CARNAGE - Nick Cave & Warren Ellis: Review
Nick Cave & Warren Ellis
are a singer/songwriter and composer respectively who have been a part of the legendary indie music project Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds for decades. While this is their first official collaboration under their own names they have worked together closely particularly on the previous trilogy of Bad Seeds albums over the last decade, each of which have some level of sonic connection to Carnage.
Review By Lav:
While I'm obviously a fan of Nick Cave and many of The Bad Seeds records over their nearly 40 year career, I'm not quite as die hard a fan as some of their most dedicated and studious followers. That being said I did enjoy both of the previous Bad Seeds albums with 2017's somber and harrowing Skeleton Tree being one of my favorite projects from the group in decades. Given that this was a surprise drop I didn't have much time or any singles to set my expectations for the project and ultimately I'm glad, because the highlights here are really enjoyable.
While there record doesn't have many conceptual ties linking these tracks together, the first half which consists of 4 songs is an incredibly strong start to the album. Hand Of God is a surreal opener with a stark ominous introduction that gets interrupted by a swelling of classical instrumentation. Nick's vocal performance is stark and very cavernous which matches his grand impassioned lyricism. The only issue I have with the track when all is said and done is that the "hand of good" backing vocals sound pretty cheesy in the first half of the track before the full chorus joins in. Old Time is another outer worldly moment where Nick is spinning some dark poetry in reference to someone he seems to be following headfirst into his own demise. The real highlight is the instrumental which features some shrill keys and harsh electric guitar during the verses and also has a massive rush of classical instrumentation which comes up during the transitional breaks. The whole thing is incredibly unsettling as a result of this whirlwind of sonic experimentation and I'm loving the results.
Carnage is a much more forlorn track from a lyrical standpoint and the instrumental backs that with softer flashes of chimes and string arrangements. There is something beautiful about the way the whole song is arranged even if there were moments where I wish Nick had a little more space, there are also moments where the grandiosity of it all results in beautiful sounds. White Elephant kicks off by instrumentally rocking from a distance, you may not realize quite how far out the sounds are until Nick's vocals come crashing in over top of everything. The lyrical approach is intensely political even though its mostly told through metaphors. Given how rarely Nick comments on contemporary social politics the song definitely stands out but Nick doesn't hold anything back. The character he plays is ruthless and uncompromising plus it's performed with a spiteful vigor. The second half of the track is a long refrain marked by a much brighter shift to more classical style instrumentation and group vocals. It all feels almost like a 60's sunshine pop rendition of Nick Cave's usual style.
The second half of the record is still pretty good, but it does contain most of my complaints about individual songs. Albuquerque is the most Skeleton Tree sounding song of the bunch serving as a ghostly ballad right in the center of the record. While the song is beautiful it is certainly one of the breezier cuts with glistening keys and dramatic but ultimately quite pretty vocals. It's a decent change of pace moment on the album but not one near the quality of some of my favorite tracks from the record that inspired it. Lavender Fields is a similarly reserved track with steady backing vocals in the form of a very soft chorus. Hearing Nick return to the realm of rich nature metaphors is nice but I can't deny that after some of the intensity earlier on in the record the song doesn't particularly grab me.
Shattered Ground starts off with an instrumental that feels very ambient in tone before Nick emerges with a bellowing performance reminiscent of some of his much older work. This contrast is actually quite refreshing especially given how interesting the lyrics are. Despite the songs single minded sonic approach I think it stars pretty interesting for the most part given how good Nick's performance is. Balcony Man is another song with a quite interesting lyricsl approach as he returns to key phrases and numbers throughout. While breaking down what exactly he means can be a bit tricky with all the hyperbole in his repetition it definitely gave me a reason to listen over and over again breaking down what he says. I also really enjoy the songs pseudo-hook which is one of the prettiest moments on the record when the backing vocals and string sections slide in. It is both an interesting song in its own right as well as a pretty fitting closer.
Carnage is a good record. What it may lack in thematic cohesion it makes up for with refreshing ideas and compelling performances from both a vocal and instrumental standpoint. The pairing of Nick and Warren was already a proven successful one but I think on this song they show off the creative and compositional versatility they are capable of as a duo. Despite a few tracks that are verified sleepers I'm coming away from the record excited by how fresh an intense it sounds at its best moments, those moments not only being plentiful but also quite versatile. 7.5/10
