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Trollheart · 07-21-2011, 02:29 PM

No more shall we part --- Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds --- 2001 (Mute)

I became a fan of Nick Cave after hearing his albums “The good son” and “Henry's dream” play in a second-hand record store and rushing up to the counter to enquire who they were playing. Buying the albums on the spot, I was soon seeking out the likes of “Let love in”, “Murder ballads” and “The boatman's call”, though I must admit that although I did buy his earlier albums, I only listened to (and pretty much hated) “The firstborn is dead”, leaving such supposed classics as “Kicking against the pricks”, “Your funeral, my trial” and “From her to eternity” for another time. But what I have heard of Cave to date (the preceding notwithstanding) I have loved.

So when “No more shall we part” was released in 2001 I of course went right out and got it. I had hoped, in part, that it would continue the musical style and themes of “The boatman's call”, his previous album from 1997, and indeed I was not disappointed. In contrast to the earlier albums mentioned, Cave's albums have recently come across as more gentle and --- dare I say it? --- mainstream, which he would probably hate to hear, but even then, there are some downright weird tracks on this one! Given that Cave had managed to kick the heroin habit I suppose it's probably quite amazing that he managed to produce any sort of output. That he produced something of this calibre is nothing short of a miracle, and a testament not only to the man's genius and skill, but to his fortitude and his refusal to be defeated by his addiction.

It starts off with “As I sat sadly by her side”, a piano-driven lament in very Cave style, his heavy drawl, somewhat reminiscent of Bryan Ferry at times, giving the impression of a deathwatch vigil. The piano features heavily on this album, played by Cave, usually accompanied by Warren Ellis's sad and expressive violin playing, which really adds an extra layer of atmosphere and sadness to the songs. Cave is acidly critical of society in this, and other albums, but it really comes out here, as he sings ”Watch the one falling in the street/ See him gesture to his neighbours/ See him trampled beneath their feet/ All outward motion connects to nothing/ For each is concerned with their immediate need/ Witness the man reaching up from the gutter/ See the other one stumbling on who cannot see"

The title track is next, on which Cave somehow manages to make the joyous occasion of a wedding the subject of despair and dismay. Piano again carries this track, mostly on the bass side as he sings ”All the hatchets have been buried now” The song is totally acoustic, with nothing but Cave's vocal and piano for much of it until later it's joined by Ellis's violin and some percussion. A very disquieting song, to be sure, and yet very beautiful in that way Cave has of making the macabre and bizarre attractive, and what we would normally think of as pleasant being slanted to present a dark side, like the reflection of a beautiful woman glimpsed in a distorting mirror.

The album continues in this mostly sad and in some ways depressing and depressed vein, with songs like “Hallelujah” allowing something of the lunatic side of Cave's character show through. The song is again slow, with Ellis's violins moaning in the background as Cave snarls ”My piano crouched in the corner of the room/ With all its teeth bared.” The song is the tale of an old man, tended by a nurse, who gets fed up living in isolation, and who goes out for a walk and meets a woman who reminds him of what life is about, but unable to make the huge step he returns home to his living tomb. Yeah, Cave's lyrics are like that. Get used to it. Great backing vocals here by Kate and Anna McGarigle as they sing ”The tears are welling in my eyes again/ I need twenty big buckets to catch them in/ Twenty pretty girls to carry them down/ Twenty deep holes to bury them in.” Awesome, as they say.

“Love letter” is just that: a beautiful, tender, gentle ballad, as Cave tries to write the letter that will win his girl back, after he ”Said something I did not mean to say/ It all came out the wrong way.” It's a heartbreaking song of desperation and hope, and one of my favourites on the album. “God is in the house” is a sharp dig at middle America, while “Oh my Lord” is just eerie, disturbing and seems to concern the slow loss of identity and the disintegration of sanity. It radiates sweat, fear, desperation, panic and dread as it gets more and more intense.

As mentioned, the album is full of ballads and generally played in a low-key, slow fashion, though there are some exceptions, like the above and “Fifteen feet of pure white snow”, which accurately reflects the fear of being cut off in a small village by a snowstorm, and how it affects people. The biggest shock on the album is “The sorrowful wife”, which begins as a typical Cave ballad, as he laments the day he married his woman, but halfway through it absolutely explodes into a screaming attack of guitars and drums, Cave growling, shouting and snarling.

But perhaps one of the most effective ballads, and another contender for track of the album, is “We came along this road”, a bittersweet stagger down memory lane without the rose-tinted glasses. It has perhaps the best ever opening line: ”I left by the back door/ With my wife's lover's smoking gun.” Class! Again, Warren Ellis's violins help transform this track into a real stunner.

The album ends as it began, on a slow ballad, tinged with not only sadness but also nearly incandescent rage, “Darker with the day” is a song of closure, or the search for it as Cave sings ”I remembered all my friends/ Who had died of exposure/ And I remembered all the ones/ Who had died from the lack of it.” This whole album is driven by piano and violin, with most times a minimum of percussion, and above it all Cave's powerful, often understated, gravelly voice, dispensing judgement, ridicule, advice and satire like a younger Tom Waits. This is definitely one of his better albums, and a good introduction to the man's music, if you're thinking of getting your feet wet.

Just be warned: this is a road that only leads one way, and once you get sucked in, your feet will be forever on the path...

