Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
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Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds |
For once, the title of an album describes exactly the content of that album; Murder Ballads is comprised of songs detailing the many permutations of murder.
Year of release: 1996
Contributors: PJ Harvey, Anita Lane, Kylie Minogue, Shane MacGowan
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Though much--even all, arguably--of Nick Cave's work could be called "gothic," this album is the only one whose subject matter warranted its instant inclusion into this site. Murder Ballads is an album whose tone is black as pitch and disturbing as its very accurate title indicates, but it is also a work of art that is fearless, insightful, and wonderfully creative. Even the weakest songs on the album ("The Kindness of Strangers," "Crow Jane") create floating worlds with atmospheres both deep and rich. However, when used in describing this work, "weak" is a relative word. The best songs here are intelligent and utterly fierce. "Song of Joy," a particularly morbid offering, tells the tale of a multiple murder and hints at the identity of the killer--but is also smart enough to render reasonable any conclusion the listener could come up with. Both "Henry Lee" and "Lovely Creature" are beautiful, involving songs, and "Where the Wild Roses Grow" is a narratively fascinating work in which a murder is told from two perspectives--victim and killer. "O' Malley's Bar" presents a singularly intoxicating account of mass-murder, and "Stagger Lee" renders a brutally funny account of a town badass on a murderous bender. However, my favorite song on the album would have to be "The Curse of Millhaven," an exuberant recounting of years of murder by the perpetrator--a girl of all of fourteen years. Murder Ballads is a guilty pleasure in the absolute truest sense of the phrase, and a work of sadistic art. (Nov 1, 2000) | |
Nick Cave has written and performed as a member of The Birthday Party and The Bad Seeds. He has also lectured on subjects such as songwriting and religion; some of these lectures are available on CD.
