Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: Wild God Review
An Ode to Resilience and the Joys of Life Amidst the Shadows
Welcome to Vintage Cafe, a reader-supported newsletter where curiosity meets passion. Here, I explore music, films, books, travel, coffee, and art, sharing stories with a community that values depth and creativity. By becoming a paid subscriber for $5, you support this creative endeavor and gain access to exclusive content, early updates, and a closer connection to Vintage Cafe. Your contribution helps keep this space thriving, ensuring these passions continue to be shared with you and others who appreciate them.
Artist: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Album: Wild God
Label: PIAS
Purchase link: Amazon
In the expansive career of Nick Cave, few albums have embodied such a dramatic shift in tone as Wild God. The 18th studio album by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds finds the band at an intersection of profound grief and transcendent joy, offering listeners a work that is both musically adventurous and emotionally rich. Unlike its predecessors, which were steeped in the darker themes of loss and existential dread, Wild God dares to celebrate life, even as it acknowledges the persistent shadows that accompany it.
At the heart of Wild God is a journey—a pilgrimage, if you will—through the landscapes of sorrow, love, and, ultimately, euphoria. The album doesn't shy away from pain; it confronts it head-on, but rather than being consumed by it, the music transforms this pain into something euphoric and uplifting. The listener is invited to embark on this journey alongside Cave, who acts as both guide and fellow traveler.
Nick Cave’s recent work has been heavily influenced by personal tragedy, particularly the loss of his sons, Arthur in 2015 and Jethro in 2022. These events cast long shadows over albums like Skeleton Tree and Ghosteen, where grief was a central theme. However, Wild God marks a departure from the unrelenting sorrow of those records. Instead, it reflects a more nuanced perspective, one where grief coexists with a renewed appreciation for the beauty of life.
This shift in tone is perhaps most evident in the track “Joy.” Here, Cave sings of waking in the night, haunted by a voice that seems to belong to a ghost—likely a reference to his late son Arthur. But instead of lingering in melancholy, the song transitions into a celebration of life’s joys, with a chorus of warm voices and ascending melodies that suggest a kind of spiritual ascension. The message is clear: despite the overwhelming sorrow, there is still room for joy.
Musically, Wild God is a synthesis of the Bad Seeds' earlier, more aggressive sound and the ambient, meditative style that Cave and his collaborator Warren Ellis have explored in recent years. The album deftly combines the muscularity of the band's classic work with the ethereal qualities of more recent releases. The result is a collection of songs that are both expansive and intimate, filled with glowing melodies and moments of explosive energy.
The title track, “Wild God,” is a prime example of this synthesis. It begins with a sense of quiet contemplation, only to build into a cathartic climax that feels both triumphant and communal. The song’s lyrics, which can be interpreted as a self-portrait of Cave grappling with his legacy, culminate in a powerful affirmation of music’s ability to transform and heal.
Another standout track, “Song of the Lake,” showcases the band’s ability to shift seamlessly between moods. The song begins with a stately, measured pace, only to erupt into a joyful burst of clattering drums and exuberant melodies. This interplay between restraint and release is a recurring theme throughout the album, reflecting the push and pull of emotions that Cave has experienced in his personal life.
Lyrically, Wild God is a celebration of life’s contradictions. Cave doesn’t ignore the darker aspects of existence; instead, he acknowledges them while also finding reasons for hope and joy. This duality is perhaps best encapsulated in the song “O Wow O Wow (How Wonderful She Is),” a tribute to Cave’s former collaborator and partner, Anita Lane, who passed away in 2021. The song is not a mournful elegy but a reverie filled with affection and gratitude. It even includes a recording of Lane laughing and reminiscing about their past, adding a layer of intimacy that is both touching and celebratory.
The album’s closing track, “Conversion,” is another exploration of this theme of radical optimism. It starts with a stark, haunted atmosphere but gradually builds into a rapturous chorus of voices, as if to suggest that even in the darkest moments, there is the possibility of transformation and renewal. Cave’s vocals, increasingly ecstatic as the song progresses, reinforce this message, leaving the listener with a sense of upliftment rather than despair.
Wild God also marks the return of the Bad Seeds as a full band, after their more minimal presence on recent albums. This time around, the band sounds rejuvenated, bringing a sense of dynamism and fluidity to the music. The addition of Colin Greenwood, best known as the bassist for Radiohead, adds a new layer of texture to the sound, although his presence is temporary, with regular bassist Martyn P. Casey set to rejoin the band for their upcoming tour.
The production, handled by David Fridmann (known for his work with The Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev), is both bold and confident. Fridmann’s touch is evident in the album’s rich, layered soundscapes, which manage to feel both expansive and immediate. The combination of Fridmann’s production and the Bad Seeds’ renewed energy results in an album that feels like a natural progression from their earlier work while also breaking new ground.
In Wild God, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds have crafted an album that is as much about survival as it is about celebration. It’s a work that acknowledges the weight of life’s sorrows but refuses to be defined by them. Instead, it finds joy in the act of creation, in the resilience of the human spirit, and in the simple, profound pleasures of life.
Forty years into their career, the Bad Seeds have delivered one of their most compelling albums yet—a testament to their ability to evolve and adapt while remaining true to their essence. For fans of Nick Cave, Wild God is not just a return to form; it’s a reminder of the power of music to heal, to uplift, and to remind us of the beauty that still exists in the world, even in the face of overwhelming darkness.
Other Nick Cave related articles at Vintage Cafe: