Album of the Month: CARNAGE by Nick Cave & Warren Ellis

Oh, obviously.

What is even more obvious is a lockdown collaboration between Nick Cave and Warren Ellis. 

Perhaps my favourite scene in 20,000 Days on Earth, the brilliant documentary on Nick Cave, is the conversation between Cave and Ellis. The two are sitting in the kitchen of Ellis's mansion by the cliffs of Dover, contemplating some sizzling dish prepared by the host and talking about Jerry Lee Lewis and Nina Simone. It is a freewheeling conversation, and the atmosphere is that of mutual trust and affection. And while it could be argued that Warren Ellis is anyone's idea of a perfect collaborator (I am currently looking forward to the upcoming Marianne Faithfull LP), it is clear that in Ellis Cave found someone a lot more than that. Which is why the sense of surprise at the release of this album wears off so fast.

Carnage is post-grief. Musically, it is similar to Cave's latest works - and yet it is not quite Ghosteen. Nor is it Skeleton Tree. Rather, it resembles Push The Sky Away or quieter moments off Grinderman (with a touch of Alan Vega). There are moments of achingly beautiful piano-based balladry ("Albuquerque") and there are moments of lush gospel singing (the ending of "White Elephant"). There is stately elegance ("Lavender Fields") and there are uncomfortable but oddly satisfying loops from Warren Ellis (the opening "Hand of God" should not really work, but it does). 

And, in the end, all that matters is that Nick Cave is in a place where he wants to be. Which also goes for his songwriting that swirls and floats and loops in a way that feels natural and... dare I say it... relaxed. There is unforgettable imagery ('turning chickens into fountains', 'Botticelli Venus with a penis'), and much of it is related to childhood memories (the oft-quoted Flannery O'Connor line). Carnage is reflective but it is post-grief. Carnage, against all intuition, is a very comfortable place. 

RECOMMENDED THIS MONTH:

Nick Cave & Warren Ellis - Carnage 

Black Country, New Road - For The First Time 

The Hold Steady - Open Door Policy 

A Winged Victory For The Sullen - Invisible Cities 

Fourth Album by The Wrens

Charles Bissell has done it again. At this point in time, it is hard to say what this 'it' even means. We have long entered the stage where the idea of a new album by The Wrens album makes no sense at all. At best, it is silly. At worst, tiresome. Nobody asks questions, nobody calls bullshit on a promise that is not even a promise but, rather, a feeble tweet. What? A new album by The Wrens? Like, with songs and stuff? Fuck off. 

And yet here we are, at the beginning of 2021, and Charles Bissell says something about autumn and a record label that is supposed to release this bizarre novelty called a new Wrens album. There is even a journalist who has heard seven (!) songs from the album, and he swears blind they are all amazing. Well, okay. They better be amazing, because the idea of serving us the second helping of Chinese Democracy would just be hilariously sad.

I say 'us' but I should not, really. The best part of the whole saga is that I have never even been a fan of The Wrens. Their first two albums are high on energy but low on personality. A few songs aside, they never rise to the status of overlooked classics that you so want them to reach. Now The Meadowlands. It is a special album, no doubt, and you will not find me denying the sheer emotional bliss of songs like "She Sends Kisses", "This Boy Is Exhausted" or "Boys, You Won't". Seventeen years on, they are as potent as they were in 2003. 

Having said that, The Meadowlands has never been my favourite album of all time (and it is the sort of album that should be your favourite album of all time, if only for a day; it is all or nothing with The Meadowlands). However, I have always been fascinated by what happened next.

Because next happened... nothing. Which is not a crime in itself, of course, there are plenty of bands who disappear after releasing their masterpiece (99.99% of bands do not even approach that masterpiece, of course, and just disappear). But it was a different kind of nothing, and it goes something like this (I am quoting from memory but the particulars are irrelevant). In 2013, Charles Bissell says that the songs for the new Wrens album are mostly there. In 2014, the release is imminent. In 2015, the songs are mixed anew but the album is almost out. In 2016, the album is not out as some more work needs to be done. In 2017, the last touches are put. In 2018, some songs have to be reworked but the whole thing is done and dusted. In 2019, everything has been finished for a while and the release might happen any day now. In 2020, some of the songs are not good enough but, fuck it, the album will probably be released anyway. In 2021, Charles Bissell says something about autumn and a record label that is supposed to release this bizarre novelty called a new Wrens album.

In other words, Charles Bissell has done it again... And you know what? I will bite. I have grown older, and I should know better, and the boy has been crying wolf like mad, but I will bite if only because it is 2021 and nobody gives a fuck anymore. A new album by The Wrens? Like, with songs and stuff? Bring it on. 

Manic Street Preachers: 10 Best Songs

Having briefly considered doing a detailed overview of the Manics albums, I lost interest halfway through Send Away The Tigers. I still have no idea how Bradfield and Wire could record something as soul-devoid and artistically impotent as that - especially if you take into account that both of them had just released masterful solo albums (in retrospect, I Killed The Zeitgeist was not quite so masterful after all). The first thirty seconds of "Underdogs" are enough to instill existential fear into my heart, and the obvious cover of "Working Class Hero" was no more than a cheap cop-out. So let's just say that The Holy Bible is towering well above the rest of their discography, still.

Instead, here is a list of ten best songs by the band.   

10. "Freedom Of Speech Won't Feed My Children" (2001)

If you are ever going to give Manic Street Preachers some time of your life, you will have to tolerate titles like that. This was the last song on Know Your Enemy, which was their most diverse and underrated LP. 

9. "Postcards From A Young Man" (2010)

Postcards From A Young Man was a good album but it suffered from being released too soon after the terrific and emotionally draining Journal For Plague Lovers. Still, the title song was their classic anthem.

