Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds - Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus - Anti B0002SROSQ

I’ve had to battle with Nick Cave’s work in the past, notable Murder Ballads; I loved the music but felt depressed and shocked by the lyrics, so much so that I abandoned the album after two hearings. Recently, I’ve come to enjoy The Boatman’s Call and No More Shall We Part. They’re by no means a barrel of laughs, of course, but he’s moderated his bleak vision and the music is as strong as ever.

These two albums, issued together, are even better. The Dark One lets himself go a bit, gets carried along by melodies, and sounds as though he’s having fun. Nature Boy is almost poppy. However, it’s not all fun. Fable of The Brown Ape is as grim as you might expect and there’s a reference elsewhere to the Butcher Bird of his native Australia which suggests he hasn’t entirely forgotten about the blood and guts of life. Overall, though, an uplifting listen.