Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!

This article is about the album. For the album's title song, see Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! (song).

Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
Studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Released	March 3, 2008 (UK) April 8, 2008 (US)
Recorded	June–July 2007
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	53:35
Label	Mute ANTI-
Producer	Nick Launay
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds chronology
The Abattoir Blues Tour (2007) Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! (2008) Live at the Royal Albert Hall (2008)

Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! is the fourteenth studio album by Australian alternative 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 March 3, 2008. It would also be the last album to feature Mick Harvey, who left the Bad Seeds in 2009.

It is the second Bad Seeds studio album without Blixa Bargeld and features the same line up as the Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus double album. It is also the first to be released since the Bad Seeds side project Grinderman released their eponymous album. In several interviews Cave has stated that this album would "sound like Grinderman", implying a garage rock sound.^[1] In line with this primitive intent, the album took roughly five days to make.^[2]

Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! features artwork by British artists Tim Noble and Sue Webster.

Concept

On the band's official website Cave wrote on his inspiration for the album: "Ever since I can remember hearing the Lazarus story, when I was a kid, you know, back in church, I was disturbed and worried by it. Traumatised, actually. We are all, of course, in awe of the greatest of Christ's miracles—raising a man from the dead—but I couldn't help but wonder how Lazarus felt about it. As a child it gave me the creeps, to be honest. I've taken Lazarus and stuck him in New York City, in order to give the song, a hip, contemporary feel. I was also thinking about Harry Houdini who spent a lot of his life trying to debunk the spiritualists who were cashing in on the bereaved. He believed there was nothing going on beyond the grave. He was the second greatest escapologist, Harry was, Lazarus, of course, being the greatest. I wanted to create a kind of vehicle, a medium, for Houdini to speak to us if he so desires, you know, from beyond the grave."

Singles and promotion

A series of viral video trailers for the album were produced by artists Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard and posted on YouTube.^[3][4]

On February 18 the title track "Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!" was released as the first single—on CD, limited edition 7", and as a digital download—with "Accidents Will Happen" as the B-side. The second single, "More News From Nowhere", was released on 12 May. It draws its title from News from Nowhere, an 1890 utopian socialist novel by William Morris.

An extended promotional video for "Night of the Lotus Eaters" was also released along with a live studio video of "Midnight Man" and a promotional video for "More News From Nowhere", all directed by artists Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard. The "More News From Nowhere" video released in May 2008, features cameo appearances by journalist Will Self, singer Beth Orton, British TV actors Karl Theobald, Michael Higgs and Caroline Catz plus British artists Tim Noble and Sue Webster and socialite/ broadcaster Peaches Geldof.

Track listing

1. "Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!" – 4:10 (Cave)
2. "Today's Lesson" – 4:41 (Cave)
3. "Moonland" – 3:53 (Cave/Ellis/Casey/Sclavunos)
4. "Night of the Lotus Eaters" – 4:53 (Cave/Ellis)
5. "Albert Goes West" – 3:32 (Cave/Ellis)
6. "We Call Upon the Author" – 5:12 (Cave/Ellis)
7. "Hold on to Yourself" – 5:51 (Cave/Ellis/Casey)
8. "Lie Down Here (& Be My Girl)" – 4:58 (Cave)
9. "Jesus of the Moon" – 3:22 (Cave)
10. "Midnight Man" – 5:07 (Cave)
11. "More News From Nowhere" – 7:58 (Cave/Ellis/Casey/Sclavunos)

Singles

• "Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!" (MUTE 377) (February 18, 2008)
  • b/w: "Accidents Will Happen"
• "More News From Nowhere" (MUTE 390) (May 12, 2008)
  • b/w: "Fleeting Love"
• "Midnight Man" (MUTE 403) (July 28, 2008)
  • b/w: "Hey Little Firing Squad"

