Ghosteen

This album is beautiful, but doesn’t really appeal to me. It’s the perfect example of music as art vs music as entertainment. It’s beautiful and haunting, well don’t technically, I just have little to no desire to listen to it.

Pretty spacey

Eh...its fine. This one felt strange to listen to just on a Tuesday morning given its subject matter and all. This album likely does not benefit from this format of listening to the music daily.

I liked the instrumentals on this album a lot. It was all very grand, slow, and epic sounding. I still don't really like his voice, which keeps me from actually enjoying it. The songs did feel very samey, it felt at likes like I was listening to one long continuous song. It felt a little sigur-ros-y at times, but then Nick's voice came over it and kind of ruined the vibes. 5/10, I likely wouldn't ever put this on again.

Quite tired of ambient bad seeds. Miss the filth. Worst album cover of their career. That aside, still quite great, feel the heartache. P.S. Good lord this list needs some diversity. @me

It's now almost a rite of passage to mock the fact that Elvis Costello has a bizarrely out-weighted representation on this 1001 list. But at Costello's worst he's at least palatable. ...and so here I was when I initially wrote about how there are (at least!) 4 Nick Cave albums. FOUR - and how at some point you've gotta read the room - I get it, absolutely give us 1 since everyone should hear (almost) everything/everyone once, and if you insist on a 2nd fine but you have to know half the audience is gonna nope right out. Even my favourite artist I'm gonna push 2 on you tops and after that you're on your own to discover more of them. I wrote all this and more (including questions about the album cover) without having yet listened ... ..annnnnd then great: I then read that he wrote this about and for his son who died. So who's the asshole now. Sigh. So. I listened. Here's the amazing and fun thing - it is and was nothing at all like I'd expected (i.e. nothing like the previous 3 of his I've had). The music is actually undeniably ...lovely?? Soaring, sad, dramatic. Almost hints of Brian Eno. His voice is ...emotional and tentative? Sensitive? Of course too often he reminded me of Leonard Cohen whose vocals I can't abide by. But there is definite distinction - this is definitely better in that I feel more emotion (although I'm likely reverse engineering this knowing what I do about his inspiration for the record). In the end maybe a different singer but definitely with the vocals backed off a little in the mix and I could have bumped this to a 4. Still I never expected to give Nick Cave a 3 and will tip my hat to him for a surprising, different, and emotional ambient project. I guess that's the point of this damn thing (I've only said that at least 10 times). TL;DR: Shockingly and unexpectedly different. 7/10 3 stars

I was going to give it a one-star rating, but after reading the Wikipedia page about this incredibly gut-wrenching album, I have to give it at least two stars. The music is somber, and incredibly boring though. Favorite Track: "Hollywood".

I didn’t really care for the storytelling/talking singing in this album. The parts that are actually sung are an improvement and, while I did like some of the instrumentals, they overall just felt the same between songs.

You can hear the emotion, Nick has been through some shit. Musically I like this more than the many other albums of his that have appeared so far. But, honestly, I can't helping thinking that the thing that ruins Nick Cave's music for me is Nick Cave. At least his voice. It's like my brain just instantly disengages the second it rumbles onto the track.

Would say that he's "my kind of weirdo", but he's actually a very different type of weirdo that I don't like so much. Didn't hate it though.

Nick Cave is a SERIOUS artist.

I'm sure if you're high this is a spiritual experience.

Never listened to Nick Cave before. Have heard his name here and there. This was my first time listening. It's okay.. but Scott Walker did it better. I did some research and found that Nick Cave was heavily inspired by Scott Walker and I 100% believe it.

Alright already with the Nick Cave. This album was the worst of all his albums I had to suffer through. Not only is this guy a terrible singer but his song writing is such self pretentious poetry that I had to stop myself from throwing up numerous times while suffering through this epic tale of garbage.

Nick Cage is Temu Leonard Cohen

its all one note

Divorced cat lady/middle school horse girl music, shit’s bad man…

Started off with 2 stars but it was so long, repetitive and boring it ended up taking a way a star for that. Nothing good at all about this one

Who hurt this dude

What is this nonsense? Started on a bad foot with the self-written Spotify description describing the band as "one of the world's most exciting, influential, innovative, and compelling bands." Get out of here with that pretentiousness. This is garbage. Vocals are creepy with empty ambient music backing them. Just write poetry instead. Turned off after 3 songs. 1.5/10 (0.75/5)

I was very torn rating this album. I wanted to find something to like here and to see why this album made the list. At times there were some rumblings of something interesting happening that made me think upon further listens I might find something to like here. Unfortunately I am only listening to each of these albums once and giving my initial gut reaction for rating them and I could not find it in me to rate this anything higher than a one. The album drones on in a very monotonous way throughout the duration of its run time with fleeting glimpses during the albums climax at what could have been had they decided to try anything different. I can appreciate that it is wholly different from anything I’d ever seek out to listen to and that there may be something appealing about it to someone but that someone is not me. Entirely boring, utterly forgettable.

Is this a rock album or a game of Dungeons & Dragons? Nah.

vibey but not enjoyable. Fitting for a spa waiting room.

Brilliant

masterpiece+++++555, MA +6

Beautiful, but very sad.

This will be my most Real review yet. A bit of self reflection. I’m at least somewhat of an Art Guy. I put a high value on seeing how people document their experience of being alive, and I’d like to think I’m fairly open minded to different forms etc. Along with this, for whatever reason, I am not a very emotional guy. I often feel like I’m missing part of whatever art I’m taking in because it’s hard for me to connect with things in a way that is emotionally provocative. Nick Cave is a new thing for me via the list, with mixed results. He’s dramatic and self-important in a way I typically don’t appreciate in art, and at worst those things add up to him being overly corny a lot of the time. BUT FOR SOME REASON, his music, especially as he gets older and more vulnerable, gets to me emotionally in a way that very few other artists do. I guess by default, this puts him in a much higher tier for me than I ever would have guessed. I get something from Nick Cave that I rarely get from art. It’s pretty cool.

Absolutely stunning and amazing!

mid 4.5.

C'était super, je pensais détester et je me suis retrouvé a adorer l'album

Even though I rarely shy away from depressing or dark music, reality is heavy enough without queuing up a double album by a man grieving the loss of his 15-year-old son. So Ghosteen is always going to be a pretty tall task for any listener. Fortunately, it abounds with beauty and wonder. Nick Cave’s novelistic sense of lyrics are a real high point here, as he borrows liberally from biblical imagery and allegory to grapple with his shattered psyche and sense of loss. Sonically, too, there’s an ethereal, sweeping and orchestral quality to this album. The predominant synth gives heavy Vangelis “Blade Runner” vibes, especially on the title track, which also takes a detour on the chorus into Flaming Lips territory (the two groups are not dissimilar in how they ruminate on the wonders and celestial complexities of life, even if they have stylistic and other differences, it dawns on me). This takes some time and patience to get into, and I think the second album may be the strongest, both musically and lyrically, because it suggests a kind of acceptance and the narration, as it were, becomes so riveting. I’m left feeling that — much like his live shows — this is a work of catharsis that speaks to the universal themes of humanity, love and loss.

I adore Nick Cave and I almost never listen to this album because of how devastating it is. And no wonder it is devastating, having in mind its themes and the tragedy that inspired it. But it is also very moving, as grief and loss is such a universal human experience. Ghosteen is also poetic, freeing and cathartic, and in the end - even hopeful. It is not something I would be willing to come back very soon, but it is a work of art.

This was a tough listen. Nick Cave is sorting his grief around the loss of his 15 year old son and creates one of the most hauntingly beautiful albums I’ve ever heard. As a soon to be father of 2, it puts you in a headspace you’d rather not be in. I can’t say loved is the right word, but I was very moved by this one. It’s absolutely a 5/5 album and I never want to listen to it again.

i feel like this will only get either 1 or 5 stars

Beautiful and sad.

Hard to put this one into words. I didn’t know the entire backstory about Nicks son until today. Knowing that, there were parts of this album I found genuinely heartbreaking. As a parent I can’t even begin to fathom what he’s gone through. Overall it’s a brilliant album but not one I think I will go back to very often.

Beautiful and Haunting.

I listened to this thing three times over the weekend. It was painful, beautiful, tragic, and sweet. My fatherhood is still fresh and raw. To hear the grief of a fatherhood lost, to hear that pain expressed with such poignancy, and to hear Nick still choose to find hope and to look at the world with optimism and purpose, to hold onto belief, was overwhelming. No father should have to bury their child. I’m sorry, Nick.

originally gave this a 4 but i think after listening to it a couple more times that it is better than that

Gear: Grado Hemp Artwork: 🐎🦚🪻 Production: 👂🩺🧈 Music: 💔🕯️🌈 Rating: 👻👻👻👻👻/5

Brb, obviously I am sobbing. You can not possibly critique the work of a parent trying to process the loss of a child, I have written at length about this. Cave does what any person in his position would do (in the medium that they are most used to); he grieves and tries to make sense and writes songs about it because that truly is the only thing he could possibly do. This is obviously a haunting album, a brilliant one too, and probably the purest work he has ever made.

Holy shit that was beautiful, really felt like her spiritually guiding me through each soundscape he created that was amazing

This album coming on the heels of 'Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness' really highlights the contrast between childish angst and true pain. I think that's what rubs me the wrong way about Corgan; he parades his juvenile tantrums as somehow profound when they're anything but. Grief is profound. If you don't already know that, you will. Grief is *the* ubiquitous experience. It gets us all. I can't imagine how excruciating it must be to lose a child. The fact that Cave can create beauty from that agony makes this album worth a 5 even if I did not enjoy a second of it. Art doesn't have to be enjoyable. It just has to speak to some truth of the human experience. If you've not experienced deep grief, I can't imagine you'd get much out of this album. It's got not a single banger. The songs are unsingable. Some are dirge-like and plodding. Much of it is ambient. There's nothing to sink your teeth into or ground you. It just hangs in the air. But, if you know it, the feeling of this album is completely recognizable. It's the sound of a grief that you've sat with for a few years. One that's taken up residence in your home and seeped into your memories. A grief still there long after the rage and guilt have passed. It doesn't stop hurting. You just learn to live with the pain. It means you loved someone dearly and that love is worth accepting the pain. That's the price of it. "I am here, and you are where you are" - yup, I understand that feeling.

Ghosteen by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds is not your average Bad Seeds album. It’s completely different in sound, production, and lyrical tone. It’s a stunning record, absolutely beautiful, but it lacks the punch and rock and roll of Tender Prey or Let Love In, and it doesn’t have the same style of ballads as The Boatman’s Call. It feels totally unique in their catalogue. This is not a fun or easy listen. Ghosteen is grief and pain laid out across an album. As a huge fan, I struggled with it when it first came out. It takes time, patience, and the right mindset to really connect with it. Interestingly, hearing the songs live, especially through Live in Copenhagen/Idiot Prayer-era performances, helped me appreciate them more and understand what Cave was doing here. That said, this album can also be healing. It’s delicate, reflective, and at times genuinely moving. There are some incredible moments, Spinning Song, Bright Horses, and Waiting for You are all standouts, and the album opens beautifully. I also love Leviathan, which is just a stunning piece of music. I do love this album, but it’s not one I return to as often as Skeleton Tree or The Boatman’s Call. It demands a certain mood, but when it clicks, it’s something special. Favourite tracks: Bright Horses and Leviathan Least favourite tracks: Every track earns its place Album artwork: Magical cover, like the album, it feels completely different to anything else they’ve done, with so much going on

dude im tryna having a extremely happy time dont fucking let me cry im not in the fucking mood also and im saying that as a nick cave fan. just simply devestating. simply beautiful. they should really drop this from the list because not anybody could casually handle grief. 5/5

Wow, this is some album. It's not often that I feel compelled to read the lyrics and really take in each song, but this was certainly an exception. He's really channelling something through his music, and it's so open, and honest, and raw. Despite it being incredibly sad, the whole thing is genuinely beautiful. There's such vivid imagery in the lyrics, and so much mood and feeling comes from what's implied rather than outright stated, in a way you find in so much of the best writing. In Spinning Song there's this whole dramatic, poetic story of a king and queen, and death, and renewal, and it suddenly cuts to "And you're sitting at the kitchen table, listening to the radio". And right there, you're brought back to modern day, and the cold reality of living with grief. And his really tender vocals repeating "And I love you" and "Peace will come" over the top. The whole thing is a mood, and you're taken straight to the *feeling* of the thing. And thus sets the template for the rest of the album, which holds up to the strength of this incredible first track. On top of that, the music creates this really haunting and ethereal atmosphere throughout. There's sweeping strings and moments of searing synths that have such an impact. The whole thing is incredibly moving. I'm not sure it's one I'll come back and revisit that often, but that takes nothing away from this. Stunning.

