NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS NOCTURAMA ALBUM MUTE, PLAYGROUND RELEASE: FEBRUARY 3, 2003 REVIEW: FEBRUARY 5, 2003

Somehow Nick and I lost touch after "Murder Ballads". Sure I liked "Boatman’s Call" in all its minimalistic gloomy glory, but the man didn’t speak to me like before. The hedonistic and frenetic post punk days of the earlier and younger Nick Cave seemed far away, and didn’t get closer with the release of the string-laden "No More Shall We Part". There was silence between us.
But know Nick and I are on speaking terms again. Recorded in mere seven days, "Nocturama" contains more of the old Nick Cave. "Bring It on", with Saints singer Chris Bailey in the chorus, may be the best song Cave has written since "The Mercy Seat". "Dead Man in My Bed" is one of his most funny and up tempo songs since..., well Birthday Party. Sure there are low key ballads on "Nocturama" as well. Cave is older, but so am I, so most of the slower songs sit well with me, especially since they are mixed with more up tempo tunes. Some of the slow songs are a bit boring and unnecessary, though. But as long as Nick Cave routinely can write stuff like "She Passed by My Window" and "Rock of Gibraltar", that’s quite OK, you know.
The final reason that I speak with Nick Cave again is that he’s brought his friends along. I really missed Blixa, Mick and the others when Nick sat and mumbled by himself on the two previous albums. But now, they are back, and it seems that even Nick have missed them. The closing song on "Nocturama", "Babe, I’m on Fire" is like a welcome back-party for the Bad Seeds that doesn’t seem to want to stop. I don’t want it to either.

KALLE MALMSTEDT