My Version:
Wild God Limited edition grey vinyl exclusive to the Nick Cave Store
Wild God is a beautiful album. I should probably disclose that nothing Nick Cave has ever been a part of has been anything less than beautiful in my mind, but…Wild God feels special.
There has historically been a sort of melancholy, or a bit of a cynical feel to his prior works, but with Wild God he, and the band, seem (dare I say it?) happy. And I love that for them. Don’t get me wrong – the music isn’t particularly upbeat, and at times it does have shades of other emotion, especially on songs like Cinnamon Horses which seems to be a complex exploration of the power and price of love. It’s a gorgeous song.
But I chose to highlight Conversion here. So let’s talk about that song as well. This album is perfect from start to finish, but Conversion feels really special to me. This song deals with personal transformation and the search for meaning in the world around you (I believe, anyway. I didn’t write it, so I might be wrong. But I’ve listened to it a buttload of times, so give me credit for trying at least). I think that given the press tour stops I’ve seen Cave do leading up to the album’s release feels really touching. Like, if you haven’t seen it, listen to or watch the interview Stephen Colbert did with him. You’ll see what I mean. Here is a man who has endured great personal tragedy searching for, and ultimately finding himself on the path to spiritual awakening (not necessarily religious, get your minds out of the gutter) and hope. I don’t know. I just found this one deeply affecting on a personal note.
Look, I love Nick Cave. I love Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. And from where I’m standing, I love to see them not just finding moments of joy and transcendence, but having the wherewithal to document them for their audience. Wild God is truly a standalone piece of work. Although I’m not sure I would ever say I like one album more than the other, when everything they have done has been among the most beautiful music I’ve ever allowed into my earholes, I will say this: Wild God is unique among their other works. It is tonally very different while sonically still more or less what you’d probably expect. It is a truly beautiful and impactful piece of work that I hope their fans continue to talk about for a long, long time. I know I will be. Go give it a listen. You won’t regret it.