TRACKLISTING

1. As I sat sadly by her side
2. No more shall we part
3. Hallelujah
4. Love letter
5. Fifteen feet of pure white snow
6. God is in the house
7. Oh my Lord
8. Sweetheart come
9. The sorrowful wife
10. We came along this road
11. Gates to the garden
12. Darker with the day

Suggested further listening: “Henry's dream”, “The good son”, “Murder ballads”, “The boatman's call”, “Let love in”

07-21-2011, 02:29 PM	#86 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,970	No more shall we part --- Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds --- 2001 (Mute) I became a fan of Nick Cave after hearing his albums “The good son” and “Henry's dream” play in a second-hand record store and rushing up to the counter to enquire who they were playing. Buying the albums on the spot, I was soon seeking out the likes of “Let love in”, “Murder ballads” and “The boatman's call”, though I must admit that although I did buy his earlier albums, I only listened to (and pretty much hated) “The firstborn is dead”, leaving such supposed classics as “Kicking against the pricks”, “Your funeral, my trial” and “From her to eternity” for another time. But what I have heard of Cave to date (the preceding notwithstanding) I have loved. So when “No more shall we part” was released in 2001 I of course went right out and got it. I had hoped, in part, that it would continue the musical style and themes of “The boatman's call”, his previous album from 1997, and indeed I was not disappointed. In contrast to the earlier albums mentioned, Cave's albums have recently come across as more gentle and --- dare I say it? --- mainstream, which he would probably hate to hear, but even then, there are some downright weird tracks on this one! Given that Cave had managed to kick the heroin habit I suppose it's probably quite amazing that he managed to produce any sort of output. That he produced something of this calibre is nothing short of a miracle, and a testament not only to the man's genius and skill, but to his fortitude and his refusal to be defeated by his addiction. It starts off with “As I sat sadly by her side”, a piano-driven lament in very Cave style, his heavy drawl, somewhat reminiscent of Bryan Ferry at times, giving the impression of a deathwatch vigil. The piano features heavily on this album, played by Cave, usually accompanied by Warren Ellis's sad and expressive violin playing, which really adds an extra layer of atmosphere and sadness to the songs. Cave is acidly critical of society in this, and other albums, but it really comes out here, as he sings ”Watch the one falling in the street/ See him gesture to his neighbours/ See him trampled beneath their feet/ All outward motion connects to nothing/ For each is concerned with their immediate need/ Witness the man reaching up from the gutter/ See the other one stumbling on who cannot see" The title track is next, on which Cave somehow manages to make the joyous occasion of a wedding the subject of despair and dismay. Piano again carries this track, mostly on the bass side as he sings ”All the hatchets have been buried now” The song is totally acoustic, with nothing but Cave's vocal and piano for much of it until later it's joined by Ellis's violin and some percussion. A very disquieting song, to be sure, and yet very beautiful in that way Cave has of making the macabre and bizarre attractive, and what we would normally think of as pleasant being slanted to present a dark side, like the reflection of a beautiful woman glimpsed in a distorting mirror. The album continues in this mostly sad and in some ways depressing and depressed vein, with songs like “Hallelujah” allowing something of the lunatic side of Cave's character show through. The song is again slow, with Ellis's violins moaning in the background as Cave snarls ”My piano crouched in the corner of the room/ With all its teeth bared.” The song is the tale of an old man, tended by a nurse, who gets fed up living in isolation, and who goes out for a walk and meets a woman who reminds him of what life is about, but unable to make the huge step he returns home to his living tomb. Yeah, Cave's lyrics are like that. Get used to it. Great backing vocals here by Kate and Anna McGarigle as they sing ”The tears are welling in my eyes again/ I need twenty big buckets to catch them in/ Twenty pretty girls to carry them down/ Twenty deep holes to bury them in.” Awesome, as they say. “Love letter” is just that: a beautiful, tender, gentle ballad, as Cave tries to write the letter that will win his girl back, after he ”Said something I did not mean to say/ It all came out the wrong way.” It's a heartbreaking song of desperation and hope, and one of my favourites on the album. “God is in the house” is a sharp dig at middle America, while “Oh my Lord” is just eerie, disturbing and seems to concern the slow loss of identity and the disintegration of sanity. It radiates sweat, fear, desperation, panic and dread as it gets more and more intense. As mentioned, the album is full of ballads and generally played in a low-key, slow fashion, though there are some exceptions, like the above and “Fifteen feet of pure white snow”, which accurately reflects the fear of being cut off in a small village by a snowstorm, and how it affects people. The biggest shock on the album is “The sorrowful wife”, which begins as a typical Cave ballad, as he laments the day he married his woman, but halfway through it absolutely explodes into a screaming attack of guitars and drums, Cave growling, shouting and snarling. But perhaps one of the most effective ballads, and another contender for track of the album, is “We came along this road”, a bittersweet stagger down memory lane without the rose-tinted glasses. It has perhaps the best ever opening line: ”I left by the back door/ With my wife's lover's smoking gun.” Class! Again, Warren Ellis's violins help transform this track into a real stunner. The album ends as it began, on a slow ballad, tinged with not only sadness but also nearly incandescent rage, “Darker with the day” is a song of closure, or the search for it as Cave sings ”I remembered all my friends/ Who had died of exposure/ And I remembered all the ones/ Who had died from the lack of it.” This whole album is driven by piano and violin, with most times a minimum of percussion, and above it all Cave's powerful, often understated, gravelly voice, dispensing judgement, ridicule, advice and satire like a younger Tom Waits. This is definitely one of his better albums, and a good introduction to the man's music, if you're thinking of getting your feet wet. Just be warned: this is a road that only leads one way, and once you get sucked in, your feet will be forever on the path... TRACKLISTING 1. As I sat sadly by her side 2. No more shall we part 3. Hallelujah 4. Love letter 5. Fifteen feet of pure white snow 6. God is in the house 7. Oh my Lord 8. Sweetheart come 9. The sorrowful wife 10. We came along this road 11. Gates to the garden 12. Darker with the day Suggested further listening: “Henry's dream”, “The good son”, “Murder ballads”, “The boatman's call”, “Let love in” __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018 Last edited by Trollheart; 11-04-2011 at 12:09 PM.