Music
All-Time High (And Low) Scores
Best Of 2009
Best Of 2008
Best Of 2007
Best Of 2006
Best Of 2005
Best Of 2004
Best Of 2003
Best Of 2002
Best Of 2001
Best Of 2000
Upcoming &
Recent Releases
70
AFI
65
Air
71
Alice In Chains
77
Amerie
70
Anjulie
85
The Antlers
75
Arctic Monkeys
68
As Tall As Lions
82
Atlas Sound
75
The Avett Brothers
67
Backstreet Boys
56
Bad Lieutenant
68
Devendra Banhart
72
Lou Barlow
88
Baroness
69
Basement Jaxx
81
David Bazan
72
Brendan Benson
72
The Big Pink
96
Big Star
46
Billy Talent
75
The Black Crowes
51
Black Mold
59
Amanda Blank
68
Blitzen Trapper
75
BLK JKS
77
A.A. Bondy
73
The Bottle Rockets
63
Box Elders
65
Boys Like Girls
76
Brand New
73
Tyondai Braxton
87
Brother Ali
70
Ian Brown
75
Michael Buble
78
Built To Spill
61
Colbie Caillat
79
Califone
68
Mariah Carey
84
Brandi Carlile
73
Julian Casablancas
83
Rosanne Cash
69
Castanets
65
The Cave Singers
84
Nick Cave & Warren Ellis
79
Vic Chesnutt
75
Choir Of Young Believers
81
Circulatory System
68
The Clean
84
The Clientele
71
Cobra Starship
85
Converge
71
Eric Copeland
80
Cymbals Eat Guitars
71
Datarock
59
Dead By Sunrise
76
Dead Man's Bones
64
Desolation Wilderness
88
Destroyer
63
The Dodos
77
Drive-By Truckers
74
The Duke & The King
66
Bob Dylan
44
The Entrance Band
67
Esser
69
Fanfarlo
63
Felix Da Housecat
68
Fink
78
The Flaming Lips
66
Flight Of The Conchords
79
Florence And The Machine
67
John Fogerty
77
Fruit Bats
83
Fuck Buttons
71
Nelly Furtado
47
Gary Go
68
Ghostface Killah
79
Girls
59
Gloriana
69
Gossip
62
David Gray
66
David Guetta
79
Richard Hawley
74
Mayer Hawthorne
66
Headlights
79
HEALTH
77
Joe Henry
66
Hockey
69
Whitney Houston
68
Imogen Heap
59
Jack Ingram
79
Islands
73
Jessie James
74
Jamie T
83
Japandroids
65
Jay-Z
51
Jet
69
Daniel Johnston
76
Karen O And The Kids
72
Toby Keith
69
Kid Cudi
65
Kings Of Convenience
62
Sean Kingston
64
KISS
76
Kris Kristofferson
68
KRS-One & Buckshot
76
La Roux
84
Miranda Lambert
72
Ledisi
75
Sondre Lerche
56
Juliette Lewis
82
Lightning Bolt
76
Lightning Dust
73
Little Dragon
44
Pixie Lott
73
Lyle Lovett
66
Lovvers
75
Baaba Maal
77
Madness
84
Madonna
85
Manic Street Preachers
62
Maps
55
Massive Attack
57
Matisyahu
67
Reba McEntire
66
Tim McGraw
65
Brian McKnight
79
Mew
77
Malcolm Middleton
77
Mika
68
Amy Millan
76
Mission Of Burma
73
Modest Mouse
76
Molina And Johnson
80
Monsters Of Folk
62
Morrissey
85
Mount Eerie
78
The Mountain Goats
62
Múm
72
Muse
66
Willie Nelson
78
Nirvana
97
Nirvana
72
Nisennenmondai
80
No Age
71
Noah And The Whale
75
Noisettes
79
Nudge
68
Nurses
47
Dolores O'Riordan
74
Os Mutantes
73
Osso
81
Owen
76
Paramore
76
Pastels And Tenniscoats
51
Sean Paul
80
Pearl Jam
66
Jemina Pearl
72
Jack Penate
65
Phish
82
Pissed Jeans
61
Pitbull
79
A Place To Bury Strangers
63
Julian Plenti
66
Robert Pollard
79
Polvo
72
Porcupine Tree
80
Q-Tip
80
R.E.M.
