Grinderman 2 is the second and final studio album by alternative rock band Grinderman, a side project of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released on 13 September 2010 on Mute Records in the United Kingdom and ANTI- in the United States.

Grinderman 2
A gray wolf stands in the middle of a modern bathroom. "Grinderman" is written above the wolf in blue gothic text.
Studio album by
Released13 September 2010 (2010-09-13)
RecordedAugust 2008 (2008-08)–2009 (2009)
Studio
Genre
Length41:17
LabelMute
ProducerNick Launay, Grinderman
Grinderman chronology
Grinderman
(2007)
Grinderman 2
(2010)
Singles from Grinderman 2
  1. "Heathen Child"
    Released: 6 September 2010
  2. "Worm Tamer"
    Released: 22 November 2010
  3. "Palaces of Montezuma"
    Released: 14 March 2011
  4. "Evil"
    Released: 16 April 2011
  5. "Mickey Mouse and the Goodbye Man"
    Released: 13 June 2011

At the ARIA Music Awards of 2011, the album was nominated for Best Adult Alternative Album.[2]

Background and production

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Grinderman had been put on hold due to the members' involvement on Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds' fourteenth studio album, Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!, in 2008. After the Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds summer tour in 2008, the band began recording the album in various studios throughout London.[3] Speaking to XFM, Cave noted that the album "will feature a totally different sound" and plan to "do it a more serious way this time"; he remarked that he did not plan for the album to receive commercial success.[4]

Recording was completed in August 2009—a year after the original sessions—production was completed in April 2010 at Seedy Underbelly in Los Angeles, and the album was produced by Nick Launay, a friend of the band, who had also produced Grinderman's self-titled debut, with additional production by the members of the band. In an interview with The Quietus in September 2009,[5] Warren Ellis confirmed that Grinderman 2 was completed. Ellis also described the album as "like stoner rock meets Sly Stone via Amon Düül", "very diverse", and "psychedelic". The album was released in September 2010, in a regular and a deluxe edition, the latter containing a 52-page booklet (illustrations by Ilinca Höpfner) and a poster (photography by Polly Borland).

Singles

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The album's first single, "Heathen Child", was released in September 2010.[6] The music video was directed by long-time collaborator John Hillcoat. "Worm Tamer", the second single, was released on 22 November. The music video was directed by Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard.

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.1/10[7]
Metacritic83/100[8]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [9]
The A.V. ClubB+[10]
The Guardian     [11]
The Independent     [12]
Los Angeles Times    [13]
NME8/10[14]
Pitchfork8.1/10[15]
Q     [16]
Spin9/10[17]
Uncut     [18]

Grinderman 2 received mostly positive reviews, with some critics finding the album superior to its predecessor, Grinderman, and holds an 83 score on Metacritic, denoting "universal acclaim".[8] Thom Jurek of AllMusic said it was a "more polished and studied affair than its predecessor" and "more sonically adventurous" while still being a "white-hot rock and roll record".[9] It has been described as "full of nightmares, but nightmares worth repeating."[19] Garry Mulholland of BBC Music said that Grinderman 2 had a sound, influenced as much by 60s garage punk and droning Krautrock as the blues."[20]

Track listing

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All lyrics are written by Nick Cave; all music is composed by Grinderman

No.TitleLength
1."Mickey Mouse and the Goodbye Man"5:42
2."Worm Tamer"3:14
3."Heathen Child"5:01
4."When My Baby Comes"6:50
5."What I Know"3:21
6."Evil"2:57
7."Kitchenette"5:19
8."Palaces of Montezuma"3:34
9."Bellringer Blues"5:32
Total length:41:17
iTunes bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
10."Super Heathen Child" (featuring guest musician Robert Fripp)6:30
11."Fire Boy" (non-LP track)4:52
12."Evil" (Factory Floor Remix #2)5:32
13."Heathen Child" (Andrew Weatherall Bass Remix)6:50

The iTunes LP will also include bonus videos of "Heathen Child", seven trailers for the album, directed by John Hillcoat and Ilinca Hoepfner and a digital booklet complete with lyrics.

