After the epic proportions of Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus double-disc in which Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds laid out two sides of the songwriter's melodic and ambitious look at both ock & roll and balladry, Grinderman sounds like a wild, nasty, wooly ock & roll monolith who simply need to let it rip and then see what happens. Along with Warren Ellis, Martyn P. Casey and Jim Sclavunos (right, 3/7 of the Bad Seeds), Cave and company turn in a squalling, raucous, twist-and-turn garage band set that takes on all comers. Check out the opening line of the single "No Pussy Blues" for clues as to why the songwriting screenwriter (and seriously B-grade actor) may be doing this -- the sounds of a typewriter plunking only to be joined by a Sclavunos' hi hat before Cave prattles in spoken word with real menace: "My face is finished, my body's gone, and I can't help thinking but think standing up here with all this applause and gazing down at all the young and beautiful with looking up with their questioning eyes/That I must above all things love myself..." Joined by a snarling bass, he goes on to try to woo some young woman in the crowd with all his tricks, from sucking in his gut and getting all togged up to quoting her Yeats to doing her dishes and sending her doves, but he is rejected. The wail of age is fraught with both danger and delight as he continues his desperate and unsuccessful attempt at seduction, but all he ends up with is the "no pussy blues." It adds up to two things: black humor and a love for the kind of ock & roll younger musicians have to plot, plan, pose and dig deep into their record collections to try and emulate. When the band jumps in with all the racket unleashed, the track is as tragically funny as it is unhinged. The singer's frustration is understood and empathized with to the point of sheer vitriol. And it's a careening jolt of ock & roll that would send his listeners to the volume control for more. The opening track "Get It On" is similar but even wilder: it comes bursting out of the box like a rabid wolf. Even on the slower tunes such as "Electric Alice," a story-song, the grimy organ sounds and Ellis' distorted bouzouki and violin meet the slippery mud shuffle of Sclavunos' drums and Casey's plodding, droning bassline. All of this said, there are moments here, such as on "Depth Charge Ethel" and "Honey Bee (Let's Fly to Mars") where Grinderman are so freaking awesome they transcend the garage band thing altogether and sound like some flipped-out cross between Suicide, the Stooges, Bo Diddley and the Scientists. The songs come through and stand on their own amid the noise, so don't be surprised if some of these evil little nuggets get new treatments when the Bad Seeds reconvene. While the sound of pure snarl and glee is what melts the speaker cabinets the most, the overdriven menace of most these songs doesn't undermine their worth as songs. Cave is far too gifted for that and his bandmates are too empathetic to let him veer too far off course. The album closes with "Love Bomb," with Cave railing on electric guitar. It's a pumping anthem of pure male libidinal dis-ease that takes the sentiments of "No Pussy Blues" to the extreme, though Bob Dylan could have written the words. It's an anthem of male malaise, dysfunction, the rage at emasculation and desire. In fact, the protagonist in most of these songs is literally sick with it, and so is almost all of the music itself here. Grinderman, not the Bad Seeds, are the most logical -- though not necessarily similar-sounding or serious -- extension of the Birthday Party legacy Cave left behind 25 years ago. These are songs to chew on, get knocked down by, guffaw at, and take deep inside your own shadow side to celebrate. Grinderman is the impure ock & roll album to beat in 2007.
Rating: 7.8Nick Cave is the perfect example of why music will never die - after the last notes are discovered, after every possible melody, rhythm, and lyric are exhausted, there's still gonna be someone who comes by and does it all over again...with attitude.It's this elusive (a little too elusive in today's musical goulash, if you ask me) thingamajig called attitude that Nick Cave simply smo...
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Grinderman(Slim's, San Francisco CA, 07/27/07)"Holy shit!" That's what I find myself saying out loud at least half a dozen times throughout Grinderman's utterly primal performance. The long review I wrote follows in the comments. Its bottom line: A memorable showcase of raw musical synergy which had moments of perfection in the art of dissonant noise.
