NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS - Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus 2LP

Every double album comes with the cursed suggestion: maybe they should have trimmed it down into one single record? Which is almost always true. Almost. But not always.

What makes this pairing so extraordinary is that it’s not a legitimate double album whatsoever, rather two separate masterpieces sold as one, distinctive from each other, each calculated only to balance their respective colleague out. Abattoir Blues is the vigorously spirited partner, eager to be rowdy, threatening to be naughty, dashing around and making the most noise. These flames are then quenched by The Lyre of Orpheus, naturally the tranquilised twin, one sentimental affair, a bit more mournful, but at relative peace within its passive moodiness.