Grinderman (album)

Last updated

Grinderman
GrindermanAlbum.jpg
Studio album by
Grinderman
Released5 March 2007
RecordedMarch 2006
Studio RAK Studios and Metropolis Studios in London, United Kingdom [1]
Genre Alternative rock, garage rock
Length40:03
Label Mute/ANTI-
Producer Nick Launay, Grinderman
Grinderman chronology
Grinderman
(2007)		 Grinderman 2
(2010)
Singles from Grinderman
  1. "Get It On"
    Released: 8 January 2007
  2. "No Pussy Blues"
    Released: 17 February 2007
  3. "(I Don't Need You To) Set Me Free"
    Released: 30 April 2007

Grinderman is the eponymous debut studio album by alternative rock band Grinderman, a side project of members of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released on 5 March 2007 on Mute Records in Europe and ANTI- in the United States. Aiming to recreate the more raw, primal sound [2] of all former related projects such as The Birthday Party, Grinderman's lyrical and musical content diverged significantly from Nick Cave's concurrent work with The Bad Seeds, whose last studio album, Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus (2004), was primarily blues, gospel and alternative-orientated in stark contrast to the raw sound of the early Bad Seeds albums. Incidentally, the musical direction of Grinderman influenced The Bad Seeds' next studio album, Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! (2008).

Contents

According to producer Nick Launay, the recording sessions for the album only lasted four days, [3] during which time the band also recorded a number of extra material. One song "Chain Of Flowers" was later featured as the B-side to the album's "No Pussy Blues" single, however, the other two singles, "Get It On" and "(I Don't Need You To) Set Me Free" were released as single-sided singles. Upon its release, Grinderman received critical acclaim and charted internationally, debuting at number one on Billboard Heatseakers in the United States. [4]

Background and production

After extensive touring throughout 2005 with The Bad Seeds in support of Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus , frontman Nick Cave began writing songs on guitar, an instrument he would rarely play. His rudimentary playing gave the new material a rawer feel than much of The Bad Seeds' output. After more experimentation, Grinderman formed and soon entered Metropolis Studios in London to record the original Grinderman demos and it was this material that would eventually become the basis for Grinderman. The album was recorded with long-time friend, producer Nick Launay in April at the RAK Studios in London and mixed in October at Metropolis Studios. [5]

Warren Ellis has commented that the album was "meant to be really open liberating thing" and the band decided to experiment during the recording of the album "and push on, relentless." Cave's additional guitar was also noted to have "changed the whole dynamic of the [project]."[ citation needed ]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 83/100 [6]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
The A.V. Club B [8]
Entertainment Weekly B+ [9]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [10]
Mojo Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [11]
NME 7/10 [12]
Pitchfork 7.7/10 [13]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [14]
Spin Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [15]
Uncut Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [16]

Released on 5 March 2007, Grinderman was acclaimed by critics for its raw power, similar to that of Cave's celebrated post-punk project The Birthday Party. The album holds a score of 83 out of 100 on review aggregate site Metacritic based on 33 independent reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". [6]

Promotion

The band made their live debut at the All Tomorrow's Parties Festival in Somerset the month following the album's release. This was followed by a one-off show at The Forum in London on 20 June. [17] Three singles were released from the album, "Get It On" was the first single to be released on 8 January 2007. "No Pussy Blues" was released as a single on 19 February, and on 30 April, the band released the final single from the album, "(I Don't Need You To) Set Me Free".

Grinderman also opened for The White Stripes at their Madison Square Garden show on 24 July 2007, followed by a show in Chicago, and two shows in San Francisco. [18] The band then embarked on a theatre tour of Australia, opening for a Nick Cave 'solo' set, which consisted of the same band members. [19] The band also launched the official Grinderman website in March 2007 in promotion of the album. Amongst other things, the website included The Grinderman Podcast featuring a series of fragments of recordings from the band's writing sessions. [20] These were not complete songs but instead were seen to offer a unique insight into the workings of the band. New episodes were said to appear regularly over the following weeks and months, however, only five recordings have been submitted at this time.

