Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus

Not that familiar with Nick Cave's work, but I liked it. Didn't even mind the length.

side one good focused and fun. side two more hit or miss with at least one skip (“hey! ho!”).

Wow! Is this Nick Cave’s best? Possibly!
First disc (Abattoir Blues) is incredible. The second is very good, lot more slow and lyrical. I’d say a 4.5 in total but I’ll round up for sheer consistency across 80 mins of music.

I like Nick Cave but only in small doses.

Eh

I think I like this album more every time I listen. It made me want to listen to the whole Nick Cave discography.

Bombastic, gospel-infused rock is normally associated with Jack White, but this time it’s the Australian incarnation.

As a double album, Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus presents two distinct identities. Abattoir Blues is the more immediate of the two : gospel-soaked, rockier and, by Cave’s standards, commercial. The Lyre of Orpheus, meanwhile, slows things down, leaning further into blues and folk that feel stranger and more unpredictable.

“Fable of the Brown Ape” feels as though it belongs on the second record, and its placement as the closing track on Abattoir Blues makes it a gentle bridge between the two halves.

Being a casual Nick Cave listener, taking the time to listen to more of his songs is a joy. And it's a really good album! The use of the choir being a common thread throughout makes the listening experience cohesive, as the messaging fluctuates between different levels of darkness.

I’ve listened to many Nick Cave albums over the last 30 years and have always enjoyed them but he is so productive. I’ve listened to Murder Ballad’s, You’re Funeral… My Trial, and The Firstborn Is Dead the most. I never listed to this one until it popped up here and I loved it. The only issue I have with his music is that it’s so emotionally heavy that I’m rarely in the mood for it.

Very many very okay songs.

Nick Cave is one of those artists I know I should listen to more.

(light 7/10)

Pretty good!
I mean, for an imperialist zionist that is.
idk, ever since learning about Nick Cave, I can't really feel anything about his music outside of recognizing it's technically a well-written and well-produced album. idk.

Found myself enjoying elements of it. But I didn't enjoy it as a whole.

The songs are long, 6 minut songs seem 12 minutes. The album is long, it felt like 2 hours.

While I generally enjoy Nick’s albums which are engaging, often interesting lyrically, there is a point where you have to reflect on whether you are really evaluating Nick’s work against his entire discography or are you evaluating his work against the universe of interesting records. Such is the case with Abattoir Blues. And in re-listening to this record it becomes clear that while this is one of the better records in his discography and certainly better than most of his work in the 90’s and early 2000’s, this record really doesn’t measure up well against the massive amount of equally interesting, important and memorable records that are out there. The proliferation of quality music and musicians, particularly in this particular post-punk subgenre, makes it difficult to rate this record as just average. Did you like Idles, Fontaine’s DC, the latest Cure record or any of a host of bands working in the same creative space? So, while I enjoy this record and recognize that a couple of tracks are truly memorable and bear repeated listening, the same can’t be said of the entire record. Which seems a shame but the competition is fierce. 3/5

High quality, just too long

Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus wirkt wie ein guter Whisky: erst kräftig, dann langsam öffnend. Der erste Teil brennt dunkel und gospelnd, der zweite schimmert leiser und eleganter. Ein Doppelalbum, das Zeit braucht, um seine Tiefe freizugeben.

Would listen again.

The first half sounds like a better version of The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, the commonality being Nick Cave positioning himself as the energetic and reckless entertainer. The lower key second half sees Cave performing chaotic piano ballads with a rickety band around him twanging guitars and thudding muted drums. I prefer him in the more amped up mode but can appreciate the vivid textures of the more acoustic set. All together it is far too long for me though and not enough songs grab my attention enough - despite the excellent musicianship and craft behind them.

Heard Before?
Yes, indeed. One of my top albums of that year.

Notes:
- a double album of late work from someone who coasted through the 90s on thinning goodwill? a tough sell, but then i put it on.
- the mix can be a little muddy, but mashing things together for the most exciting parts works for me. burying key details also rewards multiple listens.
- the arrangements are stellar. so many wonderful sounds, with surprises in every song. special mention should be given to the organ parts, the backing vocals and (especially) the auxiliary percussion.
- performances are absolutely committed throughout. everyone sounds thrilled with these songs.
- vocals especially - Cave manages to sell even his clunkiest couplets with verve. no lyric is too cringe for him not to lean into.
- structurally, this is a songwriting masterclass. so much variety, so many nifty change-ups and choices.
- sequencing is perfect, and I'm totally sold on the two halves approach, although for subsequent listens I have started with "Lyre of Orpheus" and then looped back to the start.

Verdict:
My favorite Nick Cave album. Over the top in all the best ways.

Listen Again:
Certainly.

First Nick Cave album and it’s as good as I thought it’d be. I’ve always liked this dudes vibe but I’ve never listened to a full album before.