Grinderman: Grinderman 2

Mute Records

At 52-years-old, Nick Cave and the hairy brethren of Grinderman are as randy as teenage boys, but a cool swagger marks their man-cougar strut. When Grinderman dropped in ‘07, the album’s cover model - a monkey clutching his manhood in distress - was a telltale ferryman to the satisfying punch of “No Pussy Blues” and “Get It On.” Likewise, Grinderman 2’s sleek, snarling wolf embodies this confident sequel, which glides along with jagged elegance, recalling latter-era Bad Seeds album Dig Lazarus Dig. Whining noise and convulsive guitars yield the driver’s seat to Cave’s grim bellows in the album’s shotgun single, “Heathen Child.” The menacing “Evil” invokes the torment of free will Cave has long battled, while the grotesque metaphors and self-effacing humor of “Kitchenette” and “Worm Tamer” sum up the Grinderman experience with unholy zeal. Cave has spent a lifetime mulling over piety and trouble with heady language. Now it’s time to throw down, get carnal and howl at the moon.