Digging Deeper

Fresh off his side project Grinderman, Nick Cave is back with the Bad Seeds and is as rockin’ as ever. Now 50, Cave has brought some of the garage rock of Grinderman back to the Bad Seeds, mixing it with their trademark mix of post-punk, gospel and blues. Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!, takes Cave’s lyrics on sex and religion and backs them with the lively Bad Seeds, making an album that is dark, brave, and amusing.

The title track opens the album, encompassing a funny contemporary retelling of the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, now set in New York about a man named Larry. The song is great raw blues rock meddled along with a downright catchy and groovy chorus.

That’s just the start of Cave’s imaginative and absurd stories, as Cave covers everything from a fate-pondering merman (“Night of the Lotus Eaters”) to demons and ghosts (“More News From Nowhere”). Cave’s style for creating characters and stories is reminiscent of Dylan and Springsteen, as his characters come alive with his descriptive storytelling. The album’s centerpiece “We Call Upon The Author” is a brave and bold commentary on all things wrong in this world, asking God to explain everything from “rampant discrimination” to “third world death.”

The album isn’t all darkness, though. “Lie Down Here” is a fun sexed-up rocker, and “Hold On To Yourself” is beautiful explorative alt-country taking a page from Springsteen. Much of the record is led by bass and organ grooves, giving it a very Doors-y feel when accompanied by Cave’s cool conversational delivery. This comes out especially in “Midnight Man,” which even sounds like a title Jim Morrison would pen.

The Bad Seeds are more than sufficient here, as their downright enthusiastic play makes the lyrics more effective and the album more electrifying. Mick Harvey’s guitar-playing is cool and raucous, and Warren Ellis’s instrumental versatility keeps the album fresh and exciting, adding in mandolin, piano and even flute.

Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! is one of the first great rock records of 2008.