From 1977 to 2009,
Mick Harvey
was one of
Nick Cave
's most faithful and valued collaborators, from their early work in
the Boys Next Door
to their popular and critical peak in
the Bad Seeds
. While they no longer work together,
Cave
and
Harvey
still feel like kindred spirits, and
's 2024 album
Five Ways to Say Goodbye
bears no small resemblance to the spare but elegant approach of
's albums
Skeleton Tree
(2016) and
Ghosteen
(2019), songs full of loss and longing married to arrangements that reflect the protagonists' search for grace with a mournful but genuine beauty. The biggest difference between the two is
is a master songwriter, while
is talented yet not as prolific, and
is dominated by his interpretations of the work of other tunesmiths, while he contributes only three new songs to this project. Also,
's gifts as an arranger allow him to dress these songs in strings and keyboards that are superbly evocative and graceful, and the skills that have allowed him to become a successful composer of film scores are on display here. The album plays like a mood piece, and a brilliantly executed one.
may not have penned most of these selections, but he brings something fiercely individual to his performances: In his hands,
Neil Young
's "Like a Hurricane" is a bittersweet meditation on a love that didn't go the distance;
Ed Keupper
's "Demolition" ponders the dysfunctional bonds of family and loved ones, punctuated with a drum machine that fails to keep the beat; and the reworking of the
Marlene Dietrich
chestnut "A Suitcase in Berlin" becomes a chronicle of rootlessness and the curse of memory.
has become an eloquent, thoughtful interpretive vocalist whose grasp on this material is as assured and nuanced as the work of a great actor, and the best performances are remarkable in their unforced but genuine power. If
isn't quite the songwriter his old boss
is, as a vocalist, arranger, and producer, he's an estimable talent, and
is a remarkable work that's deeply moving and crafted with intelligence and heart. ~ Mark Deming