Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - 'Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!' (Mute) Released 03/03/08

It seems almost inconceivable to think that after 24 years and 14 albums, Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds are still going strong, remarkably intoxicating, immensely persuasive and fundamentally valid. ‘Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!’ is not only testament to that but to the 50 year old front-man famed not only for The Bad Seeds, but also The Birthday Party and several notable collaborations. For those with no time or inclination for the seminal antipodean, his music will remain dark, brooding and mysterious; those who know better will see it as all of the above coupled with an intense and insightful energy. In his own words it’s “A haemorrhaging of words and ideas”.

First to bear the albums cross is the title track; Cave has described Lazarus as being the best escape artist to walk the earth “He was the second greatest escapologist, Harry (Houdini) was, Lazarus, of course, being the greatest”. Affectionately referred to as Larry, the biblical death cheat has relocated from New Testament Bethany to 21st Century America, and travels through New York, San Francisco and LA, only to realise that the modern day detritus that surrounds him is too much and that he’s better off where he was. As Cave sermonizes like a rabid preacher, his wisdom is backed up with the refrain “Dig yourself, Lazarus dig yourself back in that hole”. ‘Today’s Lesson’ follows on where the opener left off while ‘Moonland’ and ‘Night Of The Lotus Eaters’ employ varying degrees of sinister menace, compounding cold sexual temptation and squalid loneliness with isolated industrial sparseness and hypnotically evocative atmospherics; undoubtedly tracks to shiver along with and turn your collar up to, but not turn away from.

Up to now the album is devastatingly compelling and then The Bad Seeds harvest a purple patch of standout tracks. The up beat garage rock and low rent backing vocals of ‘Albert Goes West’; fast paced, heavily rampaging narrative of ‘We Call Upon The Author’ and the subtle abrasive orchestration of ‘Hold On To Yourself’ which is pitched against a stunning acoustic guitar amidst an arid modern day wild-west landscape, form a stunning clutch of tracks. If that wasn’t enough to get excited about, ‘Lie Down Here’ is and conveys an authoritative urgency that with the help of a well placed piano, unconsciously acquires unstoppable momentum.

At this point it’s painfully obvious that Cave’s music isn’t throwaway in any sense but a complete yet never-ending journey, where you ultimately decide if and when to get off; to say that these songs are emotionally infectious is an understatement. This is again underlined through the ballad ‘Jesus Of The Moon’ and ‘Midnight Man’ which drags you, the listener, face to face with Cave’s conversational outpourings, building and changing with enviable ease. The album closes on ‘More News From Nowhere’; concentrated with a dream drug fuzz, the evocative imagery that has featured throughout is once again highlighted. The track might last seven minutes but isn’t drawn out and allows you to sit back, tentatively relax and appreciate the album in its entirety.

Cave uses his vocal as an instrument, to full effect, emphasising his lyrical density and combining the fervent styling’s of Bobby Gillespie with the appeal of the Doors and the form of The Modern Lovers, ‘Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!’ creates an emotionally expansive, irresistibly abstract hybrid of rock, country and post punk, illustrating Cave’s fascination with religion, death, violence and Americana… its a staggering combination and a staggering album.