145. Cato Salsa Experience – “A Good Tip for a Good Time”

My alphabetisation skills aren’t what they once where. These Norwegian rockers should have precded Nick Cave…

There was a wave of throwback Garage rock in the early ’00s that I got slightly captured by. Thus I own albums by NZers (D4, Datsuns) and even Viking-types with lanky hair, skinny waists and loads of effect pedals.

This album’s a whole lot of fun. These guys have a blast grinding out riff after riff while mashing Hammond organs and waving their hands in front of a Theremin. This is all in the vein of Aussie lads of Rocket Science or the massively underrated Make-Up.

As with all good garage rock, there ain’t much of depth going on in the lyrics arena. The joy is in the groove and the playfulness. This is music I’d happily walk up the road to see on a very regular basis.

The album opens fantastically, with two strong single-type songs (Listen to Me Daddy O and the vid-clipped tune below), but does fade away a little before they hit stride again with Deadbeat.

Oh, and in watching their clips (and looking at the album cover) I’ve realised they never had lanky hair… but rather mop tops.

File under: Mopping up the Garage very neatly

144. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – “Live Seeds”

I have encountered Nick Cave and Co a range of live contexts: from standing up, sweaty, indoor grunginess at a town hall in Collingwood, to a sophisticated sitting down grand theatre, and stadium festival action with a thunder and lightning background.

Each time it has been a thoroughly fulfilling experience, with Cave in total command of the crowd and his mob of musicians.  He’s a captivating performer with the slint hint of danger, but with little risk of disappointment. 

Much of the Cave songbook works extremely well live.  The contrasts between light and dark are accentuated in such an environment.  The energy and effort in producing the bashing rhythms and twisted melodies are a joy to witness.

This CD does a solid job of capturing that experience.  The setlist is a ripper.  It opens with the best opener of all – the slow build of Mercy Seat(although it is a rather restrained and shorter version than I can remember witnessing). The tempos of Deanna and Ship Song seem slightly quickened versus their studio versions. 

The breathy, spitting, prowling Cave seems ready to jump from the speakers and into the loungeroom.  That’s the best one can hope for on a live release.

File under: It’s great to be alive