SPILL BOOK REVIEW: ADAM STEINER – DARKER WITH THE DAWN: NICK CAVE’S SONGS OF LOVE AND DEATH

ADAM STEINER – DARKER WITH THE DAWN: NICK CAVE’S SONGS OF LOVE AND DEATH

ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD

BOOK REVIEW BY VICTORIA LOVE-RAINBOW

“There is no great genius without some touch of madness.” Aristotle. Adam Steiner’s Darker with the Dawn: Nick Cave’s Songs of Love and Death is a comprehensive analysis of the artistic evolution of Nick Cave, exploring how his personal experiences have shaped his music. From his early work’s violent and religious imagery to intimate and emotional imagery, Cave’s complex songwriting covers themes and genres, reflecting diverse musical tastes and creative impulses. Steiner examines the sources and meanings of Cave’s lyrics, revealing a multifaceted artist who constantly challenges himself and his audience with his twist of love and death.

Steiner’s research has enabled him to describe a depth of description that is significantly powerful and challenging to read due to the topics discussed, at times requiring a break to permeate; not many books can do this, and what is expected from a dissection of Cave’s work and at times, haunted by the intensity and, and obsession with death and violence, religion, and love. This breakdown is not for the faint of heart or those seeking to scratch the surface, with Steiner reminding the reader of Cave’s comments regarding censorship, drawing a parallel between Bunny Munro and Bret Easton Ellis’s American Psycho.

Captivating and beautifully descriptive, Steiner conveys his message which stirs the imagination, drawing the reader into the lyricist’s talent. As mentioned, some topics are hard to digest, intensely tumultuous, and sometimes disturbing. The common theme of misogyny and violence is rampant, intertwined with the love and obsession of his respective muses. Heroin addiction is a steady theme, consistent throughout, resulting in Cave’s poor behaviour at times. Steiner deconstructs the music, drawing on Cave’s lived experience, begging the question, where does Cave’s reality end and fantasy begin? I found Cave’s disassociation with Australia and gravitational pull to America’s deep south and blues influence interesting, “I wasn’t particularly interested in my own culture in Australia, which was quite normal for Australians at that time because, on some level, we didn’t have our own culture.”

Darker with the Dawn: Nick Cave’s Songs of Love and Death is a profound analysis of the emotions evoked by Cave’s musical masterpiece. I concur with Steiner that Ghosteen is highly notable. The harmonious collaboration of Cave and Ellis is breathtaking, especially the shift from violin to synthesiser. The ladybird motif is a subtle reminder. This book is like a vivid dream, but sometimes dreams can be horrifying.

ISBN: 978-1-5381-6035-0

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