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Post by Silky Johnson on Mar 5, 2014 19:03:06 GMT -5
Disclaimer: Sorry this is a bit early. I have to go to Atlanta tonight and tomorrow to present research and wanted to make sure I got this done for you guys <3
General Info Members: Nick Cave (Vocals, Piano, Organ, Harmonica, Guitar, Strings) , Thomas Wylder (Drums, Percussion, Vocals), Martyn P. Casey (Bass, Vocals), Conway Savage (Piano, Organ, Vocals), Jim Sclavunos (Percussion, Drums, Organ, Melodica, Vocals), Warren Ellis (Every instrument you can think of)
Biography: An Australian rock band that was formed in the early 80's by Nick Cave, Mick Harvey and Blixa Bargeld. The band formed when the wonderful group The Birthday Party broke up. The Birthday Party were known for noise rock, but Cave emerged from that and now draws influence from everything from gothic rock and post-punk to the blues.
Major Discography: This was hard to do and I am sure many will disagree but if I had to pick just three albums of his enormous catalog I would go with Tender Prey, Let Love In, and The Boatman's Call.
Sounds Like Genre: Gothic Rock, Post-Punk, Blues, Folk, Alternative. It's not a true genre, but I think of it as the Southern Gothic of music. He has a way of combining these folk and blues-like influences that deal with the darker qualities of life (Religion, Crime, Punishment) and meld them together. Similar Artists: Grinderman, The Birthday Party (Both of these are fronted by Nick Cave), The Boys Next Door, Tom Waits, Crime and the City Solution, Pogues, The Smiths, The Cure, The Velvet Underground, and Sonic Youth. This was hard, but I tried to pick artists that you can see a bit of him in.
Suggested Listening I guess the easiest way to explain how and why his sound has changed so much is just to give a quick overview of what they were doing. So early on the band moved to West Berlin and that influence can definitely be seen in their album From Her to Eternity. It's just a dark album that grinds on and this was a pretty big shift from his Birthday Party work. All of sudden that brash noise and more straight forward rock was replaced with a poetic Cave who penned amazing and deep songs like "A Black Box for Black Paul" and "Saint Huck." This change of focus to story telling and lyrics was marked by the fact that he was also working on his novel And the Ass Saw the Angel. The band remained in Germany for 4 more albums with the last of these being my personal favorite Tender Prey. I included the song "The Mercy Seat" below because I think that is the one that perfectly embodies him more than any other. Lyrics dealing with a convict finally confessing his crime before he is executed. A typical theme that is exemplified in this song is his use of religious imagery, which can be seen in all of his albums to some effect. At first the song may seem a little overwhelming and chaotic, but the string section create a haunting effect that soaks through the track. In this regard it reminds me a bit of NMH, where at first you hear this guy with a strange voice and all of these chaotic carnival-like sounds in the background, but the more you listen you begin to break it apart and hear the intricacies and meaning behind it all. In the late 90's he released The Boatman's Call which is his most personal album. This album always struck me because he moved away from his older stories of violence and murder and a much more peaceful Nick Cave appeared. In the early 2000's he released the somewhat lackluster Nocturama. Most hardcore fans do not like it at all, but it was received pretty well commercially and does have some good tracks... not really I'm just being nice. They got back to making more popular albums however with Abattoir Blues/ The Lyre of Orpheus and their most recent album Push The Sky Away.
Physical Reaction/Live Show I have gotten to see Nick Cave once before and I can't really think of another band to compare him too. He may be older, but he can still quacking rock your pants right off. His songs explode live and even songs you know really well are often played with new and different arrangements which makes it feel like you are hearing it for the first time. His dance moves can only be compared to Thom Yorke (yes he is that good) and he will come close to the pit so if you want to touch him and sing with him I suggest getting in line because he does interact with the crowd. Crowd wise, I mean I don't know what to expect. I feel like it will end up being a bit like Bjork. People know who he is, but they don't know his discography well. Which is fine, but hopefully people will get really into it. PSA: GO NUTS when he rocks out, but when he breaks out the acoustic guitar get ready to feel some sweet emotions.
Personal Notes I'm really excited for this show. Getting to see Nick Cave on the farm really is a dream come true. He's going to sound perfect in the heat and hopefully will get an evening set. I don't expect a night set because he doesn't go huge into the lights or anything, but evening or late afternoon would be amazing. I know he has such a giant history and discography that this doesn't even get close to doing him justice, but I did the best I could. I'm sure a lot of you guys will have different favorite albums and songs, but that is what I love about him. He is an artist that you are really able to connect with in a personal way and I suggest just giving all of his stuff a try. Anyways thanks guys I enjoyed it
Post by LovelyCreature on Mar 6, 2014 11:31:35 GMT -5
Totally agree with the part about his Live Shows. He really does interact pretty hardcore with those upfront. You can tell that he thrives off of the energy in the audience and I think the audience can really make or break a show like his. Not worried at all about the energy in the audience though, so I'm sure we're in for another great show.
This write-up definitely changed my opinion from "not sure" to "definitely maybe," to quote another thread on the board
I'm glad to hear that! Hopefully he won't conflict with anybody else major you want to see, but the lineup is so deep this year that may be easier said than done.
And instead of saying all of your goodbyes - let them know you realize that life goes fast - It's hard to make the good things last-you realize the sun doesn't go down - It's just an illusion caused by the world spinning round
alright well I know nothing of their discography and I know theirs is pretty large. I enjoy songs like jubilee street and stagger lee when i watch the live videos. Is there a time period of this band I should start with or just fuck it and start listening wherever
edit: forgot how much I love deanna when i watch live videos. screw it im just gonna dive in where ever I feel like it and we will see what happens
And instead of saying all of your goodbyes - let them know you realize that life goes fast - It's hard to make the good things last-you realize the sun doesn't go down - It's just an illusion caused by the world spinning round
