A true veteran in the world of music. Appreciated by a broad spectrum of music lovers from your arty types, to your “I like all genres besides rap and country” type. Nick Cave and his Magic Band (also known as the Bad Seeds) comes slicing in with a 4 track EP of live material. He takes his cult classics, some new material and brings them to the live stage.
I’ll be damned if this isn’t an impressive EP, most artists seem to flesh out their best work in the studio. But Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds seem to have truly honed this set of songs, really taking the term musician very seriously. The first track here is Jubilee Street, and there’s a real swagger and snark to Nick Caves vocals here, his delivery only that of a seasoned veteran in the music world. The music behind him is just this monstrous rhythm of guitars, it’s a great opener. And packs a real huge punch of glitz and debauchery.
The ever so delicate Distant Skies comes next. Arguably one of my favourite tracks in Caves entire career. The instrumentation here just as delicate as the studio version, it’s handled with such care. The meaning of “less is more” really ringing true as far as the instrumentation here goes. No matter how much I listen to this, it doesn’t get old. They really did my favourite song off Skeleton Tree some real justice on the main stage. The tension heavy, and the music is very fragile. The track tapers off into a instrumentation based composition of sorts, the violin that this thing ends on is simply mesmerising and a very powerful moment.
From Her to Eternity, is so mechanical and gnarly. The rhythmic pulsation of this track is near perfect in this live setting. It draws up and back down again perfectly. “FROM HER TO ETERNITY” Cave bellows out. If there’s one thing this EP makes you believe it’s that Nick Cave is not going to slow down...at all. The mans 61, I know people his age and boy they don’t have half the energy this man seems to be able to harness and allow to materialise on the live stage. His energy seriously oozing out on this track as he holds his own - battling the roaring guitars and instrumentation for that centre stage. The truth is they both coexist perfectly together and deliver such a strong track.
The Mercy Seat, feels like complete decay surrounding you. And behind that golden rust is some real beauty, the relentless piano not holding up. Before the track picks up pace with some primal drums. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds manage to clean up this EP with such class. It’s a clustered track routed in deep claustrophobia, and is such a great closer for this EP. The band leaving you with the feeling you just digested a really fantastic piece of music. It’s a truly realised EP and does such a great job at making you appreciate the true emotional heaviness and beauty that music can hold in the live setting.Â
