while last year’s grinderman project significantly influenced dig, lazarus, dig!!!, cave and co.’s ability to flesh songs out sets their new record apart from its progenitor. grinderman was an experiment in minimalism and was a wise departure for cave, given the lush and vibrant quality to 2004’s abattoir blues/lyre of orpheus. thanks to grinderman, cave became more aware of himself lyrically, and the bad seeds’ roles became more clearly defined. dig benefits from grinderman’s self-discovery and its rock and roll leanings, but also has moments of restraint, something grinderman seemed to have no interest in doing. “hold on to yourself” bears more of a resemblance to nick cave and warren ellis’ austere soundtrack work than it does grinderman, as ellis’ looped mandocaster and casey’s bass support the song and recall the smoldering deserts of the proposition. songs like “we call upon the author” rip and tear with the same raucous energy of grinderman, but are also much fuller compositions, as they are strengthened by their accompaniments. after having learned the importance of simplicity, nick cave and his bad seeds prove their relevance with a modest record that is adorned with textures, not overwrought with them.
Filed under: Album Review , 2008, dig lazarus dig!!!, grinderman, nick cave & the bad seeds, warren ellis (musician)
