Search - The Triffids :: Beautiful Waste and Other Songs

When On A Roll...

Kurt Harding | Boerne TX | 06/27/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Several years ago, Domino Recording Company began its project of reissuing the entire catalogue of The Triffids. Along the way, there was found an accumulation of songs that had been issued only on long-forgotten EPs or which had never found a home on any release. But since Domino was on a roll with The Triffids project, it became almost an obligation to issue absolutely everything the band ever recorded. And so here we have the accumulation of those songs entitled Beautiful Waste.

We all know how such albums can work out. Many times, the songs turn out to be a bunch of tripe that didn't deserve recording in the first place. But on Beautiful Waste and Other Songs that is not the case. There are some throwaways, but there are also many gems that beg to be heard.

My general impression of The Triffids after hearing most of their albums is that singer/songwriter David McComb can sound an awful lot like compatriot Nick Cave, whether intentionally or not. The booklet says he was heavily influenced by Cave but he often SOUNDS like Cave as well. But he's no clone. Some of McComb's songs are stylistically so different from some of his others, its often hard to believe you are hearing the same man's work. On this CD, its no different. It is heavily interspersed with songs suggestive of Cave's early Bad Seeds yet at other times, McComb can sound nearly as country as Merle Haggard.

I lean toward the Nick Cave sound, so here are my favorites: St James Infirmary, Everybody Has To Eat, Monkey on My Back, Field of Glass, and Dear Miss Lonely Hearts. Those who lean towards a more country-flavored sound should enjoy Figurine, When My Heart Breaks, the humorous Mother Silhouette, Crucifixion Speech, and Not The Marrying Kind.

Among those I don't care for are the corny Jesus Calling which is so lame it might scare off those who decide on a purchase based on soundclips, the repetitive Ballad of Jack Frost, and Mercy which suffers weak lyrics but boasts decent music.

Overall, Beautiful Waste is a good value if you buy it from one of amazon's partners. You get more than an hour's worth of music and a handsome 24 page (counting the cover) booklet that features useful notes, pictures, lyrics, and pertinent album information. Domino has done an excellent job with The Triffids reissues. Pick this one up while it is still reasonable."