8. "The Next Jet To Leave Moscow" (2014)

This is from Futurology, a loosely conceptual LP from 2014 and one of James Dean Bradfield's favourite albums by the band. "The Next Jet To Leave Moscow" has a terrific driving rhythm that carries a simple but masterful melody from Wales' greatest songwriter (after John Cale).

7. "This Sullen Welsh Heart" (2013)

Featuring Lucy Rose, this opening song from Rewind The Film was an understated anthem with an unforgettable tune underpinned by subtle and stately acoustic instrumentation. The lyrics were good, too, but do not get me started on those.

6. "4st 7lb" (1994)

A properly ugly song about anorexia. From The Holy Bible.

5. "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next" (1998)

I planned to omit this one from my list for all the obvious reasons but in the end I did not want to fight it. The song is too good. Excessively clean, granted, but so well-written. Should be the new anthem of Belarus.

4. "Kevin Carter" (1996)

Most fans of the band would tell you that it is a toss-up between The Holy Bible and Everything Must Go. I never felt that way. Everything Must Go sounded a little too polite, even if "Kevin Carter" was an all-time classic. Featuring a trumpet solo, no less.

3. "This Joke Sport Severed" (2009)

I love this little tune from Journal For Plague Lovers to an unhealthy degree. Especially good are those god-like strings that come out of nowhere and reach the sort of catharsis the band had not touched in years. 

2. "Motorcycle Emptiness" (1992)

Putting this one down is like putting down "Across The Universe" or "Smells Like Teen Spirit". What's the fucking point? Basically, Generation Terrorists had 17 songs. And "Motorcycle Emptiness". 

1. "Ifwhiteamericatoldthetruthforonedayitsworldwouldfallapart" (1994)

The best song on The Holy Bible is also the best song by Manic Street Preachers. Ugly, catchy, uncomfortable, irresistible. What else is there to it? Nothing, as far as Manics are concerned.

Про Одессу. Канатная.

В каждом городе есть такая улица. Длинная, извилистая. Канатная. В этой улице - сама идея города. Его доброе сердце, его плохое настроение. Нет, Канатная - это не самая яркая улица Одессы. Не самая дорогая и не самая дешевая. Здесь можно купить фалафель за тридцать гривен и флэт уайт за восемьдесят. Канатная - это улица потрясающих противопоставлений. Здесь современные рестораны высечены в стенах домов девятнадцатого века. Здесь дворовая собака заносчиво пробегает мимо австралийской овчарки. Именно по этой улице нужно пройти, если на всю Одессу осталось не больше получаса, после которых поезд уедет с вокзала, а пароход неминуемо покинет порт. Эти полчаса нужно потратить не на Оперный театр и не на Приморский бульвар. Их нужно потратить здесь.

Канатная улица. Во-первых, я люблю это название. Безумное сочетание истории и визуального образа. Она действительно похожа на бесконечно длинный канат. Она лишена широких тротуаров Пушкинской и Маразлиевской, бегущих вдоль нее, и тянется от морского порта до проспекта Гагарина. Тянулась бы, наверное, до Черноморска, если бы кто-то не обозвал ее Сегедской после Парка областной рады. Канат этот сильно поношен, и пеньковые волокна сыпятся и лезут во все дорожные пазухи и трещины домов. И все же история не имеет ничего общего с визуальным образом. Все просто: когда-то на этой улице производили канаты. Другой интересный момент заключается в том, что название это менялось так же часто, как в Одессе менялась власть в период гражданской войны 1917-1918 годов. И все же первоначальное название вернулось после советского распада, и сегодня никому и в голову не придет назвать ее улицей Полтавской Победы или (не дай бог!) Свердлова. 

Контраст с Пушкинской улицей кажется вопиющим. Нет здесь широких тротуаров, важных музеев и крупных банков. Даже знаменитые одесские платаны кажутся редкими и необязательными. И все же именно Канатная кажется мне смыслом этого города (равно как Порту, а вовсе не Лиссабон, является смыслом Португалии). Все настоящие жители Одессы именно здесь, с сигаретами на узких балконах и за разговорами на бесконечных перекрестках с Базарной, Успенской, Троицкой... Здесь, на Канатной, меня не покидает чувство, что вокруг нет случайных людей (самый случайный тут - я). Здесь разговоры старой Одессы. Здесь лучший свежий хлеб и лучший травяной чай. И то и другое можно купить в кафе Breadway, куда нужно приходить с самого утра, когда в окне город только просыпается от очередной оживленной ночи. Здесь лучший маршрут Одессы, от Малой Арнаутской до морского порта. 

Архитектура Канатной улицы мало чем отличается от остальной архитектуры Приморского района. Это та самая архитектура, которая проступает на старых черно-белых фотографиях первой половины прошлого века. Канатная улица не меняется, и не изменится до тех пор, пока там будет стоять, например, знаменитый дом №18 с его магической пристройкой в итальянском стиле. Я все мечтаю на нее подняться, однако ставни заколочены, и мечта остается выгодно недосягаемой. Я завороженно смотрю на этот дом всякий раз, когда бываю в кафе Breadway. На Канатной есть оживленные места, ближе к Троицкой и Большой Арнаутской, однако есть тут и места архитектурного уединения, особенно в самом начале улицы, там, где она легкомысленно и вместе с тем монументально отходит от переулка Нахимова и Одесского мореходного училища (моя любимая часть Канатной). 

Здесь совершенно особенный воздух, свободный и не имеющий веса. Однако описать его почти невозможно. Да и как описать воздух? Нельзя объяснить Канатную улицу, равно как и саму Одессу. Как писала однажды Зинаида Гиппиус, "не надо объяснять, если надо объяснять". Канатная - это лучшие полчаса в Одессе.