If you look up “cool” in the dictionary I think there’s a picture of Nick Cave next to it.

Nick Cave

I’ve been a fan since Murder Ballads and I can’t think of anywhere he’s slipped since. Of course, I’m mostly referring to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds here, but that’s not the point of this post. If you’re not familiar with them, please check them out before continuing. You owe it to yourself. Zink said the same thing back in 2009, but it needs to be reiterated.
The point of this post is that Cave’s side project, Grinderman, recently released an album. Grinderman is really an offshoot of the Bad Seeds, comprised of Cave on guitar (which he generally didn’t play much before) and core members of the band. The writing style is different and the overall approach is more raw and less concerned with commercial success. The end result is just good, interesting rock music.
The first Grinderman album was released in 2007, and promptly knocked a lot of socks off. It was aggressive and ballsy. It was pretty damn good. Here’s a track from that album:

Download Grinderman – Depth Charge Ethel

The new album is more subtle. The songwriting seems to be more cohesive and, even though there are moments of experimental craziness, more accessible. Let’s keep it simple this week and just let you decide for yourself with a few tracks.

Download Grinderman – When My Baby Comes

Download Grinderman – Heathen Child

And here’s the video for “Heathen Child” that got a lot of buzz for being so bizarre. I recommend listening to the song on its own first (above), then jumping into this acid trip.

Pick it up and enjoy it. Nick Cave is still making some of the best rock music out there right now.