable of the Brown Ape and The Lyre of Orpheus, you are left with a fantastic set of songs. The highlights are many, and the moods swing from whimsical ballad Breathless to cynical blues/rocker Abattoir Blues to the simmering dream pop of O Children. A lot of the tracks on this album rank among my favourites in the Cave catalog, and I was a little disappointed that nothing from here made the setlist for Distant Sky live concert film. But it was here that my passing interest in Cave's work took a firmer hold.

I've always struggled to enjoy the early years of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, and it's not until the excellent Henry's Dream from 1992 that I really start to get into all that's on offer. I only acquired that record fairly recently, and it's the earliest NC&tBS outing where I can listen to every song, and for the most part, enjoy it. The first album of theirs I ever bought was 1996's Murder Ballads, and that was mainly out of curiosity. I really liked the early single Where The Wild Roses Grow with Kylie Minogue, but I was quite interested in the concept of a record entirely made up of songs of doomed relationships and murder most foul. While I liked some of the tracks instantly, others took years to really get under my skin. When The Boatman's Call was released the following year, and with it Into My Arms, I thought that there might be something worth delving into here. So, I got my hands on the 1998 The Best of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, and left it at that for a good few years.

Not sure what possessed me to nab this double album, but it would have been a coupla years after its initial release. I think I had seen a documentary on ABC about Cave's songs and a few of them appealed to me. I was still buying JJJ's Hottest 100 CDs at the time too, and every year or so another NC&tBS track would pop up. I have a feeling I got No More Shall We Part at the same time as Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus. Anyway, long story short, except for 2003's much derided (and defended) Nocturama album, I have all the CDs from Henry's Dream to Ghosteen. It was this double offering that really got it's hooks in me though. The astonishing power of that fab opening track Get Ready For Love, the whimsical pop of Breathless, the moody plod of Messiah Ward, the swirling desire of Babe, You Turn Me On; these are songs that I never tire of. I've had this album on my iPhone for years now, so I always have a copy with me. While there might be better records in Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds' catalog, this was the one that landed me.