This is not so much a review as praise to an album that continually gives every time it plays. This album has a mood throughout that is like any other Nick Cave album and yet also unlike any other Nick Cave album. It is an album that has the narrator on the edge of existence slowly opening the curtain to eternity. The music almost transcends the lyrics. The opening track “We No Who U R” is like being addressed by eternity peering straight through your existence without judgement, just a kind of all-knowing sympathy. “Wide Lovely Eyes” is a fond farewell. It is an affectionate account of crossing over. ” . . .And you arrange your shoes side by side/You wave and wave with wide lovely eyes/Distant waves and waves of distant love/ You wave and say goodbye.”
“Water’s Edge (Will of Love)” is probably the most typical Nick Cave song on the album. Not too much to say but that it’s a morality tale of the uselessness of wonton sensuality while at the same time not quite a condemnation. More like a distant observation.
Ahh! But now what I consider the highlight of the album . . . “Jubilee Street.” It starts as an impressionistic, somewhat unfocused narration about a girl named Bee (perhaps a prostitute) from eastern Europe one would guess. The narrator alludes to suffering, fear and hypocrisy of the townspeople (including himself). I love the line, “She had a history/but she had no past.” “She said, ‘All those good people on Jubilee Street/they ought to practice what they preach.” The focus turns from the people to the narrator, “I oughta practice what I preach.”
Then from the line “These days I go downtown in my tie and tails” onward the song transforms. There is a palatable shift in mood and vibe. It’s almost as if the music itself starts to levitate. It’s like you’ve moved from Jubilee Street and up to the eternal. The narrator has no context any longer. He is isolated but not lonely or truly ostracized, he is now being freed and is transcending. The song becomes a resurrection. The “foetus on a leash” is the narrator himself going back to his source. He is now transforming, vibrating, glowing, flying . . . “Look at me now.”
I am almost envious of all those who have seen Nick perform this live. I encourage everyone to check out all the different clips of this song live on YouTube. Each performance is unique. But during that shift watch Nick. He is so moved that he himself seems to float. You can feel the resurrection scene. The video with the choir is especially good. (Note: A friend of mine saw him live and was in the front row. Nick accidentally stepped on her hand. He had this horrified, apologetic look on his face. She told him it was OK. She said the funny thing was that it didn’t even really hurt because he was so light. The man is skin and bones. Hence, the floating! lol!).
“Mermaids” is just a pleasant song about the wonder of the world that has nothing to do with its physicality, but more to do with the unseen nature that is felt. Life as experience as opposed to a series of happenings and mere sensations.
“I do driver alertness course/I do husband alertness course/I do mermaid alertness course/ I watch them on the rocks/They wave at me, they wave and slip/Back into the sea”
From here I will skip over to the final song. This is not to say that the others aren’t important/good/interesting but they stand out less to me while are still ones I listen to. They continue the themes and carry us to the title track. “Push the Sky Away” is almost akin to Dylan Thomas’ poem “Do Not Go Gently Into That Good Night.” As accepting as his earlier narrators in the album are of death, there is still that clinging to life, all our companions and loved ones. It’s also a call to live your life honestly and not let others try to impose what they expect you to be. Be true to your nature. Their good natured wishes for you to be what you aren’t is a death as well. “You’ve gotta just keep on pushin’/Keep on pushing/Push the sky away.” The ironic thing is that he wrote this before his son died. I can’t imagine what he went through. What he is still going through and will probably go through until the end of his days. The loss of child is something so hard to fathom . . . .
Simply an amazing album in my opinion. I heard from one of my readers (thank you) that Nick Cave has a new album out. I guarantee you I will be giving my impression of that one in the near future. There really is no one like Nick Cave nor should there be.