Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!

Label: Mute

How many bands can still deliver on their 14th album? (Studio album, at that, not even including live albums or collections?) Not many. Nick Cave continues his icon status with Bad Seeds in tow on Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!, a new chapter in brooding, drunken, menacing and accutely literary rock and roll in the language he’s single-handedly crafted over the years. Cave’s ranting, bile-spewing barritone is in top form, as are the Bad Seeds’ chops, filling in spaces left by lackluster releases of the early 2000’s and also keeping up with Cave’s recent heavyhanded side project Grinderman. Lyrical themes center around journeys out west, death, betrayal and the regular American nervous breakdowns that have haunted and fascinated Cave since the Birthday Party days. A stellar record for any band, let alone an institution with a past of their own to contend with like the Bad Seeds. (Fred)