Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Long Dark Night Review

Cautious beauty can be found in Long Dark Night. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ latest single, ahead of Wild God’s release, is nothing short of beautiful. An exceptional interpretation of The Dark Night of the Soul from St. John of the Cross. Read between the lines as Cave and the band has. Beauty in battle and a moulding of your interpretation of love, that which will replace the other party. It has a density to it and given what listeners may know of Cave, the ever-changing cycle of love may flicker through as a poignant new sound. Long Dark Night certainly pushes further out there than Frogs or the eponymous Wild God singles when it comes to a departure from what audiences would expect. But The Bad Seeds has always shifted expectations and is unburdened by expectations of sound.  

To that end, Long Dark Night is eventful and open, moving away from what the previous songs had. A boisterous rise and fall into the bed of gospel joys was heard on Wild God, a stark difference to the charms of this typically tortured process on Long Dark Night. An effective and powerful song which does not overstay its welcome. Cave has plenty of those, but the emotional range expressed in this three-and-a-half-minute piece is lush. A defiant, endearing song where piano provides the classic Cave flourish. His headspace may be elsewhere to those tender hits but Long Dark Night channels parts of The Boatman’s Call with its steadiness and reassured feel in the face of danger. Cave once again provides a kick against those who doubt him, and The Bad Seeds are up to the task. 

Reflecting well on the themes of St John but developing them with instrumental splendour, Long Dark Night becomes one of the better Cave songs of this century. It is of a sincere and heartbreaking quality – something Cave and the band have effectively kindled through their last three albums. Wild God sounds like a scattershot chance at ruminating on the wild after-effects of some distant experience. Whatever it is, we react in more ways than one and Long Dark Night is another avenue of this impact. Cave acts with honest intention. He develops his religious experiences well with Long Dark Night and in turn, offers an exceptional experience for those listening in.  

Long Dark Night will grow as all Cave classics do. This may be the best of the singles – though time will tell and vindicate those who have backed the track for what it is, a yearning and tender piece. Spectacular instrumentals which glide through this are to be thanked. Their great presence is as bold a sound as expected of Cave and the band at this stage of working together. Wild God is infused with the lush certainty of experienced musicians still digging deep and pulling up some new experiences. Some would have expired all options by this stage, but not The Bad Seeds. Those usual charms of a warbling Cave voice, the somewhat spoken word infliction on top of some slight backing vocals is a gorgeous presentation. What more could you want from Long Dark Night?