Ticket 2 Ride

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are an acquired taste, but they have a large and faithful following. Count me as one of them.

I don’t pretend to understand much about Cave, he seems a complex man, deeply religious, well-read, of varied interests and musical styles. He defies being confined to a genre, his songs ignore a conventional structure, and his music can be both sad and joyful at the same time.

Cave is my age, 67, which gives us at least one thing in common. Formerly a punk rocker from Australia, him not me, Cave has evolved through my changes, although soaking them up and projecting them back at the world through his writing and music.

Anxiously awaiting their new album, I was a bit taken back when I played it. I couldn’t tell if I was listening to a gospel broadcast or tent revival meeting, the vocals soaring, angelic and music climbing to the heavens. It immediately felt spiritual and brooding, theatrical and full of powerful undertones. I expect anything with Cave, and I have to admit that I’m a more recent convert the flock.

Wild God (2024) needs several listens to understand and let the power of this music to sink in. The words hit you like a forceful rain, in part because Cave’s vocal delivery is talk-singing, particularly effective on this album, his voice has a tone that gets your attention, like a parson in the pulpit. Wild God is the Bad Seeds 18th studio album.

In reading the song lyrics, these aren’t love songs, at least not in a familiar way. Cave’s lyrics contain dreams, wild and haunting situations, visions, hypnotic states, dangerous love, and fanciful mind journeys. I don’t really care if it makes sense or not, as these confessions or ranks fit solidly with the music. Compared to recent albums, Cave told Stephen Colbert that Wild God, was more joyous and uplifting.

Cave reminds me of Tom Waits and John Hiatt, writers of deeply moving songs, who evoke great emotion with their throaty vocals and earthy arrangements. Cave’s baritone voice is not as weathered or whiskey sounding as those two, although like them, it’s not vocal range or dexterity, rather finding the sweet spot in the song’s story.

Delving into more information about Cave, in the past several years, Cave has dealt with the death of two of his children, including 15 year-old son Arthur. Very open about his grief, Cave turned to music, and a book he wrote, dealing with what he called a vulnerable and fragile time.

Cave writes from deep within his soul anyway, and one reviewer said you don’t play Cave’s music to complement a sunny afternoon. A wintry, gray day of bone-chilling wind gusts that relieve us of any human warmth – welcome to Wild God.

Preparing for this review, I went back and listened to Cave’s albums over the last decade.

Cave works in various collaborations, the Bad Seeds is his band, but he often works with just Warren Ellis, with whom he shares writing of Wild God’s songs.

1. “Song of the Lake” 3:36 – The strings and heavenly choir tell you this is going to quite the journey.
2. “Wild God” 5:19 – Similar to the previous song, but more intense.
3. “Frogs” 4:34 – This is wild time, symphonic, like a raging storm. I have no idea what this song means, but it’s enthralling. https://youtu.be/ngDcXmDKBCg?si=QCRfrafB8Mh2CB-E
4. “Joy” 6:13 – Confessional, in the spirit of Van Morrison and his ethereal musical arrangements and voicing.
5. “Final Rescue Attempt” 3:56 – Pulsating melody, a beautiful arrangement. Case’s love songs have more epic and heavenly connotations.
6. “Conversion” 5:17 – A big, rousing build-up ends this songs.
7. “Cinnamon Horses” 5:16 – Slow, aching and sad. https://youtu.be/osIXLN8c-yQ?si=WgYTK4z4AO1PrVUJ
8. “Long Dark Night” 3:33 – His melodies are poignant, even if the subtext seems sad.
9. “O Wow O Wow (How Wonderful She Is)” 4:33 – I like the quirky instrumental sounds used, including the vocoder. Nice tough. https://youtu.be/AwMWTe4HBfk?si=xrR4FRnIYQPQ0Z2e
10. “As the Waters Cover the Sea” 2:04 – Very much a hymn. Hopeful.

On tour now in Europe, 2025 in the U.S.