89
Raekwon
69
Rain Machine
70
Ramona Falls
75
Dizzee Rascal
75
The Raveonettes
76
Jay Reatard
82
Reigning Sound
81
Rodrigo Y Gabriela
79
Russian Circles
69
Buffy Sainte-Marie
73
Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions
61
Sally Shapiro
78
Shudder To Think
75
Sian Alice Group
70
Simian Mobile Disco
58
Simple Minds
72
Six Organs Of Admittance
69
Slaughterhouse
80
Slayer
61
The Slits
62
Mindy Smith
83
Solillaquists Of Sound
78
Soulsavers
77
Speech Debelle
58
Spiral Stairs
58
Squarepusher
55
Steel Panther
73
Sufjan Stevens
52
Rod Stewart
65
Joss Stone
75
George Strait
83
Barbra Streisand
76
A Sunny Day In Glasgow
74
Susanna And The Magical Orchestra
78
The Swell Season
76
David Sylvian
83
Taken By Trees
78
Tegan And Sara
68
The Temper Trap
72
Themselves
82
They Might Be Giants
67
Third Eye Blind
68
Throw Me The Statue
66
J Tillman
69
Times New Viking
57
Tokio Hotel
67
Trey Songz
71
The Twilight Sad
58
Carrie Underwood
56
The Used
68
Various Artists
70
Various Artists
74
Various Artists
77
The Very Best
71
Kurt Vile
67
Vivian Girls
71
Volcano Choir
76
Rufus Wainwright
59
Weezer
80
White Denim
76
Why?
83
Wild Beasts
80
Wildbirds & Peacedrums
59
Andrew W.K.
71
Patrick Wolf
67
Wolfmother
84
The xx
70
YACHT
75
Yim Yames
79
Yo La Tengo
83
Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band
51
Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson
59
Zero 7
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
Grinderman
Universal acclaim
Based on 33 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 35 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Anti-
Release Date: 10 April 2007
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Alternative, Rock
Summary
This self-titled disc is the first release for the new project from Nick Cave, who adds "guitar player" to his CV. Seeing as how most of the Bad Seeds join in as well, we're still not sure why the new name was necessary. (Actually, it sounds even more like their earlier band, The Birthday Party.)
Also On Metacritic
MUSIC: Nick Cave: Abattoir Blues / The Lyre Of Orpheus Nick Cave: B-Sides & Rarities Nick Cave: No More Shall We Part Nick Cave: Nocturama
Also On The Web: Grinderman @ MySpace
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
BBC collective
This is not a bunch of old blokes looking to recapture their youth; rather, Grinderman sounds like a freshly hewn and rudely vigorous chunk of leftfield rock.
Read Full Review >musicOMH.com
This being Cave, classy lyrical dexterity is never far away. But here the fire and brimstone preacher is a little less po-faced than much of his back catalogue, allowing humour (still black as coal) to gain the upper hand.
Read Full Review >Urb
An album more raw than an infected, 10-day-old open head wound. [Apr 2007, p.102]
Alternative Press
11 tracks that scorch the earth lesser bands traipse on. [May 2007, p.150]
Stylus Magazine
It’s mostly top-flight crudity, though admittedly the album’s intensity wanes over its second half.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly
This is some of the singer's rawest music since he fronted the Birthday Party. [13 Apr 2007, p.72]
ShakingThrough.net
Grinderman might actually be Cave’s sappy hopeless romantic testament. That he accomplishes it without orchestral arrangements and mopey strings is truly impressive.
Read Full Review >Lost At Sea
The album is loud, visceral, and messily human, and should be regarded as an essential chapter in Cave's considerable discography.
Read Full Review >All Music Guide
While the sound of pure snarl and glee is what melts the speaker cabinets the most, the overdriven menace of most these songs doesn't undermine their worth as songs.
Read Full Review >NOW Magazine
Once our boy Nick begins his bellicose bellowing, there's no mistaking Grinderman's amped-up scorch for anything but another of Cave's darkly humorous creations of magnificent malevolence. Long may he howl and snort.
Read Full Review >Drowned In Sound
There’s a rawness to this record that most new bands – sorry, most bands made up of new musicians – would do well to soak up.
Read Full Review >Spin
The result is one of Cave's hardest-rocking records, but also one of his funniest. [Apr 2007, p.86]
Uncut
The Grinderman hat seems to have tilted the basic Bad Seeds stance brilliantly on its side, bringing out a new humour and a grumpy-old-rocker gravitas. [Apr 2007, p.102]
Delusions of Adequacy
Arguably [Cave's] most convincing collection of boisterousness and drama since 1994’s Let Love In.
