album // Mutiny / The Bad Seed EP
I’ve always been of the opinion that if an
artist or band is going to make a final statement, then it should
be well-executed and tightly-delivered. This holds true for The
Birthday Party’s final two EPs, which are collected
together onto this single CD by 4AD. The Bad Seed (originally
released as a 12" on the band’s UK home of many years,
4AD) and Mutiny (originally released on Mute)
were both recorded at the famous Hansa Studios in Berlin and produced
by the band themselves, with uncredited assistance from Einstürzende
Neubauten’s Blixa Bargeld.
By now the erstwhile drummer Phil Calvert
was long disposed with in favour of Mick Harvey;
Rowland S. Howard became the sole guitarist and
the creative dynamic had shifted toward the writing partnership
of Nick Cave and Harvey (with the exception of
the opener, 'Sonny’s Burning', the last track written by all
four members of the group). The sound is raw and urgent, but well-honed
and less prone to excess, while still retaining enough of the rough
edge that set The Birthday Party apart from their contemporaries.
'Wild World' stands out as a highlight, blessed
by its sludgy blues ethic and restrained vocal performance from
Cave, whose vocal has become more direct and confident throughout
this awesome collection. Tracy Pew’s bass
is close-mic'd to allow the resonant twang of the strings to be
heard. Elsewhere, Howard’s guitar is fed through numerous
effects boxes, in particular deploying his famous 'infinite reverb'
on several tracks, which allowed cycles of feedback to spiral, ebb
and flow. While recorded no doubt at the height if the band’s
drug-abuse, the collection is markedly more controlled than Junkyard,
as if recorded in a brief moment of lucidity. Nothing is more true
of this approach than the final track, 'Mutiny In Heaven' (featuring
Bargeld on guitar), which sees the band playing with studio effects
with Cave’s vocal lines overlapping and multi-tracked, while
the guitars are processed into ringing bells of sound. 'If this
is heaven I’m bailing out,' sings Cave. The Party was
nearly over, and Cave thus signalled that the last guest should
leave. 'Mutiny In Heaven' deals with the concept of euphoric God-like
feelings following a hit of smack, but I’m not clear on whether
it glorifies or condemns it. More extreme than the Velvet Underground’s
opium hymn, 'Heroin', 'Mutiny In Heaven' has an edge that is as
marvellous as it is malevolent.
Two previously-unreleased demos from the Mutiny
sessions are included on the CD – 'The Six Strings That Drew
Blood' (a totally different track from that which later appeared
on Cave’s The Firstborn Is Dead) and 'Avalanche Of
Sound', both of which are stripped and raw and perfect even as unfinished
works.
Although a year away, Bargeld’s appearance
on the final track heralded the approach of The Bad Seeds, the band
Cave formed around Bargeld and Harvey. As final statements go, this
stacks up very higly indeed, leaving you unsure as to whether it’s
enough as it is or whether you’re in need of more.
cd:
1. Sonny's Burning
2. Wildworld
3. Fears Of Gun
4. Deep In The Woods
5. Jennifer's Veil
6. Six Strings That Drew Blood
7. Say A Spell
8. Swampland
9. Pleasure Avalanche
10. Mutiny In Heaven
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