More >
GRINDERMAN – GRINDERMAN (2007)On a recent interview for BBC’s Culture Show the usually elusive Nick Cave explained Grinderman’s conception, and insisted that although he’s pulled together the various members of The Bad Seeds, the new long player is fresh territory with subtle differences in the recording process and individual instrumental responsibility. Firstly, Cave has ditched the Pian
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So there I was, sitting in my gloom with a downloaded copy of The Stooges’ new album The Weirdness, my hopes for rock music circa 2007 shot to hell. Who could have guessed that, after the supercharged live shows Iggy and the Asheton brothers have put on since getting back together around 2003, their efforts at creativity would fall so flat? I was hoping for another Funhouse, and instead Iggy .
More >
No Pussy Blues..Foul-mouthed, noisy, hairy, and damn well old enough to know better, Grinderman are Nick Cave, Warren Ellis, Martyn Casey and Jim Sclavunos.Born of babbling lyrics hatched from Bosch eggshells in the Hyde-bound apocalyptic margins of the Cave brain, the Grinderman sound is an instinctual yawlp that also resurrects the demons of each musician’s past: the trashcan proselytising of.
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Courtesy of defshep...!http://assets.pitchforkmedia.com/images/image/25090.x-news-grinderman.jpg?!Nick Cave: vocals, electric guitar, organ, pianoWarren Ellis: electric bouzouki, Fendocaster, violin, viola, acoustic guitar, backing vocalsMartyn Casey: bass, acoustic guitar, backing vocalsJim Sclavunos: drums, percussion, backing vocals.The story of Grinderman begins within the working processes...
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The Baddest Seed of them all comes right at you with a new single this week.http://www.nickcaveandthebadseeds.com/ reports that the 7" single was released monday (2/19). Grinderman features:Nick Cave (Bad Seeds, etc...); Warren Ellis (Bad Seeds, Dirty Three); Martyn P Casey (Bad Seeds, The Triffids); & Jim Sclavunos (Bad Seeds, The Cramps, Alice Texas).
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Exciting news from Anti- Records. Grinderman, consisting of Nick Cave, Warren Ellis, Martyn Casey and Jim Sclavunos and described as "foul-mouthed, noisy, hairy, and damn well old enough to know better," will drop their self-titled debut album in North America on April 10, 2007. A sample track, "No Pussy Blues," has been streaming on MySpace for several weeks now. As I recall, and as a re-liste...
More >
Grinderman(Slim's, San Francisco CA, 07/27/07)"Holy shit!" That's what I find myself saying out loud at least half a dozen times throughout Grinderman's utterly primal performance. The long review I wrote follows in the comments. Its bottom line: A memorable showcase of raw musical synergy which had moments of perfection in the art of dissonant noise.
More >
No Pussy Blues..Foul-mouthed, noisy, hairy, and damn well old enough to know better, Grinderman are Nick Cave, Warren Ellis, Martyn Casey and Jim Sclavunos.Born of babbling lyrics hatched from Bosch eggshells in the Hyde-bound apocalyptic margins of the Cave brain, the Grinderman sound is an instinctual yawlp that also resurrects the demons of each musician’s past: the trashcan proselytising of.
More >
Courtesy of defshep...!http://assets.pitchforkmedia.com/images/image/25090.x-news-grinderman.jpg?!Nick Cave: vocals, electric guitar, organ, pianoWarren Ellis: electric bouzouki, Fendocaster, violin, viola, acoustic guitar, backing vocalsMartyn Casey: bass, acoustic guitar, backing vocalsJim Sclavunos: drums, percussion, backing vocals.The story of Grinderman begins within the working processes...
More >
Exciting news from Anti- Records. Grinderman, consisting of Nick Cave, Warren Ellis, Martyn Casey and Jim Sclavunos and described as "foul-mouthed, noisy, hairy, and damn well old enough to know better," will drop their self-titled debut album in North America on April 10, 2007. A sample track, "No Pussy Blues," has been streaming on MySpace for several weeks now. As I recall, and as a re-liste...
More >
My favorite records of 2007:1)Grinderman (Nick Cave, et al)2) Jam Skate - Mr Quintron3) Dangerous Game - Mary Weiss4)I'm Your Man - Harlan T Bobo5)Let Us Now Praise Sleepy John - Peter Case (Grammy nominee!!)6)A Year in the Wilderness - John Doe7)At My Age - Nick Lowe8)Notes From the Underground - Deadbeat Poets9)What Is?! - King Khan & the Shrines10)Sweet Warrior - Richard Thompson11)Shrunken ...
