Grinderman - Grinderman

by Jon Rogers

published: 21 / 4 / 2007

Label: Mute Records
Format: CD

intro

Enjoyable debut album from Nick Cave's new band, which proves to be his most aggressive and also most humorous since the days of the Birthday Party and his early solo work

“I’ve got to get up to get down and start all over again,” proclaims Nick Cave at the start of the opener 'Get It On'. Fortunately, Cave finally has. For anyone that had, while still admiring the recent albums of the Bad Seeds, had become disappointed by Cave’s move into piano balladeering they’ll be greeting Grinderman with open arms. It’s probably Cave’s most aggressive, and perversely his most humorous, since the days of the Birthday Party and his early solo work. In fact the band is drawn from the Bad Seeds – violinist Warren Ellis, bassist Martyn Casey and drummer Jim Sclavunos – but instead of the lush, arranged tinge of late, 'Grinderman' sounds like the name suggests. Grubby, soiled, copious amounts of swearing and remnants of a bottle of hard liquor. The single 'No Pussy Blues' could be accused of sexism if it wasn’t so funny with Cave wearily giving into middle age as he tries to get a fan into bed: “I combed the hair across my head. I sucked in my gut and still she said, She didn’t want to.” Similarly the closing 'Love Bomb' mixes up humour and garage-rock as if they’re covering some sort of Stooges outtake. There are moments of restraint, as with 'Man in the Moon' and 'Electric Alice' but for the most part Grinderman bash out rudimentary – although still intelligent rock. It sees Cave loosening up, having fun (largely at his own expense as he takes on the persona of the middle-aged rocker) and not afraid again to make some noise and kick things up. Now, if he can get the remaining Bad Seeds to follow suit, things could get really interesting.

Track Listing:-

1 Mickey Mouse And The Goodbye Man
2 Worm Tamer
3 Heathen Child
4 When My Baby Comes
5 What I Know
6 Evil
7 Kitchenette
8 Palaces Of Montezuma
9 Bellringer Blues

Band Links:-

https://www.facebook.com/grinderman/
http://www.grinderman.com/
https://twitter.com/grindermansite

Label Links:-

http://mute.com/
https://www.facebook.com/muterecords
https://twitter.com/MuteUK
https://www.youtube.com/user/themutechannel

Have a Listen:-

interviews

Interview (2007)

Anthony Dhanendran attends a press conference with Grinderman, the new band of Nick Cave and Dirty Three and Bads Seeds violinist Warren Ellis, at which they talk about their self-titled debut album and their first ever live performance at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival

live reviews

Forum, London, 20/6/2007

In an impressive double bill, Jon Rogers at the London Forum sees aging rockers Grinderman and Suicide which many younger bands could learn a lot from if they were less bothered about their career strategy

favourite album

Grinderman (2009)

In our 'Re:View' series,in which our writers look back on albums from the past, Jeff Thiessen re-examines the 2007 debut album of Nick Cave's raw-in-sound Grinderman project and finds that, much to his surprise, two years on it stands upo to prolonged listening

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