Aww man, I guess Rob Thomas isn't on this one

Musings on music delivered when I dig myself out.

Aww man, I guess Rob Thomas isn't on this one

Or "Supernaturally," a track off the new LP The Lyre Of Orpheus, from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Let me throw this out on the table before I really get into it: I don't really know a whole lot about Nick Cave. In fact I've only heard one of his records previous to this and own only a baby's handful of mp3s. It might not mean much to a hardcore Cave fan that a relative newb is really, really excited about the quality of the man's new LPs, but it represents something significant to me. Cave's dual new release of Abbatoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus could be a serious jump-on point for new fans, with "Supernaturally" leading the ship.

A real rabble-rouser amongst a collection of feisty songs, "Supernaturally" is the most encouraging song I've ever heard from Cave. Its construction is like a battle song or the theme for anything requiring courage and endurance: up-tempo, relentless, and with a chorus that would sound vicious shouted at the top of your lungs. The acoustic guitars strum as if they were pumping iron and the string section has a real sinister air. Nick Cave's singing of "Hey! Ho! Oh baby, don't you go!" is heartfelt and powerful. There's nothing half-assed about this song and it shows. If this is a Bad Seeds recruitment commercial, I'll sign up and spread the word as fast as my fingers will let me type.

Published Friday, October 22, 2004 | 0 comments | E-mail this post