Grinderman - Worm Tamer

Dirty misogynistic old men; mid-life crisis sleazebags; sporters of dubious facial fungus & preposterous upper lip artworks. A lot of shit has been flung at Uncle Nick & Co in recent months. I've nodded understandingly at both sides of the argument & come to the conclusion that these lads are just having a top giggle. I still find some of the shuddering, squealing discordance of their rockier tunes a little contrived (I personally thought Heathen Child sucked, especially). I adored the rumbling psychotic menace of The Birthday Party y' see but I now see The Grinders as a bit of a light-hearted laugh-in really, especially after all the portentous grandeur & borderline pomposity of much of the (excellent) Bad Seeds output over t' years. This new single has us in stitches though. Not so much because of the music which is pretty damn cool as far as this particular brooding hip-swaying gothic voodoo tune goes, but for the ludicrous poster inside, a true work of lowbrow photographic genius that should adorn any fun-loving goth's bathroom. The A Place to Bury strangers mix then thunders along beautifully, totally altering the whole structure & mood of the song, transforming it into an intense, galloping spacerock/shoegaze epic with Nick the Stripper's fine foreboding vocals riding it effortlessly, relentlessly, like the wild untamed hoss it is. I really think this is one of the best things I've heard all week & I'm quite delighted! Even the sleazy electro rockabilly of the UNKLE mix is tremendous fun. It sounds like it was born to slay stadiums but I reckon it fits in nicely with what the likes of Moon Duo have been delivering. Totally, mystifyingly excellent all round. And to think I was expecting to loathe this. SOTW hands down for me!