Grinderman 2

For what it sets out to do, it's damn near perfect, and what higher praise is there than that?

Instead, there’s a conflation of sexual politics and the very real violence of power on Grinderman 2 that makes it as unnerving as it is invigorating to listen to.

There’s more work required here, more layers to clamber through in the descent down the rope ladder to the tawdry depths of the collective Grinderman psyche. Anyone hoping to howl along to a ‘Depth Charge Ethel’ or a ‘Honey Bee (Let’s Fly to Mars)’ is mostly going to be left shortchanged, albeit with a few exceptions.

Grinderman 2 is a sequel of sorts, but mostly an improvement. The band has widened their sound and sexual pursuits, but also poked around at the edges of decrepitude.

Grinderman 2 goes a long way towards solidifying this four-man Bad Seeds mash-up as a distinctive musical act, even as it brings them closer to their parent band’s wheelhouse.