Album #1: Dig Lazarus Dig (2008)
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Genre: Post Punk
Dedicated to MB Member: Jackhammer
• "Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!"
• "Today's Lesson"
• "Moonland"
• "Night of the Lotus Eaters”
• "Albert Goes West"
• "We Call Upon the Author”
• "Hold on to Yourself"
• "Lie Down Here (& Be My Girl)"
• "Jesus of the Moon”
• "Midnight Man"
• “More News From Nowhere"
From the hypnotic title line that welcomes you to the controlled chaos that is this gem of an album; the unorthodox and unforgiving manner in which Cave delivers the endlessly intriguing and metaphorical lyrics of the song set a new standard for cool. The song’s energy is infectious and you’re instantly pulled into the albums soothing abyss of sound. Flash forward to the subsequent track and you’ll feel like mercury in thermometer rising and falling at an unrealistic pace. With a catchy, free spirited chorus and a straight and narrow diversion of a verse placed in between, the song’s drama builds as the tempo and fullness of the music coincides.
What works so well about this album is the thoughtful nature of each track; there are several layers which allow you to discover new elements you enjoy on almost every listen. The lyrics are fascinating and funny and beyond hip. Moonland is the real tantalizer of the bunch; an apocalyptic march with a heart of gold. “…It must feel nice…” The song just sort of shrugs its way along leaving the listener helplessly bobbing his or her head. The entire album oozes style and this song is no exception, with dramatic showmanship and a remarkable understanding of rhythm it’s the mellow highlight of the album for me. The eerie ode that follows, “Night of the Lotus Eaters” is a wraithlike waltz on muscle relaxers. Humming its way from stanza to stanza it soothes and stings simultaneously throughout. The album has a fairly good flow, especially considering its eclectic nature, this is demonstrated as the album moves through the fifth and six tracks some of the most energetic mixes of the bunch. The outro to “Albert Goes West” is great and “We Call Upon the Author” is a brilliant bastard of a song. Just fascinating from the first note, the song mixes instruments, ideas and ingenuity never before combined. It’s like being raped by the 1980’s using Fonzie’s leather jacket as a condom. Cave just sort of throws the lyrics onto the canvas of music; we even get to meet Doug in this song.
“Bukowski was a jerk! Berryman was best! He wrote like wet paper Mache, went the Heming-way weirdly on wings and with maximum pain”
“Prolix! Prolix! Nothing a pair of scissors can't fix!”
Before you can catch your breath you’re supplanted into the Wild West and feverish philosophy. “Hold on (to yourself)” is the song Chris Isaac wishes he was smart and talented enough to have recorded 15 years ago. The melody is mesmerizing and exotic and the lyrics and desperate and delicate the combination is overwhelming and propels the song into the albums top half. Next up is the energetic and jumpy time warp “Lie Down here and be My Girl”, a sort of afterthought for me, but easy to listen to amongst the mass of the album. When you first hear “Jesus of the Moon” you know it’s good, but its mastery is the way it evolves throughout. There is a psychedelic element amongst mundane rhythm and crisp execution. Hauntingly elegant with a flawless style and endless grace a near perfect penultimate number. “Midnight Man” is the penultimate and sets the bar with confidence and precision. You might find this song playing in your head in the middle of a jewel heist, I don’t know, I get that feel. “More news from nowhere” plays appropriately like a closing credits dubbed over with a synth track cut from a late 1980’s Cure album. More beguiling lyrical precision and free spirited feeling encapsulate this song and really the album as a whole. This album is an example or intelligent direction, sophisticated planning and passionate execution. It was my intro into Nick Cave in album form, as I had previously only sampled his soundtrack contributions. It’s a fantastic product and the first one I reached for when I decided to start this project.