Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - New album PUSH THE SKY AWAY - Anticipate!

haven't enjoyed the post-Harvey seeds

They haven't done anything since Harvey left the band have they?

haha lex you like the indie cave

i only love the boatman's call but i REALLY LOVE it!

xp
I've seen them once since, at a summer 09 festival, but yes, my timings are off - I think my memory's treating the whole Lazarus period + tour as post-Harvey.

Eyeball Kicks OTM about Babe I'm On Fire. It's the only time I've heard the last track on an album repudiate everything that's come before it, like this big blazing "fuck that, let's do this."

His Glastonbury set in 2009 was ridiculously good, especially Papa Won't Leave You Henry. The Bad Seeds looked like a grizzled, demented chain gang with Warren Ellis scrabbling around on the floor amid the effects pedals like somebody who'd just been rescued from years alone on a desert island and forced into a suit in a failed attempt to make him look less wild. Perfect setlist:

Tupelo
Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
Red Right Hand
Deanna
Midnight Man
The Ship Song
Henry Lee
We Call Upon the Author
The Mercy Seat
There She Goes, My Beautiful World
The Weeping Song
Papa Won't Leave You, Henry
Stagger Lee

xp

at a summer 09 festival

(shifty, vague, trying to pretend I didn't go to Latitude)

xp again

I thought they seemed poor at Latitude, very tired, quite routine. I guess the contrast makes sense (it was a deadish audience & Cave gets extraordinary energy from the crowd), but felt something missing.

hmmm I do get the above argument but all the sombre piano stuff on Boatmans Call completely owns Baby's on Fire (must have listened to that one a good one and a half time). For me his decline started on No More Shall We Part and has more to do with pomposity and lyrical verbosity, rather than being crazy or sombre.

Eh, Boatman's Call obviously contains many much better songs than Babe I'm On Fire. Everyone pretty much likes Boatman's Call. But he did dreary, weaker versions of the songs on that record for a few years after that. He gave the impression that Nocturama has come about through dedication to songcraft and applying to ass to seat and all of that shit, and song after song is just dull. Then comes Babe I'm On Fire, which is hardly even a song, just the band and Nick fucking about for 15 minutes, and it pisses on everything that's come before it. Seemed like something clicked in his head about how he should be going about business.

The reviewer on allmusic puts it well: "Actually, while it may be derivative of his glorious past, 'Babe, I'm on Fire' is a welcome blast of energy; he should have made it 30 minutes long instead of ten and called it his new record. Apart from that track, Cave sounds like a writer on his 15th book with nothing much left to say, nothing left to do but go through the motions, phoning his performance in with a yawn."

Not to underscore the obvious, but didn't he finally kick smack around this/that point, too? That is, wasn't "Lyre of Orpheus" his first totally clean record, or was that "Boatman?"

yeah i never even heard nocturama in full until a couple years after it came out, and only then because someone put babe i'm on fire on a mix cd for me. let's say i have not much returned to it since.

yeah - never much liked Babe, I'm on Fire myself - that sort of clever list rhyming game is easy and a bit dull, doesn't have the energy it needs - but otm about how it seemed to unlock him, gets something working that's put to use on LOO/AB & points onward.

Eyeball Kicks OTM about Babe I'm On Fire. It's the only time I've heard the last track on an album repudiate everything that's come before it, like this big blazing "fuck that, let's do this."

very well put, but Bring It On is good too, and the video is fantastic.

Everyone pretty much likes Boatman's Call.

nah

We No Who U R:
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/song-premiere-nick-cave-the-bad-seeds-we-no-who-u-r-20121130

This bores the shit out of me. It sounds like the token ballads on the Grinderman albums - Nick crooning a few lines as Warren Ellis noodles.

Sidenote: He had been figuring out not to take himself seriously before Babe I'm On Fire. "Bring It On," while a slight song, has a *ridiculous* video. Just a normal Cave power ballad, but there are tons of half-naked women shaking their asses for no good reason.

psst Babe I'm On Fire was recorded before the video for Bring It On, they're on the same album (like I said two posts up)

the origin of that video btw: Cave didn't have any idea of his own for it, so he asked Hillcoat what gets played on MTV. Hillcoat said "generally, lots of black women shaking their arses at the camera." Cave went "alright, let's have that then."

Wow, bored as hell with that as well.

that new song is zzzzzzzzz. not writing off the album though

meh, it's okay. it just makes me want to hear moar songz. god I hate that title though.

also re earlier discussion: lol cave is definitely much, much preferred over pensive cave for me. I mean, he wrote some nice ballads in that pensive period, and I think that sincerity has a place but but his most endearing quality has always been his sense of humor. that's the first thing I think of when I think of him or his writing or his music. he's best when there's a bit of cheek mixed in

I was just listening to "We Call Upon the Author" earlier today and chuckling aloud at the "young people!" bit.

Yes, this new song is very dull on first listen.

The new one is very weirdly dull. I can't imagine how he could write that and think it worth keeping, presenting to the band, never mind making it the single. He could surely come up with something like that 20 times a day.

but he wanted to PUSH THE SKY AWAY!
so why anticipate much

at work, can't listen, comments here making me pessimistic.

for me the lol/pensive thing… feel like his absolute peak (Mutiny! through maybe The Good Son) and various moments since completely collapse the distinction. Was always wordy, but never dull. If I have to pick, he's not on form.

yeah the lyrical aspect is perplexing - he was always wordy (cf rants like Tupelo or Papa Won't leave You), but that never bothered me til circa No More, whend suddenly his lyricas seemed laboured and tedious (even the supposedly fun numbers)

There are really, um, 'literary' or writerly things on No More that I think are amazing (As I sat Sadly By Her Side, Hallelujah), but yeah there's a lot on there that feels laboured (Love Letter) and the harder/funner end (15 Feet) doesn't catch imo. I should relisten though, it's been a few years.

NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS

NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES CONFIRMED

PUSH THE SKY AWAY OUT FEBRUARY 19, 2013 ON BAD SEED LTD

TICKET SALE DETAILS, FIRST TRACK "WE NO WHO U R" & PRE-ORDER LIVE NOW AT NICKCAVE.COM

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds have confirmed details of an upcoming North American tour in support of Push the Sky Away, the fifteenth studio album by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, to be released in February 19, 2013 by Bad Seed Ltd. on CD, vinyl, digital download and as a deluxe edition.

Sharon Van Etten will support for the duration of the tour, which commences March 14 in Dallas and currently runs through April 3 in Denver. Tickets will go on sale to the general public beginning Thursday, December 6th at 10am local time. Check local venues for exact times or visit www.nickcave.com and www.aeglive.com or up-to-date information.

The announcement of the tour coincides with the unveiling of Push The Sky Away opening track, "We No Who U R." the first track to be released from Push the Sky Away. At the heart of Push the Sky Away is a naturalism and warmth that makes it the most subtly beautiful of all the Bad Seeds albums. The contemporary settings of myths, and the cultural references that have time-stamped Nick's songs of the twenty-first century mist lightly through details drawn from the life he observed around his seaside home, through the tall windows on the album's mysterious and ambiguous cover.

The songs on this album took form in a modest notebook with shellac covers over the course of almost a year. The notebook is a treasured analogue artefact but the internet is equally important to Nick: Googling curiosities, being entranced by exotic Wikipedia entries "whether they're true or not". These songs convey how on the internet profoundly significant events, momentary fads and mystically-tinged absurdities sit side-by-side and question how we might recognize and assign weight to what's genuinely important.

Push the Sky Away was produced by Nick Launay and recorded at La Fabrique, a recording studio based in a 19th Century mansion in the South of France, where the walls of the main studio are lined with an immense collection of classical vinyl.

"We No Who U R" sets this album in our time; we're living with the consequences of actions and innovations that seemed so progressive in the industrial era. There's a calm assessment of the gravity of the situation, and humility. This whole album has a generosity of spirit that's established here by a children's choir singing "we know there's no need to forgive."

"We No Who U R" is available as of December 3 both as an instant grat download with every pre-order album purchase via nickcave.com or iTunes and also as a single download from all digital retailers.



NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS
North American Tour 2013
* Sharon Van Etten Supports On All Dates

Thursday, March 14, 2013 - Dallas, TX -- McFarlin Auditorium
Saturday, March 16, 2013 - Nashville, TN -- Ryman Auditorium * on sale Friday, December 7th 10 am CST
Sunday, March 17, 2013 - Asheville, NC -- The Orange Peel
Tuesday, March 19, 2013 - Philadelphia, PA -- Keswick Theater
Wednesday, March 20, 2013 - Washington, DC -- Strathmore
Friday, March 22, 2013 - Montreal, QC -- Metropolis
Saturday, March 23, 2013 - Toronto, ON -- Massey Hall
Sunday, March 24, 2013 - Boston, MA -- Orpheum Theater
Thursday, March 28, 2013 - New York NY -- Beacon Theater
Friday, March 29, 2013 - New York NY -- Beacon Theater
Monday, April 01, 2013 - Chicago, IL -- Chicago Theater
Wednesday, April 03, 2013 - Denver, CO -- Ogden Theater

why do u hate California, Nick ;_;

the internet is equally important to Nick: Googling curiosities, being entranced by exotic Wikipedia entries "whether they're true or not". These songs convey how on the internet profoundly significant events, momentary fads and mystically-tinged absurdities sit side-by-side and question how we might recognize and assign weight to what's genuinely important.

if this means he's writing songs about whether clicking around 'wikipedia's lamest edit wars' at three in the morning counts as working then I am in.

why do u hate California, Nick ;_;

sure you know this already but decisions on where to tour are not made by artists, if he'd had offers from promoters on the west coast I'm sure he'd be going there

i'm aware

it was a rhetorical question

My guess is that there will be some West Coat dates announced soon.

