Darker With The Day

This morning's episode features an interview with Aaron Borg, owner of Bad Habit Records in Nambour. 

Plus the following review, featured just prior to Conversion by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: Wild God (Bad Seed Ltd./PIAS)

Released August 30th, 2024

Wild God is Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ eighteenth studio album and the first to follow what has been an equally productive and tragic period of his life. Cave’s recent traumas are well known, notably the untimely death of two of his sons, Arthur Cave and Jethro Lazenby as well as the loss of his mother Dawn Cave and also Anita Lane, his former partner and purported muse.

Cave’s three previous albums, Skeleton Tree, Ghosteen and Carnage —the latter a collaboration with fellow Bad Seed, Warren Ellis—are heavy with the weight of grief. Wild God is a cracking of the curtain, allowing a little light to illuminate spaces once occupied by the dark shadows of Cave’s personal devastations. This lightening of the mood is not lost on Cave, stating in the album’s pre-release material, “Listening to [Wild God], I don’t know, it seems we’re happy.”

Water, or at least the theme of water, is a recurring presence on Wild God. Both the album opener and closer refer to bodies of water, Song Of The Lake and As The Water Covers The Sea, respectively, whilst throughout the album Cave sings of a wild God swimming, frogs leaping in the Sunday rain and of aching seas. This liquid presence may be simply explained as a result of Cave’s interest in early morning, cold-water swims, but to consider a deeper, more philosophical perspective, water is often seen as emblematic of cleansing and rebirth.

Musically, the band sounds rejuvenated and reinvigorated. The Bad Seeds were, mostly, a muted presence on Ghosteen, sacrificing themselves for the sake of the songs. Alternatively, Wild God once again places the band at the forefront of the compositions. As a long-term Bad Seeds fan, I was pleased to once again hear Martyn P. Casey’s distinct, rhythmic bass playing, Thomas Wydler’s intricate drumming and Jim Sclavunos’ percussive contributions. These gentlemen have been a core element of the group for decades, so it is a real joy to hear them unleash their talents once again.

Conversion kicks off the second —and in my opinion— stronger half of the album. Commencing with a synth drone, the song initially sounds like a holdover from the Ghosteen sessions, until midway when its gossamer mood is interrupted by a drumroll that heralds a dramatic shift into gospel territory; complete with backup singers. Cave has become a master of this kind of sonic trickery, White Elephant off of Carnage being a recent example, proving that four decades into his career he has not lost the ability to surprise his audience.

Few could have predicted that Australia’s prince of post-punk darkness would release a record that he himself describes as “joyous,” but one need only listen to the jubilant chorus of Wild God for proof. After experiencing a succession of tragedies, Cave is due some happiness; hearing him sing his contentment on Wild God, it’s heartening to hear he’s achieved it.

Nick Stephan