Nick Cave remains a bit of an enigma for me. I’ve seen him perform both one of the finest and one of the worst live performance I have seen. I’ve heard Cave albums that have been both supreme and mediocre. I like him best when’s he’s playing with the guys from the Dirty Three; there always seems to be more drama, passion and excitement. I’m often disappointed when he plays with his Bad Seeds band (although it does include Dirty Three fiddler Warren Ellis). However, I’m pleased to report that this album doesn’t disappoint.

Starting with the superficially optimistic and pleasant Wonderful Life (something one seeks, but hardly ever finds?) I’m reminded of Cave’s ability to write strong, accessible lyrics and interpret them with a high degree of expressive accuracy. He Wants You follows a similar route with a strong dose of keyboard and passable melody. There are passages where the piano alone would have provided the necessary mood in this slow and contemplative track, but other instruments tend to cloud the issue somewhat. Right Out Of Your Head is a beauty with its sparse percussion, gently swaying keyboard and slow, lyrical vocal. This song hits the nail with its gentle backing vocal and mournful Ellis violin segments. Superb.

Plucked strings and knock-knock percussion heralds in the more rocky Bring It On with its hint of country influence. This is a rip-roaring track and in nicely sharp contrast to the previous song’s mood and pace. The gear goes up a notch with the raucus rock of Dead man In My Bed complete with crashing drums, free-wheeling guitar and a vocal to match the pace. Twinkling piano notes dramatically drop the pace again in the very beautiful Still In Love. This is my favourite track with its elegant Ellis violin moments, supremely expressive vocal and strong melody.

With this album, Cave is back to form (after his last disappointing album) and at his very best as he travels an emotional rollercoaster. The Bad Seeds also sound excellent and the balance between vocal and instrument is perfectly struck. A great album? You bet…

4.5/5