Nick Cave. Photo: Gosha Rubchinskiy
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds are a band that have soundtracked the lives of many Australians and New Zealanders.
The artisans of anguish have been pulling on our heartstrings for four decades. Their storied 18th record, Wild God, arrived as a pleasantly uplifting surprise, in contrast with the sombre and sobering tone of its predecessor, Ghosteen.
A central theme to Wild God is joy. The record provides fleeting moments of clarity after grief, revealing both light and shade even after the toughest days.
From 'Frogs' to 'Cinnamon Horses', Cave's masterful lyrical poetry induces the imagination.
'Joy' is a song that haunts, with melancholic horn arrangements written by grief specialists Nick Cave and his longtime collaborator and bandmate Warren Ellis.
In total, there are 14 backing vocalists singing the 'ahhh's, creating a choral-like offering that transcends sorrow.
Cave has always investigated spirituality in his songwriting and at times sung about God on other Bad Seeds records. But it has never felt as though he is devout in his religious beliefs; instead, he uses faith as a theatrical vessel to tell stories.
Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds 18th album Wild God Photo: Supplied
At times, the songs feel like they are in two parts. 'Conversion' begins as a simmer and exceeds, transforming into what feels like a jam between a gospel choir and the band - a collision of calculated chaos.
'Conversion' also features the voice of the late Australian musician Anita Lane, an early member of the Bad Seeds. The audio was taken from a phone conversation she had with Cave a few years before she died.
Wild God is full of theatrical fable-like flares. It marks a triumphant return for the band that is purely focused on satisfying their own creative interests and anchoring you in the present.
All the king's horses and all the king's men seem to have put Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds back together again, albeit for the better.