**coast**

He's already got a confirmed show in San Diego and somebody told me he was booked to play LA a couple months ago. It's just not announced yet - I think it'll be mid-April though.

It's not a coincidence that the tour starts in Dallas, which now has direct flights to Australia, then heads east before working its way back west ...

Still reeling from how dismal that song is and am concerned about the live show. Who's playing guitar? Pleae don't tell me it's Nick. And it seems the band is releasing this record themselves? Wondering if they couldn't find any takers.

also looks like they may have left Billions, their long-time booking agents, which explains why they are finally playing a proper NYC venue.

So is this his worst album-opener ever?

advise to Nick: call Mick Harvey and try to get him back. maybe that will help (though its not certain)

Billions booked the Sydney Opera House / symphonic shows in February, and Kuepper is still playing guitar.

(And the reason Mick left is still there.)

which is?

Well, they are no longer listed on the roster of acts that Billions represents.

I assume Mick Harvey left because Nick was letting Waren Ellis just railroad him in the creative process.

Mick always did most of the heavy lifting, he probably got sick of it.

It wasn't the creative process, apparently.

so what was it, don't be all coy

I don't think the creative process & the personal stuff are separate in The Bad Seeds - Cave freezes people out when they're out of favour, is that right? Courtly or playground shit. idk, half-remembered thing i heard off a friend of a friend of a hairdresser who might have trimmed a bad seed beard once. w/e, looks like rise of ellis = fall from favour of Harvey.

the most concrete thing I heard music-wise (here?) was that Harvey thought the arrangements were being dumbed down to make touring easier, faster, more lucrative and didn't like it.

That's true, I heard Mick say as much in an interview a while back. THe last Bad seeds show I saw was in support of Dig Lazarus Dig and it was much more ragged in comparison to the other shows I have seen. Light years away from the fancy suit days w/Kid Congo and Blixa, etc.

After seeing that show, Grinderman came as no surprise.

Some revisionism here - as if the your funeral / tender prey bad seeds were polished virtuosos...!

I've persuaded myself that worrying departures in the Seeds can be healthy: after Nocturama, when Blixa left, I thought 'fuck, that's it, it's totally fucked now, roll on the goth elton john'; obvs I was totally wrong, Lyre/Abattoir was fresh life.

Harvey though… I still can't quite swallow it.

albums

I liked that live set! Especially the kids' choir once "Jubilee Street" took off: some
almost JC Vannier "L'enfant assassin..." energy happening with those voices and the band.
Nicely done.

This new record is pretty good, I like it. Could live without hearing Nick Cave sing the word "snatch" ever again though, unless in refernce to grabbing the last donut before someone else.

Finally picked this up.

Feel like it's going to sit with me in the same place No More Shall We Part/Nocturama did. I don't *dislike* it, but it's almost a struggle to actively listen to it? It just seems to want to slip into background listening for me at the moment.

But I've only gone through once, I'll give it a few more spins and see what happens.

yeah I see this as a new Nocturama and will need some convincing before buying it

My Aussie brother in law said he was awesome at the Opera House.

https://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment/u/0/?ui=2&ik=d652dfb56a&view=att&th=13d20820e1576d73&attid=0.1&disp=inline&safe=1&zw&saduie=AG9B_P-GCHVMnW7hYvQvR6yVxn3W&sadet=1362075613453&sads=yLiOjC8KuvD5wwar36KIX5glb44&sadssc=1

I can't think of a better place to see him perform

Ah, I'm loving this new record, especially Jubilee Street and Higgs Boson Blues. At times the latter suggests John Cale covering Neil Young's On The Beach. Which clearly would be a wonderful (if counter-intuitive) scenario.

jubilee street is his best song after the mercy seat, i reckon.

say whatnow

"Jubilee Street" is this album's "Babe I'm On Fire" - the best song by far on a weak album. Sorry, I love Nick but an album of ALL mellow ballads save one? Not feeling it.

yeah, this is closer to boring Boatman's Call/Nocturama Nick than i was hoping for. did Grinderman shake all the good loud stuff out of him?

upon further listening it's kinda growing on me. Am especially liking Higgs Boson Blues (lol) and Push the Sky Away, and Jubilee Street. It's a bit of a slow grower.

Bought this on vinyl yesterday and it's totally changed my view of this record, it's got such great subtle arrangement and space, lots of low end too which wasn't coming through on spotify...

Yes. I agree with that. This is a great record. None of the songs really work in isolated internet listening.

Opening date of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds US tour is in Louisville, which I am planning on going to check out. I'm not sure he has really played in this area since the Lollapalooza show in Indianapolis back in the mid 90s, which I saw (they followed The Boredoms).