Personnel

• Nick Cave – Vocals (1-11), Organ (1,2,6,7), Piano (3,8,9), Tambourine (3,5,11), Sleigh Bells (3,11), Toms (5), Harmonica (5), Electric Guitar (9), Vibra-Slap (11)
• Martyn P. Casey – Bass (1-3,6-11)
• Thomas Wydler – Brushed Snare (1), Shaker (2,10), Tambourine (2,5,10), Drums (4,8,9), Hand Drums (7)
• Warren Ellis – Viola (1,6,9,11), Loops (1,4,6,7,10,11), Fender Mandocaster (2-4,7-10), Tenor Guitar (3,5,8,10), Maracas (3) 12 String Lute (5), Drum Machine (6), Piano (8), Flute (9), Mandolin (9)
• Mick Harvey – Electric Guitar (1,4-6,10,11), Acoustic Guitar (2,5,7-9), Bass (4,5), Organ (10)
• Jim Sclavunos – Drums (1-3,5-7,10,11), Bongos (1,5), Cowbell (1), Cuica (3), Congas (3,4), Finger Cymbals (4), Shaker (5), Maracas (7), Tambourine (8,9), Sleigh Bells (9)
• James Johnston – Organ (2,5,9), Electric Guitar (5)
• All backing vocals and handclaps by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[5]
The Guardian	[6]
The Independent	[7]
NME	(8/10)[8]
Pitchfork Media	(8.4/10)[9]
Q	[10]
Rolling Stone	[11]
Spin	[12]
The Sun	[13]
The Times	[14]

Critical response to the album has been overwhelmingly positive, with reviewers citing this as both a return to greatness and a new side of the band. A review from NME gave Dig, Lazarus Dig!!! 8/10, claiming that "just when The Bad Seeds seemed content to settle into middle-age as a cabaret gospel showband – albeit an extraordinary one – they’ve bared their teeth again", while Steven M. Deusner from Pitchfork Media gave the album 8.4/10, stating "this is how rock musicians are supposed to age".^[15][16] The album currently holds an 87 percent rating on Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim".^[17]

In May, 2008 the album was announced as the first nomination for Triple J's 2008 J Awards.

The title track was ranked at 35 in the 2008 Hottest 100 Countdown from Triple J in Australia.^[18]

Awards

• 2008 MOJO Awards: Best Album of 2008 (Dig, Lazarus Dig!!!)
• 2008 ARIA Award: Nick Cave Best Male Artist of 2008 (for Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!)
• Certified Silver for UK sales.^[19]
• Certified Gold for Irish sales.^[20]

References

1. ^ thestoolpigeon.com
2. ^ "Interview With Nick Launay", HitQuarters, 16 November 2009.
3. ^ Lest I Shiver, youtube.com
4. ^ Place Your Hands Upon The Table, youtube.com
5. ^ Allmusic review
6. ^ The Guardian review
7. ^ The Independent review
8. ^ NME review
9. ^ Pitchfork Media review
10. ^ [April Q review]
11. ^ Rolling Stone review
12. ^ Spin review
13. ^ The Sun review
14. ^ The Times review
15. ^ "Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Album Reviews". Nme.Com. http://www.nme.com/reviews/nick-cave-and-the-bad-seeds/9484. Retrieved 2010-08-11. 
16. ^ "Album Reviews: Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!". Pitchfork. 2008-04-07. http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/11375-dig-lazarus-dig/. Retrieved 2010-08-11. 
17. ^ "Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! reviews at". Metacritic.com. 2008-04-08. http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/cavenick/diglazarusdig. Retrieved 2010-08-11. 
18. ^ "Countdown | triple j hottest 100 - 2008 | triple j". Abc.net.au. 2009-01-19. http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/hottest100/popup.htm. Retrieved 2010-08-11. 
19. ^ "British certification for Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!". British Phonographic Industry. 21 March 2008. Retrieved 13 February 2009.
20. ^ http://irishcharts.ie/awards/gold09.htm

External links

• Official website
• Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! at Metacritic
• Nick Cave Online