Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus [CD+DVD, Box set]

"Abattoir Blues" is a CD with perfect dynamics as he weaves the dark and melancholic with glam rock. Darker moments like the chilling narrative of "Messiah Ward", or the infective, attitude-laden strut of "Hiding All Away" show the sheer force of Cave's talents. His voice is timeless, sounding almost as if it has been around for centuries only now sharing its tales. Surrounding these songs are others like single "Nature Boy" and the energetic "There She Goes My Beautiful World" which ensure that the mood never drifts into the overly downbeat. Their Gospel Choir backing vocals are triumphant and completely engulfing. Throughout, "Abattoir Blues" is a landscape which is mysterious, glorious, dismal and beautiful all at once.

And then comes "The Lyre of Orpheus", a thick and seductive collection of songs where Cave constantly changes the atmosphere: heavy, smoky bar on "Lyre of Orpheus", then comes the fresh-sounding "Breathless" and the hazy summer of the beautiful "Babe You Turn Me On". Perhaps the album's finest moment is in the closing track "O Children", where the Gospel Choir's power is at its peak. With gorgeous piano, heartbreaking and ghostly vocals by all finished off by the sparse arrangement, it is the album at its bleakest: devastating and totally, totally breathtaking.

One of the strongest albums I've heard in years. The album manages to survive without one poor song, a rare achievement, especially for an artist with such a back catalogue. Immensely impressive album at a time where little comes close to this level of songwriting and musical composition.

From the head rush of the opener 'Get Ready For Love' to the celestial tranquillity of 'O Children', this is a mature record in the best sense of that overused phrase. Cave has finally found the perfect balance between songwriter and band leader, the Bad Seeds proving themselves one of the most exciting and dynamic groups in the business.

As a long time fan of Cave I have enjoyed most of his work. Yet, in recent years there have been reservations. There was conviction missing from 'The Boatman's Call'. 'No More Shall We Part', despite moments of greatness was just a little too long-winded at times. And after 'Nocturama' I feared his muse had completely bolted. However, my fears have been allayed. This is the most significant music Nick Cave has delivered since he wrote 'The Mercy Seat' almost 20 years ago. A double album of such beauty and majesty it demands comparison with the great man's own heroes - Leonard Cohen, Scott Walker, Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Nina Simone and the late Johnny Cash.

Nick Cave is damn right to suspect that this really is his masterpiece. It is nothing less than that.

There's really too much quality material to cover in a 1000 word review, with both albums deserving of our full attention. However, I will say that Cave and the Bad Seeds are playing with a variety of different sounds, styles and ideas, mixing both the bleak and heavier sound of early Bad Seeds albums like Tender Prey and Let Love In with the more pastoral and reflective sound of The Boatman's Call and No More Shall We Part (with some of the wild eclecticism of Nocturama thrown in for good measure). As I've said before, the rougher, more exuberant stuff is on Abattoir whilst the sombre stuff is on Lyre, although both albums mix together a few disparate styles and genres, moving from the industrial rock of Cannibal's Hymn to the perfect pop of Nature Boy and the brilliant There She Goes My Beautiful World, whilst songs like Breathless and Carry Me take on both orchestral and psychedelic folk/pop influences... and to great effect, I might add.

If the music might seem a little strange at first, the lyrics are classic Cave, and probably the best of his career. His use of rhyme and phrasing, coupled with the evocative power of some of the songs aforementioned (not to mention the beauty of songs like Easy Money, Get Ready for Love, O' Children and Babe, You Turn Me On), and you have some of the most potent and emotionally captivating rock music of the last few years. Whereas the Bad Seeds of albums like Tender Prey and The First Born is Dead sounded like a more angst-ridden and gothic take on the territory of Leonard Cohen haunted by The Cure, this incarnation also picks up on the spiritual analysis of early Cat Stevens (Tea for the Tillerman and Teaser and the Firecat), the surreal pop of Donovan (Sunny Goodge Street, Happiness Runs, Guinevere), and the mystical ruminations of Van Morrison (Astral Weeks, Almost Independence Day and Veedon Fleece), which makes the songs all the more haunting and evocative.

The imagery of the songs here really stays with you, whilst the range of instrumental touches from both Cave and the Bad Seeds is astounding and perfectly performed. The guitar playing for example really shows a great deal of restraint, managing to convey the more folk-influenced sound of Breathless as well as the more glam-rock style found on There She Goes My Beautiful World (...the lyrics to this song are amazing!!), without feeling the need to go overboard with tons of solos or showy effects. Musically, lyrically and vocally, these albums can't be faulted... whilst the sequencing of the tracks makes it the best Bad Seeds listening experience in some time (although, I personally quite liked the last few albums).

Still, this is Cave and the band really pushing themselves further than they had before, with the group managing to take on board new sounds and influences and combining them with their own trademark sound to create a record that should appeal to the majority of Cave's fans, and maybe some people who've never listened to a Bed Seeds album before. For me, Lyre of Orpheus/Abattoir Blues is a perfect double set... and was one of the many musical high-lights of the great year that was 2004.