Much like Nick Cave, the man he has spent most of his career backing, Mick Harvey finds a dark corner and begins digging downward. Whether he’s reinterpreting soul singer Bill Withers (“I Don’t Want You On My Mind”), highlighting Australian legends the Saints (“Photograph”) and the Triffids (“Everything is Fixed”) or delving into the work of a colleague he’s helped produce such as (no relation) PJ Harvey (“Slow-Motion Movie Star”), Harvey adds a sinister edge that suggests the end is near. For his second solo album, 2007’s Two of Diamonds, Harvey set himself up at several studios in Australia with a live band, including most crucially double-bassist Rosie Westbrook, to capture a spacious ambience that allows him to whisper, croon and sing with equal parts Lee Hazlewood, Johnny Cash and Leonard Cohen. The leisurely pace and extra space adds depth and intensity to each note. With no wasted or extraneous phrases, the nocturnal piano compliments the pristine, somber beauty of the Harvey original “Blue Arrows,” while “Here I Am” slips past with low rumbles and an uneasy placid façade.