Opening with a simple piano and vocal number, Into My Arms, when your singer has a dsitinctive, if not stellar, voice, is certainly bold. However, the lyrical mastery and beauty of the piano line ensures that it is certainly memorable. (Are you the) One I've Been Waiting For? is another superbly stripped back observation on the nature of romance and destiny.
Tracks that grew on me upon rediscovery were Lime Tree Arbor and People They Ain't No Good. The latter I had always enjoyed, but it shot up even further in my estimation, with the almost dirge-like nature drawing the listener in. The former paints a vivd and captivating image with the language - it's almost Wordsworth-esque in capturing nature. Where Do We Go Now But Nowhere is a great example of Cave's almost spoken narrative, with ornamental instrumentation adding a depth to the picture created.
It's not all mournful perfection, with Green Eyes a bit too avant garde for me, and Black Hair pretty close to going down the same path. For this level of experimentation to co-exist alongside such simplicity is testament to Cave's boldness of vision, at the very least.
The album was written in the tumult following the breakdown of Cave and PJ Harvey's relationship, and it is darker even than 13 by Blur - another of my favourite post-break-up albums. Yet there are moments of optimism that Cave can't hide from his voice and words, and I often find his music strangely uplifting. Whilst I love Cave's more recent work, including the sublime Push the Sky Away and the utterly haunting Skeleton Key, this really is a superb album.
Chloe's album rating: 8
Chloe's favourite track: 2. Lime Tree Arbour
Olly's album rating: 8
Olly's favourite track: 6. (Are you) The One That I've Been Waiting For?
Next week is 290. Innervisions by Stevie Wonder.
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