On 11 May 2007, the band performed "Honey Bee (Let's Fly to Mars)" and "No Pussy Blues" on the BBC television show Later... with Jools Holland and made their US network television debut on the CBS television show the Late Show with David Letterman performing "Honey Bee (Let's Fly to Mars)" on 23 July 2007. Grinderman were one of the headliners at Roskilde Festival 2008 in July, one of the biggest festivals in northern Europe. They joined names such as Radiohead, Neil Young and Jay-Z at the top of the bill.

In 2014, the song "Honey Bee (Let's Fly to Mars)" appeared in the HBO show True Detective where it was played at the end of the episode "Who Goes There?".

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Nick Cave; all music is composed by Grinderman

No.TitleLength
1."Get It On"3:07
2."No Pussy Blues"4:20
3."Electric Alice"3:15
4."Grinderman"4:33
5."Depth Charge Ethel"3:47
6."Go Tell the Women"3:24
7."(I Don't Need You To) Set Me Free"4:06
8."Honey Bee (Let's Fly to Mars)"3:18
9."Man in the Moon"2:10
10."When My Love Comes Down"3:32
11."Love Bomb"4:26
Total length:40:03

Personnel

Grinderman
Technical personnel
Design personnel

Charts and certifications

Charts

Chart (2007)Peak
position
Australian Charts [21] 14
Austrian Charts [22] 14
Belgian Charts [23] 6
Dutch Charts [24] 35
Greek Charts [25] 1
New Zealand Charts [26] 38
Swedish Charts [27] 46
Swiss Charts [28] 49
UK Charts [29] 23
U.S Billboard Heatseekers [30] 1
U.S Billboard Independent Albums [30] 15

Certifications

Country Certification
Greece Gold [25]

"Honey Bee (Let's Fly to Mars)" also reached #97 on Rolling Stone 's list of the "100 Best Songs of 2007". [31]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Cave</span> Australian musician (born 1957)

Nicholas Edward Cave is an Australian musician, writer and actor. Known for his baritone voice and for fronting the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Cave's music is characterised by emotional intensity, a wide variety of influences and lyrical obsessions with death, religion, love and violence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds</span> Australian post punk/alternative rock band

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are an Australian rock band formed in 1983 by vocalist Nick Cave, multi-instrumentalist Mick Harvey and guitarist-vocalist Blixa Bargeld. The band has featured international personnel throughout its career and presently consists of Cave, violinist and multi-instrumentalist Warren Ellis, bassist Martyn P. Casey, guitarist George Vjestica, keyboardist/percussionist Larry Mullins, also known as Toby Dammit, and drummers Thomas Wydler (Switzerland) and Jim Sclavunos. Described as "one of the most original and celebrated bands of the post-punk and alternative rock eras in the '80s and onward", they have released seventeen studio albums and completed numerous international tours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Sclavunos</span> American drummer

James Sclavunos is an American drummer, multi-instrumentalist musician, record producer, and writer. He is best known as a drummer, having been a member of two seminal no wave groups in the late 1970s. He is also noted for stints in Sonic Youth and the Cramps, and has been a member of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds since 1994. Sclavunos has led his own group the Vanity Set since 2000.

<i>Nocturama</i> (album) 2003 studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Nocturama is the twelfth studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released on February 3, 2003 on Mute and ANTI-. Produced by Nick Launay, the album is the last to feature founding member Blixa Bargeld who departed from the band shortly after the album's release.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warren Ellis (musician)</span> Australian musician and composer

Warren Ellis is an Australian musician and composer. He is a member of the rock groups Dirty Three and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. He also performed with the band Grinderman until its disbandment in 2013. He has also composed film scores with long-time friend, collaborator and band-mate Nick Cave. Ellis plays the violin, piano, accordion, bouzouki, guitar, flute, mandolin, mandocello and viola. He has been a member of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds since 1994.

<i>Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus</i> 2004 studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus is the thirteenth studio album by the Australian alternative rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released on 20 September 2004 on Mute Records. It is a double album of seventeen songs.

Nicolas Launay is an English record producer, composer and recording engineer, currently residing in Los Angeles, CA. He is one of the most sought after record producers in the world due to his success with recent albums by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Anna Calvi, IDLES, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Arcade Fire. Noted for his flamboyant style, he is among the most successful producers of the post-punk era, helming records from pivotal acts including Public Image Ltd, Gang of Four, Killing Joke, The Birthday Party, and The Slits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martyn P. Casey</span> Musical artist

Martyn Paul Casey is an English-born Australian rock bass guitarist. He has been a member of the Triffids, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Grinderman. Casey plays either his Fender Precision Bass or Fender Jazz Bass.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grinderman</span> Australian-American rock band

Grinderman was an Australian-American rock band that formed in London, England, in 2006. The band included Nick Cave, Warren Ellis, Martyn P. Casey and Jim Sclavunos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Get It On (Grinderman song)</span> 2007 single by Grinderman

"Get It On" is the first single by alternative rock group Grinderman - a side project of the Australian post-punk group Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds - from their self-titled debut album Grinderman. Released on 8 January 2007, the song received positive reception from music critics, though failed to chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No Pussy Blues</span> 2007 single by Grinderman

"No Pussy Blues" is the second single by alternative rock group Grinderman from their debut album of the same name. Released on 19 February 2007, the song - like the previous single "Get It On" - received a positive reception from critics. Unlike the previous Grinderman single, this one charted, peaking at UK #62. "No Pussy Blues" was also the first song available on the band's MySpace page.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">(I Don't Need You To) Set Me Free</span> 2007 single by Grinderman

"(I Don't Need You To) Set Me Free" is the third single by alternative rock group Grinderman, and final single from their eponymous debut album, Grinderman. Much like their first single "Get It On", the single is a special A-side only release.

<i>Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!</i> 2008 studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! is the fourteenth studio album by Australian rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. The album was recorded in June and July 2007 at The State of the Ark Studios in Richmond, London and mixed by Nick Launay at British Grove Studios in Chiswick, and was released on 3 March 2008.

<i>Grinderman 2</i> 2010 studio album by Grinderman

Grinderman 2 is the second and final studio album by alternative rock band Grinderman, a side project of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released on 13 September 2010 on Mute Records in the United Kingdom and ANTI- in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Worm Tamer</span> 2010 single by Grinderman

"Worm Tamer" is a song by alternative rock group Grinderman, written collectively by the band with lyrics by frontman Nick Cave and music by Warren Ellis, Martyn P. Casey and Jim Sclavunos. The song was released as the band's fifth single and second single from their second studio album, Grinderman 2, on 22 November 2010. The song was debuted live on the BBC music programme, Later... with Jools Holland, on 21 September 2010, alongside the former single "Heathen Child" and succeeding single "Palaces of Montezuma."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palaces of Montezuma</span> 2011 single by Grinderman

"Palaces of Montezuma" is a song by the alternative rock band Grinderman. It is the eighth track and third single from the band's second and final studio album, Grinderman 2, and was released on 14 March 2011 on Mute Records. Produced by Nick Launay and written collectively by vocalist Nick Cave, multi-instrumentalist Warren Ellis, bassist Martyn P. Casey and drummer Jim Sclavunos, the song has been described as an "atypically straightforward love song" and was written for Cave's wife, Susie Bick.

<i>Push the Sky Away</i> 2013 studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Push the Sky Away is the fifteenth studio album by the Australian band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released on 18 February 2013 on the band's own label Bad Seed Ltd. Recorded at La Fabrique in southern France, with producer Nick Launay, it is the band's first album not to feature founding member Mick Harvey, who departed from the band in January 2009. The release also marked the return of founding member Barry Adamson, making his first album appearance since Your Funeral... My Trial (1986), and was the last to feature keyboardist and pianist Conway Savage, prior to his death in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">We No Who U R</span> 2012 single by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

"We No Who U R" is a song by the Australian alternative rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Produced by Nick Launay, it is the opening track and lead single from the band's fifteenth studio album Push the Sky Away, and was released on 3 December 2012 on Bad Seed Ltd.—the band's own record label.