Personnel

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Grinderman
Production personnel
  • Russell Fawkus – assistant production (at Assault & Battery 2)
  • David "Saxon" Greenep – assistant production (at State of the Ark)
  • Tom Hough – assistant production (at State of the Ark)
  • Nick Launay – production, engineering
  • Kevin Paul – assistant production
Art personnel
  • Polly Borland – photography
  • Tom Hingston – art direction
  • Ilinca Höpfner – illustration

Chart positions

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Release history

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Region Date Format
Worldwide 13 September 2010 CD, limited edition CD, LP, digital download
United States 14 September 2010

References

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  1. ^ Jackson, Josh. "The 50 Best Garage Rock Albums of All Time". pastemagazine. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  2. ^ "2011 ARIA Awards Winners By Year". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  3. ^ Breihan, Tom (25 May 2010). "Nick Cave's Grinderman Returns". Pitchfork. Retrieved 22 February 2013.
  4. ^ "Grinderman to record second album this year". NME. 20 June 2008. Retrieved 22 February 2013.
  5. ^ Ellis, Warren. "'Psychedelic' New Grinderman Album". The Quietus. September 9, 2009. Retrieved on June 5, 2010.
  6. ^ Empire, Kitty (25 September 2010). "Live Review: Grinderman, Garage, London". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 October 2010.
  7. ^ "Grinderman 2 by Grinderman reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  8. ^ a b "Reviews for Grinderman 2 by Grinderman". Metacritic. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  9. ^ a b Jurek, Thom. "Grinderman 2 – Grinderman". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  10. ^ O'Neal, Sean (14 September 2010). "Grinderman: Grinderman 2". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  11. ^ Simpson, Dave (9 September 2010). "Grinderman: Grinderman 2". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  12. ^ Gill, Andy (10 September 2010). "Album: Grinderman, Grinderman 2". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 14 September 2010. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  13. ^ Roberts, Randall (14 September 2010). "Album review: Grinderman, 'Grinderman 2'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  14. ^ Turner, Luke (13 September 2010). "Album review: Grinderman – Grinderman 2 (Mute)". NME. Archived from the original on 10 June 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  15. ^ Fennessey, Sean (16 September 2010). "Grinderman: Grinderman 2". Pitchfork. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
  16. ^ "Grinderman: Grinderman 2". Q (291): 102. October 2010.
  17. ^ Gross, Joe (23 August 2010). "Grinderman, 'Grinderman 2' (ANTI-)". Spin. Archived from the original on 17 June 2011. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  18. ^ "Grinderman: Grinderman 2". Uncut (161): 86. October 2010.
  19. ^ Knable, Jim (3 December 2010). "Grinderman 2 – Nightmares Worth Repeating". Frontier Psychiatrist. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
  20. ^ Mulholland, Garry (3 December 2010). "Review of Grinderman – Grinderman 2". BBC Music. Retrieved 3 December 2010.
  21. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Grinderman – Grinderman 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  22. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Grinderman – Grinderman 2" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  23. ^ "Ultratop.be – Grinderman – Grinderman 2" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  24. ^ "Ultratop.be – Grinderman – Grinderman 2" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  25. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Grinderman – Grinderman 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  26. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Grinderman – Grinderman 2" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  27. ^ "Grinderman: Grinderman 2" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  28. ^ "Lescharts.com – Grinderman – Grinderman 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  29. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Grinderman – Grinderman 2" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  30. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Grinderman". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  31. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Grinderman – Grinderman 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  32. ^ "Charts.nz – Grinderman – Grinderman 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  33. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Grinderman – Grinderman 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  34. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  35. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Grinderman – Grinderman 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  36. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Grinderman – Grinderman 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  37. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Grinderman – Grinderman 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  38. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  39. ^ "Billboard 200: October 2, 2010". Billboard. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  40. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2010". Ultratop. Retrieved 20 August 2020.