I'm Down Here For Your Soul

As we move closer and closer to Halloween, one's thoughts tend to wander off into the macabre.  Nick Cave and his many projects tend to be the perfect soundtrack for this time of year. 
Cave deals in the things that rattle around in the back of men's minds, out of sight of the rest of the world - deviant sex, gruesome murder, the evils of religion, lust, greed, and even hate.  Early in his career, he had a tendency to alternate aggressive, evil albums with quieter, more introspective ones.  His sound is clearly informed by Leonard Cohen (some have said that, without a Leonard Cohen, there wouldn't be a Nick Cave - he might still be making loud, abrasive post-punk with The Birthday Party).  Cohen's influence is all over Cave's The Boatman's Call, No More Shall We Part, and parts of The Lyre of Orpheus - quiet, introspective affairs that show off Cave's trademark baritone and emotive songwriting.  No song of this ilk is more beautiful than "Love Letter" from 2001's No More Shall We Part.  Here's a beautiful live version on The Late Show with David Letterman with the McGarrigle Sisters singing back-up (the visual quality isn't great, but the performance more than makes up for it) :



Cave is not afraid to delve into pure rock and roll either - not that his version of rock and roll is anywhere near "pure".  The cast of characters that have comprised his Bad Seeds over the years are a who's who of avant-garde talent - legendary guitarist Blixa Bargeld and violinist Warren Ellis among them.  They add dissonant flashes to Cave's compositions and add a flair missing from 99% of the music out there today.  Bargeld has since left the band, but Ellis' signature can be found all over recent masterpieces Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus and Dig!!! Lazarus, Dig!!!.  He's also an integral part of the Grinderman project (who I've waxed poetic about in the past). 
To truly appreciate the Bad Seeds' genius, they must be experienced live.  If you can't find them in your town (they're not currently touring as Grinderman is), check out The Abattoir Blues Live tour document - overflowing with 2 live CDs and 2 live DVDs of Bad Seeds madness.  For more, I've dug out some live bootleg tunes from the vaults for your enjoyment. 

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Live from Copenhagen, Denmark on November 19, 2004:
"God Is In The House" - Another beautiful, quiet, introspective tune from No More Shall We Part.  It's a song that pokes fun at religion, prejudice, and the denial that many of us live in.
"Easy Money" - More introspection, this one from The Lyre of Orpheus.  I've thought about the meaning of this song a lot over the years - I've come to the conclusion that the subject of the song has chosen to do some unsavory (and likely unclean) things in order to allow his family to survive, but I'm always up for further interpretation.
"Babe, You Turn Me On" - This one's deviant.  Also from The Lyre of Orpheus, "Babe You Turn Me On" seems gentle and loving on the surface, but upon closer inspection, the singer's "babe" is being hunted like prey, and the singer is NOT being invited to seduce the object of his desire.
"Red Right Hand" - The quintessential Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds song (mostly because it's the most recognized), I've always felt that the main character in this song would make a terrific Halloween costume (while Mrs. Cuddle claims that no one would know who I was - she's likely right).  It has always been the chimes that make this song stand out from a sonic perspective, and the image of a Something Wicked This Way Comes-type protagonist, willing to give anyone anything (for a price), that make the lyrics stand out.

Live in Germany on May 21, 2008:
"The Lyre of Orpheus" - A terrific song that turns the Greek myth on its head, this version is most notable for the crowd singing along with Cave, creating an eerie choir.
"Moonland" - One of my favorite tracks from Dig!!! Lazarus, Dig!!!.  I could imagine this song in lounge version, being sung in Vegas by Sinatra.  Zombie Sinatra, but whatever.
"Deanna" - Legendary in the Cave canon, "Deanna" is from 1988's Tender Prey.  It's raucous, pleading, and sexy.  That it is still filling setlists 20 years after it's initial release is a testament to it's staying power.
"Into My Arms" - More tenderness, this time from The Boatman's Call.