<i>Skeleton Tree</i> 2016 studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Skeleton Tree is the sixteenth studio album by Australian rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. It was released on 9 September 2016 on Bad Seed Ltd. A follow-up to the band's critically acclaimed album Push the Sky Away (2013), Skeleton Tree was recorded over 18 months at Retreat Recording Studios in Brighton, La Frette Studios in La Frette-sur-Seine and Air Studios in London. It was produced by Nick Cave, Warren Ellis and Nick Launay. During the sessions, Cave's 15-year-old son, Arthur, died from an accidental fall. Most of the album had been written at the time of Cave's son's death, but several lyrics were amended by Cave during subsequent recording sessions and feature themes of death, loss, and personal grief.

References

  1. ↑ "Recorded at RAK and Metropolis studios in London 2006.". Grinderman (CD). Grinderman. London, United Kingdom: Mute Records. 2007. p. 4. 0094638680222.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. ↑ Joshua Klein (6 April 2007). "Grinderman: Grinderman | Album Reviews | Pitchfork Media". Pitchfork Media . Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  3. ↑ Kimbel Bouwman (16 November 2009). "A&R, Record Label / Company, Music Publishing, Artist Manager and Music Industry Directory". HitQuarters .
  4. ↑ "Heatseekers Albums | Billboard.com". Billboard . 28 April 2007. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
  5. ↑ Official Grinderman Myspace
  6. 1 2 "Reviews for Grinderman by Grinderman". Metacritic . Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  7. ↑ Jurek, Thom. "Grinderman – Grinderman". AllMusic . Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  8. ↑ Gordon, Scott (17 April 2007). "Grinderman: Grinderman". The A.V. Club . Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  9. ↑ Brunner, Rob (6 April 2007). "Grinderman". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on 8 November 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  10. ↑ Petridis, Alexis (23 February 2007). "Grinderman, Grinderman". The Guardian . London. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  11. ↑ "Grinderman: Grinderman". Mojo (161): 104. April 2007.
  12. ↑ Long, Pat (2 March 2007). "Grinderman: Grinderman". NME . Archived from the original on 10 June 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  13. ↑ Klein, Joshua (6 April 2007). "Grinderman: Grinderman". Pitchfork . Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  14. ↑ "Grinderman: Grinderman". Q (249): 112. April 2007.
  15. ↑ Wood, Mikael (April 2007). "Got to Give It Up". Spin . 23 (4): 86. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  16. ↑ "Grinderman: Grinderman". Uncut (119): 102. April 2007.
  17. ↑ Grinderman| Music| This is London Archived 2008-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
  18. ↑ Pitchfork: Grinderman Add U.S Dates, Open for White Stripes Archived 2007-07-10 at the Wayback Machine
  19. ↑ Indie Initiative Archived 2007-09-01 at the Wayback Machine
  20. ↑ Nick Cave's Grinderman band podcasts writing sessions
  21. ↑ "australian-charts.com - Grinderman - Grinderman". 2007. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
  22. ↑ "austriancharts.at - Grinderman - Grinderman". 2007. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
  23. ↑ "ultratop.be - Grinderman - Grinderman". Ultratop . 2007. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
  24. ↑ "dutchcharts.nl - Grinderman - Grinderman". 2007. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
  25. 1 2 "Greek Albums Chart". IFPI Greece. 26 February 2009. Archived from the original on 26 February 2009. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
  26. ↑ "charts.nz - Grinderman - Grinderman". 2007. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
  27. ↑ "swedishcharts.com - Grinderman - Grinderman". 2007. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
  28. ↑ "swisscharts.com - Grinderman - Grinderman". 2007. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
  29. ↑ "GRINDERMAN - The Official Charts Company". 2007. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
  30. 1 2 "Grinderman Music News & Info". Billboard.com. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
  31. ↑ No byline (11 December 2007). "The 100 Best Songs of 2007" Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2007-12-21
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.