I’m Warren Ellis. I’m fine, even brilliant at times. Wonderful in concert. Like loops too much.
(photo stolen from Sophie Jarry’s gallery. Lovely photo. Lovely photographer.)
Was just out on my lovely patio, taking in some sea air, watching rabbits eat grass and my cats press up against the window, wishing they could come out, too. Was smoking a cigar, and listening to the new Nick Cave album, and I got halfway through both. The cigar was garbage. It had an awful taste (and I will not reveal the brand, for I am not much of a cigar smoker and have no perspective). And the Nick Cave album was garbage, with no songs (and I have just about everything Nick Cave has done. Thus, perspective).
There are no songs on at least the first half of Push The Sky Away. It continues the experiment with rhythmic loops that began on Grinderman, and continued on Dig, Lazarus, Dig. There, the looping and Songsterring worked hand in hand, with diminishing returns: Grinderman was fantastic, full of songs that fit the loopy mold. Dig, Lazarus, Dig had a few good songs, and some jacking around material. Grinderman 2 lacked Nick Cave’s songcraft, and though it had some drive, it was like the inverse of Dig, Lazarus, Dig – that album was obviously informed by the Grinderman sound, but had some real writing and interest on it.
Push The Sky Away (at least at the half-point) is over-barren. It has the feel of an album that will concertedly NOT grow with subsequent listens, but rather reveal its lack of depth.
Short, halfway finished opinion: BOO!
Here is a palette cleanser:
