Highlights: Glorious, I Wish That I Were Stone, The Story Of Love,
Praise The Earth
The long-term
association with Nick Cave must be a burden as well as a bonus. Everybody
considers Mick Harvey an almost ideal instrumentalist/arranger/sideman, many
consider him a brilliant interpreter of other artists’ songs, and surprisingly
few consider him a great songwriter. The man remains vastly underrated, and the
low-key nature of this new album (which is a humble melodic gem) only proves my
point.
Four (Acts Of Love) is something of a concept album dedicated to
you-know-what. Its release slipped by so quietly that I almost missed it.
Wouldn’t have done anyone too much harm, granted, but there’s something
irresistible and positively mesmerising about Harvey’s soft croon and these
dark-edged, gentle acoustic melodies that are a little sinister and a great
deal charming. The arrangements are tasteful, pretty and to the point. Besides,
you can’t deny the consistency; I can only complain about the repetitive and
slightly out-of-place cover “Summertime In New York” – the rest works fine, in
particular PJ Harvey’s unreleased “Glorious” that sounds… like a damn good PJ
Harvey ballad.
I rate Mick Harvey. I
rate him very highly indeed, and not just as an interpreter of others’ songs
(his two Serge Gainsbourg albums are essential), but as a songwriter in his own
right. I’d argue that his previous album, the masterful Sketches From The Book Of The Dead, is more melodically compelling
than Nick Cave’s latest. And I loved Push
The Sky Away. Yes, instead of striving for greatness Mick decides to settle on goodness, but what a brilliant little album this one is.
7/10
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