Nick Cave & Warren Ellis - Carnage (Album review)

 

All hail the king. Nick Cave has returned with a new album, this time minus the Bad Seeds, instead opting for an album with his long-time collaborator and friend, Warren Ellis. Seemingly moving away from his previous trilogy of albums, (Push the Sky Away, Skelton Tree and Ghosteen) all very low-key, thoughtful and minimal in nature, Carnage whilst still sounding very raw and for the most part has a real swagger and moodiness to it that we haven’t seen from Nick in a long time. We’ve reached a stage where Nick has built up such a reputation for releasing great music that every time he releases a new project you already know it’s going to be well received by fans and critics alike, a remarkable feat given Nick’s age the length of his career. It’s truly difficult to think of another artist that has had such a long and consistent career as Nick Cave, he’s an artist truly befitting of his already achieved legend status.

It’s then unsurprising that Carnage can sit comfortably up there with Nick’s best records. What it maybe lacks in a larger adjoined theme it makes up for in song writing quality and haunting performances. Carnage feels as though it has this caged mania to it, everything feels very in control but yet there is this feeling of pent up anger below the surface, this feeling that at any point something might break and unleash the ‘carnage’ within. In the latter half of his career Nick has definitely opted for a more subtle and reserved style of song writing, something that he still has very much embraced on this album but this time it feels disguised more behind a layer of pent up aggression rather than pain or sadness like on his previous few albums.

Carnage feels like a novel despite being only 8 tracks in length, it manages not to overstay its welcome despite being a pretty heavy listen. The way in which the album is formatted has this stroke of genius to it as well, each track compliments and sets the tone for the next track in a remarkable way. I always think there is a genuine skill to formatting the tracks on album, a skill that is probably being ignored more and more in the age of playlists, but nevertheless it’s something that Nick has always been a God at. The album’s title also raises a couple of interesting thoughts, at first I was drawn to the idea that it’s simply a reference to the state of the modern world, with the divisive politics, the pandemic and the protests representing the carnage the album references. However after hearing the album a few times I’m more drawn to the idea that the title is slightly ironic and instead maybe represents a more personal and emotional meaning to Nick, with a lot of the songs being quiet and reserved on the album, the Carnage feels more like emotional turmoil within Nick’s own head.

The album opens with the chilling number, Hand of God, which has this pulsating drum that despite sitting quietly pushes the song along, whilst these kind of drone like waves pour across the song. The chilling ‘hand of god’ refrain that plays over the top of the song adds this panicked desperation to the track. This song opens the album and immediately tells you this is a departure from his recent work, it’s a much more agitated Nick Cave, a return to an older style whilst balancing his more modern toned down approach.

The album’s title track is haunting and minimal, ambient synths curate a beautiful atmosphere that leaves this feeling of slight uneasiness. The track appears to be about grief and the way, in which we process it, it feels like a truly beautiful and personal track to Nick.

White Elephant is a track rife with powerful social commentary, seemingly centred on the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement. The song contains some deeply powerful lyrics such as, ‘a protester kneels on the neck of a statue, the statue says “I can’t breathe”, the protester says “now you know how it feels” and he kicks it into the sea’. The track builds up this agitated feel before releasing into this huge soulful refrain, the complete change in the feel of the song from despair to hope could maybe emphasise the hope for change in the future.

Another huge album highlight is the song Shattered Ground, the song feels like a very frank and honest ode to a loved one, a song that sits in the fear of losing someone who means a lot to you. It feels at times desperate, embracing the tunnel vision that you see someone you love through willingly, because the love is worth it. Nick really croons his heart out on this track, there is some incredible emotion in his croaky voice and it really feels like he has poured his soul into the song which admittedly isn’t unusual for him.

I think I’m probably fairly comfortable in saying that Carnage is the best album Nick Cave has released since Push the Sky Away, which is possibly my favourite album of his. Carnage has this incredible maturity to it whilst still having many of the trademarks of an older Nick Cave record, the album is simultaneously introspective and critical of the world at large, a balance that isn’t easy for an artist to achieve. It’s a whirlwind of honest emotion, a ride with no pulled punches that leaves a chilling ominousness as soon as it’s gone, perhaps not quite a masterpiece but definitely another stroke of genius from a musician who somehow never misses.

84/ 100