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Mick Harvey is an immensely talented musician who, for the better part of his career, has performed in the shadows of others. He rarely takes the spotlight and by listening to some of his music you get the sense that he likes it that way.  

Harvey, a native of Australia, is an integral member of Nick Cave’s musical family. He was a founding member of Boys Next Door, a late seventies punk band fronted by Cave. After the band moved from Australia to England they renamed themselves the Birthday Party. Harvey had a huge influence on the music at this time. During their tenure as the Birthday Party Cave and Harvey began to explore gothic sounds and the heavy handed themes that would carry over to their work in the Bad Seeds. To make a long story short, Harvey has been playing with Cave for close to thirty years and has helped shape the dark, brooding signature sound of Nick Cave. 

Although he has played such a pivotal musical role in Nick Cave’s career, Mick Harvey himself has gone largely unknown, especially in the United States. In Australia he is very well known for his work in the Bad Seeds and also in scoring movies. 

Mick Harvey’s new solo album, Two of Diamonds, comprised mostly of covers with a few originals, provides a great twist on traditional folk, adding some of the dark, melancholy, wall of sound techniques that he so frequently uses as a member of the Bad Seeds. His version of Sad Dark Eyes sounds like a contemporary take on the Animals and a proud descendant of “House of the Rising Sun.” His take on Bill Withers’ “I Don’t Want You On My Mind” sounds like something you would hear in a Quentin Tarantino film, with its smoky casino lounge presentation. 

One of the most enjoyable tracks on the album is the musically upbeat Doors, Byrds and Donovan hybrid Out of Time Man. With Doors style organ throughout, the song tells the story of a man in an eternal fight against time. Other highlights include the Harvey penned ballad Blue Arrows, a cover of PJ Harvey’s (no relation) Slow-Motion-Movie-Star and the theatrical Here I Am.

This album provides a very good listen, and should be essential for any Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds fan. Above and beyond that, this album also serves as a testament to the talent of Mick Harvey as a solo artist. Many who find the music of the Bad Seeds too complex will find this album much more accessible. I hope Mick Harvey steps out from the shadows and into the spotlight as a solo artist many more times in the years to come.