ALBUM REVIEW: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - "Skeleton Tree"

By: Victor Van Ommen

Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 09/09/2016
Label: Bad Seed Ltd

Musically, “Skeleton Tree” trudges through with sparse instrumentation, drones, and swells. This makes for an immersive, emotional listen, pulling at the listener’s psyche. There’s no let up, either, with each song diving deeper and deeper into darkness. By mastering the art of minimalism, The Bad Seeds have turned to making vast soundscapes, by focusing on accents instead of a steady drive.

‘Skeleton Tree’ CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Jesus Alone
2). Rings of Saturn
3). Girl in Amber
4). Magneto
5). Anthrocene
6). I Need You
7). Distant Sky
8). Skeleton Tree

The Review:

If you’re wondering why the cold, dark days of winter seem to be approaching fast, it’s thanks to Nick Cave’s new album, “Skeleton Tree.” Cave has dove deep into his well of inspiration, spinning dark tales of dealing with life and death, and unleashed this collection of eight songs on the world.

Cave’s melodramatic voice adds depth to the already bleak backdrop. His voice is full, coming more from the throat rather than the diaphragm, resonating rather than bellowing. The quivering he lets slip isn’t so much technique as it is him living the lyrics. By doing this, Cave has saturated his lyrics with an overwhelming amount of feeling, which may or may not be based on him mourning the death of his 15 year old son. There seems to be a disagreement in the online blogosphere about the inspiration for these lyrics, but what is for sure is that these eight songs are fueled by Cave’s struggle with the existence and his faith in higher powers, wrestling to find a purpose in such a mundane life, as well as contemplating death and what this means to the living.

Musically, “Skeleton Tree” trudges through with sparse instrumentation, drones, and swells. This makes for an immersive, emotional listen, pulling at the listener’s psyche. There’s no let up, either, with each song diving deeper and deeper into darkness. By mastering the art of minimalism, The Bad Seeds have turned to making vast soundscapes, by focusing on accents instead of a steady drive. Minor chords are played for effect rather than melody, percussion is few and far between and when it does hit, the element of the song it brings to the fore could shatter glass. The album feels fragile because of this, as though at any moment we’ll hear Cave completely break down.

“Skeleton Tree” is a commanding listen, one that sits heavy on the shoulders, and judging by how the weather has turned, Mother Nature has scored herself a copy of this exceptional slab of wax as well.

‘Skeleton Tree’ is available everywhere now

Band info: official

Conny Ochs - "Future Fables" (Album Review)

By: Victor Van Ommen

Album Type: Full-Length

Date Released: 26/02/2016

Label: Exile On Mainstream

This record has the potential to speak to many of us heavy rock fans despite its level of sentiment and sparse use of instrumentation. There’s passion and well-placed emotion that resonates through these songs. They’re deliciously fragile because of it. If that’s your thing; if you can appreciate singers baring their soul with nothing more than an acoustic guitar as accompaniment, then this one’s for you.

“Future Fables” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Hole

2. Piece Of Heaven

3. Killer

4. Spin

5. Wake Up

6. Empire

7. Golden Future

8. Slide

9. No Easy Way

10. Fools

11. Strange Alchemy

12. Make Some Room

The Review:

On “Future Fables,” we have Conny Ochs and his guitar taking a seat next to us on the couch. That’s how close and personal these twelve tracks feel. He has the capability to hush the crowd and demand attention without needing to stomp on a distortion pedal or rip his vocal chords to ribbons. 

There’s nothing psychedelic here and if it’s heavy you’re looking for then you’ll find it in the mood and not the tones. “Piece of Heaven” plays out to a familiar song structure – interchangeable verses and choruses – and uses a full band to do this. “Fools” does the opposite by employing its verses to set the stage for the chorus, and does this successfully with just two guitars and powerful vocals. Ochs’ best qualities come out in “Killer,” a song with finger snapping, light drumming and a bluesy walk around the guitar. Though the song threatens to break out in the chorus, it never does and that’s one of its strengths. “Spin” uses beautiful vocal harmonies to call the listener to “put your hard rock music on,” which hints at Ochs’ underlying influence.

Despite his hard rock soul, these are gentle songs that are soft to the touch and therefore inviting. It’s only once the listener allows himself to be enveloped by Ochs’ voice, lyrics, and overall presence that the melancholy rises to the surface. This puts Ochs firmly into the category “singer-songwriter” but he’s able to stray from the drek that the mainstream pushes our way and thus avoids sounding like a limp dick resting up against your ear. Instead, Ochs flexes his muscles by using his acoustic guitar to tame the beast that is an emotionally wrought songwriter.

This record has the potential to speak to many of us heavy rock fans despite its level of sentiment and sparse use of instrumentation. There’s passion and well-placed emotion that resonates through these songs. They’re deliciously fragile because of it. If that’s your thing; if you can appreciate singers baring their soul with nothing more than an acoustic guitar as accompaniment, then this one’s for you.

“Future Fables” is available here

Band info: facebook || bandcamp

Mike Scheidt, John Baizley & Nate Hall - Songs of Townes Van Zandt Vol. II (Album Review)

Album Type : Full Length

Date Released : Out Now

Label : My Proud Mountain/Neurot Recordings

Songs of Townes Van Zandt Vol. II, track listing :

1. To Live Is To Fly (Mike Scheidt)
2. Pancho & Lefty (Nate Hall)
3. St. John The Gambler (John Baizley & Katie Jones)
4. Rake (Mike Scheidt)
5. Waitin’ Around To Die (Nate Hall & Stevie Floyd)
6. For The Sake Of The Song (John Baizley & Katie Jones)
7. Highway Kind (Mike Scheidt)
8. Our Mother The Mountain (Nate Hall & Dorthia Cottrell)
9. If I Needed You (John Baizley & Katie Jones)

Review :

The second installment of covers of the country legend's songbook features alumni of the alternative metal scene interpreting a singer songwriter who was terminally under appreciated during his life/career but whose status has grown in death. Can the songs here live up to Steve Earle's (retracted) claim that Van Zandt was the better of Bob Dylan in the song-writing stakes?

Both To Live is To Fly and Pancho and Lefty make a convincing argument, with stripped down voice and acoustic arrangements allowing Scheidt and Hall, respectively, to put their own talent on display and stamp the songs as their own. St John The Gambler has Baizley working with a more lush arrangement and the boon of a female vocalist in accompaniment which contrasts well with his own voice.

Thereafter the album flows well- three artists of relatively disparate acts produce versions of Van Zandt's songs which are by no means samey, but which are all of a type. If you enjoy singer songwriter material of the more sombre type, you will find much to enjoy here. Nowhere near as “country” as Van Zandt's 70's filmic compatriot David Allan Coe but not as fokey as say Dylan's earlier material, I would postulate that Van Zandt pitches as a more sombre and haunted Neil Young (no comparison in voice, or even content, but the terrain inhabited is not too far away).

The content is certainly dark- Waitin' Around to Die is no easy listen and nor is The Highway Kind. The songs here reek of alcohol and missed opportunities. They clearly resonate with members of the metal/alternative community and thus I would recommend this record to any music fan and indeed, any heavy music fan. The acoustic may not be your conduit of choice normally, but you may find a lot in here that is pitch black in theme and delivery. A strong collection that may well serve to introduce fans of the artists here to reach back into the world of outlaw country and of a man who never found the success he deserved.

Words by : Richard Maw

You can get it here

For more information :

http://www.neurotrecordings.com
http://www.facebook.com/neurotrecordings
http://www.youtube.com/user/NeurotRecordings
http://www.myproudmountain.com