Bonus Live Bad Seeds from various sources - each song is from Murder Ballads :
"Henry Lee (with PJ Harvey)" - I love this traditional song, manipulated to Cave's sensibilities.   One of two duets on Murder Ballads (the other is just as beautiful - "Where the Wild Roses Grow"  with Kylie Minogue), the voices of Cave and Harvey meld beautifully (as did, presumably, their bodies, as they were a couple for a while).  The macabre pairing of Harvey and Cave was almost too perfect, and their relationship didn't last all that long.  We still have this song to remember it.
"Stagger Lee" - Not for the faint of heart, this version of the traditional Stagger Lee is peppered with more f-bombs than almost every other song that I know of.  Beyond the colorful verbiage is the violence - Cave doesn't spare any gruesome detail of the fateful night in The Bucket of Blood bar.

Until next time, enjoy the various moods of Nick Cave (check out his albums as well - Mute Records is in the process of re-releasing everything in the catalogue), and listen (but maybe not too closely if you're faint of heart)...

The Best Song Will Never Get Sung, The Best Life Never Leaves Your Lungs

Greetings faithful readers (assuming there are any of you)...
As promised, today starts our climb toward The Ideological Cuddle's favorite albums of this decade. The list is varied, very personal, and unlikely to agree with anyone else's list (but hey, isn't that the advantage of having one's own blog?).
Today, we'll highlight some artists who deserve honorable mention, re-releases that were heads and shoulders above the rest, and albums 20 through 16 on our list of favorites. Albums 15 through 11 will be highlighted tomorrow, and albums 10 through 1 will each have their own blog post, as there's plenty to say about each of them. Be sure to click on the links after each album for MP3s of some of my favorite songs.
Without further adieu, here we go...

RE-RELEASES OF THE DECADE:
I guess it would be remiss not to mention the Beatles reissues here, and, I have to admit, I wasn't going to jump in with both feet to the frenzy, but then heard how crisp and fantastic that Abbey Road sounded. I was hearing things that I never noticed before. Paul's bass may have been brought a little too close to the front of the mix, but the sound is unparallelled.

Billy Bragg - Volume I and Volume II - These two boxed sets cover all of Sir Billy's recorded output from his first EP, Life's A Riot with Spy Vs. Spy, through England, Half English. Each of the discs is lovingly remastered with a bonus disc of demos, b-sides, and period-specific rarities. It's the Holy Grail for those of us who have been influenced by Bragg's music. Absolutely Essential.

Robyn Hitchcock - Reissues (including the Luminous Groove and I Wanna Go Backwards box sets) - Yep Roc has done an amazing job of bringing this wonderfully strange and beautiful artist's work to the masses. Covering most of Hitchcock's essential work (we're still waiting for someone to get the rights to his A&M albums so that Globe of Frogs and Queen Elvis can see the light of day again), these CDs shine a bright light on the wondrous art of this singular artist. Often described as a strange amalgam of John Lennon, Syd Barrett, and Bob Dylan, Hitchcock's imagination and craft are on display with these reissues. For the novice, start with I Often Dream of Trains or Eye. Those looking for a little bit more adventure can jump into Fegmania! or the live album Gotta Let This Hen Out! with both feet.

HONORABLE MENTION:
To The Band With the Best Collection of Records This Decade, None of Which Made the Top 20:
The Drive-By Truckers
This band is tremendously consistent. In fact, they are so consistent, it was almost impossible to pick a favorite amongst the 5 original albums, 1 live album, and 1 odds 'n ends collection they released this decade. Decoration Day and The Dirty South might be the front-runners, but Brighter Than Creation's Dark isn't far behind. As was outlined on their own blog post earlier this year, the Truckers focus on true southern life. Their music is raw, emotional, and is chock-full of kick-ass rock 'n roll. Word has it that they'll be releasing their first album of the next decade in March, 2010, having recently signed to ATO Records, so this crew will be getting a jump on the rest of the competition for the next decade.

