Grinderman Shed Light on "Unproduced and Raw" Second Album

BY John SemleyPublished Aug 19, 2010

You can't stop Grinderman. With the recent news of their lengthy European and North American tour coming on top of announcements of the band's new single and their highly anticipated sophomore full-length, the band that were formed as a spin-off of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in 2007 seem to have taken on a life of their own.

According to Grinderman (and Bad Seeds) drummer/percussionist/backing vocalist Jim Sclavunos, the forthcoming Grinderman 2 will be considerably more exploratory, a freewheelin' blend of fuzz and psychedelia that will distinguishing it from both its predecessor and the Bad Seeds' abundant output.

"We didn't go in with a plan. There were no rules. No limitations," Sclavunos tells Exclaim! in a recent interview. "We improvise everything so you never know where it's going to go."

Sclavunos also noted that the album is less concerned with the strong narrative elements that have come to define most of what Cave touches.

"In the Bad Seeds, the band is creating music that works in the service of telling a story," he says. "In Grinderman the story is more fragmentary. It's not the pivotal thing on which the song depends. It's more of an overall aural experience."

Still, while Grinderman 2 embellishes the raw, riff-centric power of the first record, Sclavunos stresses that the band tried not to over-think the record.

"We tend to work very quickly in the studio. We usually hit the ground running and try to come up with something that sounds unproduced and raw. We usually go for early takes. We don't like to refine something to death. We like to keep that original fire and uneasiness and that sense that things are on the verge of falling apart. We cherish those aspects and find them quite vibrant. We want to make sure we don't get rid of them all when we're making a record."

Grinderman 2 comes out September 14 via Anti- and its lead-off single, "Heathen Child," is due out August 31. The band hit North American for a tour in November, including stops in Toronto (November 11), Montreal (November 12) and Vancouver (November 26). You can see all Grinderman's upcoming dates below.

Tour dates:

9/25 Nottingham, England - Rock City

9/27 Leeds, England - University

9/28 Glasgow, Scotland - Barrowlands

9/29 Manchester, England - Academy

10/1 London, England - Hammersmith Apollo

10/4 Lausanne, Switzerland - Les Docks

10/5 Zurich, Switzerland - Volkshaus

10/6 Milan, Italy - Live

10/7 Rome, Italy - Atlantico

10/10 Vienna, Italy - Gasometer

10/11 Munich, Germany - Muffathalle

10/13 Leipzig, Germany - Haus Auensee

10/14 Berlin, Germany - Columbiahalle

10/15 Cologne, Germany - E-Werk

10/17 Brussels, Belgium - Ancienne Belgique

10/20 Utrecht, Netherlands - MCV

10/21 Hamburg, Germany - Docks

10/23 Copenhagen, Denmark - Falkoner Theatre

10/24 Randers, Denmark - Power Station

10/26 Paris, France - Cite de la Music

10/28 Groningen, Netherlands - Groningen De Oosterpoort

11/11 Toronto, ON - Phoenix

11/12 Montreal, QC - Metropolis

11/13 Boston, MA - House of Blues

11/14 New York, NY - Nokia Theatre

11/16 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club

11/18 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse

11/19 Nashville, TN - Cannery Ballroom

11/20 Memphis, TN - Minglewood Hall

11/22 Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre

11/23 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue

11/26 Vancouver, BC- Commodore Ballroom

11/27 Seattle, WA - King Cat Theater

11/29 San Francisco, CA - Warfield

11/30 Los Angeles, CA - Music Box

12/1 San Diego, CA - House of Blues

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