Read Full Review >Mojo
There's a sense of going too far, of antic hilarity tipping into something more revealing. [Apr 2007, p.104]
Observer Music Monthly
This is mostly a brutal-sounding, and often brutally funny, record full of odd surprises.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle
Grinderman is in no way a conventional comedy album, but an accomplished cocksman like Nick Cave howling the "No Pussy Blues" is pretty damn funny anytime.
Read Full Review >Pitchfork
Grinderman may be intended as a somewhat goofy reassertion of punk vigor and virility, but the disc is no laughing matter.
Read Full Review >PopMatters
Review #1 (score=80): Grinderman makes a freer, looser racket than the Bad Seeds, and at times sound like their hairier, rougher alter-ego.; Review #2 (score=70): Grinderman is fresh and invigorating, possibly Nick Cave’s funniest, and unusually for a side project, one of his least self-indulgent.
The Onion (A.V. Club)
A thorough reminder of what's majestic, funny, bizarre, and poetic about Cave.
Read Full Review >Paste Magazine
While Grinderman's rough-and-tumble democracy makes for an exciting, illicit affair, it's only that: a gorgeous bit of rough trade to scratch that seven-year itch. [May 2007, p.62]
Billboard
It may not pick up many new fans or even appeal to those beyond Cave's core audience, but these guys sound like they're having too much fun to care. [14 Apr 2007]
Under The Radar
Grinderman is easily the sexiest thing he’s done in the past decade. [#17, p.85]
Dusted Magazine
Grinderman is as refreshing, bracing and absurd as the Birthday Party were when they blew onto the scene with their Old Testament zeal.
Read Full Review >Q Magazine
You sense that once this entertaining diversion is done, it will be back to the real business. [Apr 2007, p.112]
cokemachineglow
Grinderman isn’t angry and it isn’t raw, just a careful concoction of licentiousness and braying disdain ultimately monotonous and unexciting after the first four cuts.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 8.5 (out of 10) based on 35 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Brendan D gave it a9:
Every so often, rock music should be able to scare people. Once in awhile, the music should also be really dirty, full of weird phrases and subversive content (think "White Light/White Heat"). "Grinderman" is exactly that kind of album, and it's effing disgusting. It's the grossest album Nick Cave has put together since the Bad Seeds' "Murder Ballads" in '96. It also happens to be the funniest. While Cave has been honing his admittedly grand auteur status for the last decade, putting out album after album of darkly beautiful semi-classical music (such as the absolutely gut-wrenching "No More Shall We Part"), many old-school Cave fans like myself were left wondering if he'd ever get back to his Birthday Party roots, crafting music to puke to. Grinderman is that record. Listen to "No Pussy Blues" while your kids aren't around. Turn it up to full volume. And when Cave shouts out the title lyric at the end before going into a completely absurd guitar solo of pure Metal Machine Music noise, jump around, run into walls, bash your head on the living room coffee table, take a baseball bat and smash your china cabinet -- do something ridiculous and violent. 'Cause that's the only thing this music is good for. And frankly, that's pretty fucking awesome.
Shawn B gave it a9:
Best thing I've heard in a long time.
Perspicacious Critic gave it an8:
Grinderman is PJ Harvey with testosterone.
Ted J gave it a9:
Grinderman is amazingly dirty, sexy, and dangerous rock. It has a bit of everything, too: the first two tracks, "Get It On" and "No Pussy Blues" is all tension, distortion, sneering vocals, and nasty attitude. Rave-ups like "Depth Charge Ethel" and the amazing "Honey Bee (Let's Fly to Mars)" chug with purpose. Surprisingly mellow tracks like "Grinderman" and "Electric Alice" are a welcome respite from the dirt and sex. And, the last song, "Love Bomb" recalls the Stooges with its Funhouse beat and bluesy riffing. This definitely isn't for casual music listeners... it's too abrasive and obscure in its references to be immediately accessible. It's not as dark or as confrontational as the Birthday Party, and it doesn't sound much like Cave's work with the Bad Seeds... Grinderman is its own monster, and I really hope Cave and Co. keep it alive.
Alex Ch gave it a10:
Best album of this year!
NUNO V gave it a10:
Bac to good old times Mr. Cave.Thxs.
Tom M gave it a10:
Bought it on Firday. Listened to it 15 times in a row and haven't listened to anything else all weekend.