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GRINDERMAN – GRINDERMAN (2007)On a recent interview for BBC’s Culture Show the usually elusive Nick Cave explained Grinderman’s conception, and insisted that although he’s pulled together the various members of The Bad Seeds, the new long player is fresh territory with subtle differences in the recording process and individual instrumental responsibility. Firstly, Cave has ditched the Pian
More >
Rating: 7.8Nick Cave is the perfect example of why music will never die - after the last notes are discovered, after every possible melody, rhythm, and lyric are exhausted, there's still gonna be someone who comes by and does it all over again...with attitude.It's this elusive (a little too elusive in today's musical goulash, if you ask me) thingamajig called attitude that Nick Cave simply smo...
More >
The Baddest Seed of them all comes right at you with a new single this week.http://www.nickcaveandthebadseeds.com/ reports that the 7" single was released monday (2/19). Grinderman features:Nick Cave (Bad Seeds, etc...); Warren Ellis (Bad Seeds, Dirty Three); Martyn P Casey (Bad Seeds, The Triffids); & Jim Sclavunos (Bad Seeds, The Cramps, Alice Texas).
More >
Nick Cave's new group, Grinderman recently announced they will be making a few stops in the US on thier current tour, according to Pitchfork.Grinder man consists of Austrailia's legendary rocker Nick Cave, who plays guitar in the group. He is backed by members of his former band, The Bad Seeds: Warren Ellis, Martyn Casey, and Jim Sclavunos. Under the monkier Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds have rel...
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"SUPERGROUP"I'm not sure I like the term but I definitely approve of the concept. It's healthy for musicians to take time away from their day job to explore alternative avenues. It's brought out the best in the likes of Jack White and has refreshed my interest in Damon Albarn as a songwriter, and hell best of all it gets Paul Simonon back on a stage!So who's next to climb aboard the supergroup ...
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The Grinderman record has got to be one of the best of the year so far. But, must pale in comparison to their live performances, as demonstrated by this footage from British tv.
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So there I was, sitting in my gloom with a downloaded copy of The Stooges’ new album The Weirdness, my hopes for rock music circa 2007 shot to hell. Who could have guessed that, after the supercharged live shows Iggy and the Asheton brothers have put on since getting back together around 2003, their efforts at creativity would fall so flat? I was hoping for another Funhouse, and instead Iggy .
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I Guess he's not getting any! Genius.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AO_TjpoHOJcSaw Grinderman do this on Later last night too early for it to be on Youtube but I found this.These guys are scary. I love the guitarist's tiny guitar sounding like it's been unleashed from hell.Listening to Junkyard by the Birthday Party in the 80s as a 16-year-old truly scared me. Glad to see ol' Nick's lost none o...
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Ever hear of Nick Cave? Well, if you haven't, he's one angry aussie. Grinderman is a side project for him and his original band (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds). Grinderman was described as "Foul-mouthed, noisy, hairy, and damn well old enough to know better" at their initial press release. They play a fusion of blues and garage rock that is deliberately dirty, raw and unprocessed. They're lyrics ...
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Grinderman, GRINDERMANDeerhoof, FRIEND OPPORTUNITYBjork, VOLTAField Music, TONES OF TOWNBlonde Redhead, 23The Clientele, GOD SAVE THE CLIENTELERose Kemp, A HANDFUL OF HURRICANESLaura Veirs, SALTBREAKERSPatty Griffin, CHILDREN RUNNING THROUGHRoyal Wood, A GOOD ENOUGH DAYShellac, EXCELLENT ITALIAN GREYHOUNDCharlotte Gainsbourg, 5:55Dinosaur Jr, BEYONDElk City, NEW BELIEVERSKristin Hersh, LEARN TO...
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Get It On |
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| 2 No Pussy Blues |
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| 3 Electric Alice |
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| 4 Grinderman |
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| 5 Depth Charge Ethel |
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| 6 Go Tell the Women |
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| 7 (I Don't Need You To) Set Me Free |
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| 8 Honey Bee (Let's Fly to Mars) |
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| 9 Man in the Moon |
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| 10 When My Love Comes Down |
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| 11 Love Bomb |
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Click to purchase…
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 "Grinderman")
