We’re trying something new for this one. In anticipation of the final ‘Carnage’ shows in Australia in November/December, we’ve written a long-form retrospective on the last 10 years of the Cave discography and how this is the peak of the mountain.
We’ve also compiled a list of interviews, articles and resources to give that extra bit of insight into otherwise fairly private artists. The final article will be up on the Store in the coming days, otherwise, we’ve got the below excerpt as a taste of what’s to come….
It’s rare that the art comes full circle as perfectly as the latest incarnation of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds has. Beautifully and chaotically, everything has been documented in some form thanks to the ongoing efforts of Cave and Ellis. As of August 2022, the final phase appears to be the conclusion of the Carnage international tour with what appears to be a mostly sold-out run of shows across the country.
These shows hold a sense of finality to them and will serve as likely some of the most cathartic in recent memory. To understand why this is, it’s important to look back on the last 10 years, the cosmic genius of ‘Carnage’ and the pandemic created the tipping point for a truly profound moment in music for Nick Cave and Warren Ellis.
These shows will celebrate ’Carnage’, which as covered in our year-end list, was not only one of the best of 2021 but also one of the highlights in the Cave catalogue. The darkness and violence of tracks like ‘Hand of God' and ‘White Elephant’ contrast the beauty and levity of moments of ‘Lavender Fields’ and ‘Balcony Man’, and make for a deeply compelling display of the humanity of those behind the songs.
As admitted by Cave and Ellis, the fact the record was made during a pandemic is inescapable, but with hindsight, through the performance of the songs, this added dimension of humanity and now togetherness brought through performing them to crowds, brings the themes that Cave has been exploring for the last decade to one beautiful conceptual rounding.
And this is why ‘Carnage’ is an essential record. And why these songs in the live setting will be as captivating as they are moving.
‘Carnage’ is available in the Store now.
The extended article will be available in the coming days.
#carnage #nickcave #vinyl #australiancarnage