Nocturama

After 2001's tender and tormented No More Shall We Part, Nick Cave's Nocturama sounds like the work of a madman spinning desperately and beautifully out of control. Since the Birthday Party called it quits in 1983, Nick Cave and his Bad Seeds have reframed the Party's cranky and disturbing post-punk to encompass sad blues, literary nihilism, and a kind of serenity; witness Shall We Part, and 1997's The Boatman's Call. Those qualities are still present on Nocturama, most notably in the brokenhearted violin that winds through "Right Out of Your Hand" and "She Passed by My Window." But Cave's arrangements embrace a range of styles and textures. The 14-minute-plus noise explosion of "Babe, I'm on Fire" and the dark, wide-open pop of "Bring It On" are looser and rougher than anything since at least 1994's Let Love In. This makes Nocturama feel messy, unpredictable, and even a little dangerous--qualities Cave's music hasn't had in far too long. --Matthew Cooke