Drum roll please... into the top 20 albums of this decade (according to The Ideological Cuddle):

NUMBER 20:
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus
A towering achievement in a career that is full of them, Cave's double album concept project never fails to amaze me. There are so many nuances to the songs and the lyrics, that repeated listens are always rewarded. Some feel that Abattoir Blues is the rock 'n roll disc, while The Lyre of Orpheus is the ballad record, but it's not fair to pigeon-hole each of these pieces of art like that. The songs on the set are dripping with menace and malice, lust and horror. "Get Ready For Love" starts the proceedings with fire and brimstone, "Hiding All Away" is just vicious, and "There She Goes, My Beautiful World" might be the most grandiose tune Cave's ever done. "Easy Money" and "O Children" are absolutely heartbreaking (can anyone other than Nick Cave make suicide and murder sound so beautiful?). The companion piece, The Abattoir Blues Tour 2004 is very worthwhile too, if nothing than for the sheer volume of music contained within - 2 CDs and 2 DVDs of Cave and the Bad Seeds doing what they do best.
Abattoir Blues - "There She Goes, My Beautiful World"
The Lyre of Orpheus - "Supernaturally"

NUMBER 19:
Beck - Sea Change
Easily Beck's most mature album, Sea Change is also his "break-up" album. Completely melancholy from top to bottom, but also completely amazing. The songs are beautifully crafted and show that Beck can do so much more than mix beats.
Sea Change - "The Golden Age"

NUMBER 18:
The New Pornographers - Mass Romantic
Indie rock's first super group had quite the decade. It was very difficult choosing a favorite amongst the New Pornographers' 4 offerings over the past 10 years, as each is consistent and varied. When I really broke it down, Mass Romantic won out on the strength of it's Dan Bejar songs "Jackie" and "To Wild Homes". To those not familiar with the Pornographers, all you need to know is that Neko Case, Dan Bejar, and Carl "AC" Newman are three of the most talented indie pop songwriters and singers alive. Put them together, and, many times, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. As others have said, in a fair alternate universe, this album would have charted catchy song after catchy song, making the New Pornographers household names and international superstars. Since this is reality, you'll have to judge for yourself:
Mass Romantic - "Jackie"
Mass Romantic - "The Slow Decent Into Alcoholism"

NUMBER 17:
Wilco - A Ghost Is Born
OK, this might represent this list's first "great upset". Skimming some of the other "Best of the Decade" lists has clearly shown that most choose Yankee Hotel Foxtrot as Wilco's great contribution to this decade. While clearly a phenomenal album, YHF seems to profit from the mythology that surrounds it - you know, Wilco makes amazing record, record company dumps band and record, band leaks record, finds new label and rockets to critical acclaim and international fame. As I thought about the songs on each record, I found that I clearly reached for the songs on A Ghost Is Born more frequently than those on YHF. "Spiders (Kidsmoke)" is over 10 minutes of prog-rock/krautrock heaven, "The Late Greats" is as catchy as Wilco gets, "Hummingbird" is delicate and beautiful, and "At Least That's What You Said" has some of the crunchiest guitar licks ever found on a Wilco record. This album is varied, balanced, and genius. And all without a mythology surrounding it... it's just waiting to be re-discovered.
A Ghost Is Born - "At Least That's What You Said"

NUMBER 16:
Iron and Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days
Quiet and hushed in instrumentation, pastoral and aching in tone, Our Endless Numbered Days brought Sam Beam's unique musical view to the masses (since many didn't pay attention to The Creek Drank the Cradle or The Sea and The Rhythm EP). The album rocketed Iron and Wine to indie stardom and Sam Beam's songs to big movie soundtracks everywhere. Early pressings of the album included a bonus EP which included "Hickory", a gem of a tune that somehow missed the cut for the album proper (it can now be found on the b-sides compilation Around the Well). The details of Beam's lyrics in this tune are what set it apart from its contemporaries - "The money came and she died in her rocking chair/The window wide and the rain in her braided hair" is just one example. Beam would go on to expand the Iron and Wine sound throughout the rest of the decade, but has never quite been able to match the artistic achievement of this record.
Our Endless Numbered Days - "Each Coming Night"

Until tomorrow, with albums 15 through 11, be well, enjoy, and listen...