The bright red and orange cover, the exclamation marks, the press shot where he's laughing like he's just watched every episode of 'The US Office'... Nick Cave's lighter side may take some fans a little getting used to, but the music connects as quick as ever.
Split between great garage rock and slow-moving menace, '...Lazarus...' begs to be listened to in halves: half of the songs when you're heading out the door for the night, the others when you get home. You can take on the world and then dive the depths afterwards.
Following on from the distortion pedal charm of last year's Grinderman side project, Cave has decided that the ringing in the ears should continue longer, and on 'Albert Goes West' and 'Lie Down Here' the equipment and eustachean tubes get some nasty treatment. At 50, he's never sounded younger.
When you've tired yourself out from headbanging to them, 'More News from Nowhere' and 'Hold on to Yourself' are so chock full of moody soundtrack ambience that you'll wonder if Cave could turn their lyrics into films.
The quality control throughout is superb and, just like with 'Nocturama' in 2003, by the close you'll be yearning for more and wishing that this had been a double album.
Harry Guerin
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