From the death of Elvis to the death of his son to the death and return of everyone - Cave cracks the code of rock writing to create an ever-moving paean to a world that once was able to believe in Magic. (Remember when you listen that this is two separate records and experiences - tracks 1 to 8 are part one while the longer tracks and "Fireflies" make up part two. Sometimes I wonder if part II was really necessary at all.)

I'll search for comprehensive information about Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds' album "Ghosteen" to provide you with an in-depth review. Based on my research, here is an in-depth review of **Ghosteen** (2019), the seventeenth studio album by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. --- ## Overview *Ghosteen* represents the final installment in a trilogy that began with *Push the Sky Away* (2013) and continued through *Skeleton Tree* (2016). While *Skeleton Tree* was released shortly after the tragic death of Cave's 15-year-old son Arthur in 2015, most of its lyrics were written before the event. *Ghosteen* is the first album Cave consciously crafted in the full aftermath of this loss, making it his most direct confrontation with grief, though it transcends mere autobiography to become a universal meditation on mortality, faith, and healing . The title itself combines "ghost" with the Irish diminutive suffix "-ín" (anglicized as "een"), meaning "little" or "small"—suggesting a benevolent spirit rather than the "ghost + teen" portmanteau many initially assumed . --- ## Lyrical Analysis Cave's approach to lyrics on *Ghosteen* marks a significant evolution from his narrative-driven past. These aren't conventional songs with verses and choruses; they're **ruminations, fairy tales, and spiritual visions** that barely adhere to traditional structure . ### Key Themes: **Grief and Loss**: The album doesn't shy away from devastation. "Waiting for You" depicts a narrator driving through the night to a beach, waiting for someone who will never return—a scene of literal dread that culminates in Cave's voice cracking with exhaustion . "Ghosteen Speaks" adopts the perspective of the deceased, observing their own funeral: "I think they're singing to be free... to be beside me" . **Spiritual Transcendence**: Despite the darkness, the dominant motion is **ascension**. "Sun Forest" imagines a child climbing to heaven, beaming back hope: "I am here beside you, look for me in the sun" . The closing track "Hollywood" incorporates the Buddhist parable of Kisa Gotami—a mother who learns that death touches everyone, finding solidarity in universal suffering rather than isolation in personal loss . **Motifs and Cohesion**: Cave employs what Thomas Mann called a "musical nexus"—repeating phrases and images across songs to create unity. The coda of "Hollywood" ("waiting now for peace to come") echoes the opening "Spinning Song" ("peace will come"). The image of "Jesus lying in his mother's arms" recurs throughout, alongside nature imagery (horses, ships, fireflies, the sun) that serves as spiritual metaphor . **Narrative Voice**: Cave's writing here is notably more **clear and decisive** than the stream-of-consciousness experiments of *Skeleton Tree*. He maintains his signature religious imagery but shifts from Old Testament wrath to New Testament compassion—the "spurting faucet of creativity" he found in redemption rather than judgment . --- ## Musical Composition & Production **Produced by**: Nick Cave & Warren Ellis **Recorded**: Primarily in Malibu and West Hollywood, California, with additional sessions in Germany and England ### Sonic Character: *Ghosteen* is fundamentally an **ambient chamber pop** album that abandons traditional rock structures. The soundscape is defined by: - **Synthesizers and loops**: Extensive use of electronic textures, continuing the direction established on *Skeleton Tree* but pushed further into ethereality - **Minimal percussion**: Drums are largely absent, creating a floating, timeless quality - **Orchestral elements**: Strings arranged by Warren Ellis provide emotional weight, particularly the "resplendent bell melody" of "Night Raid" and the angelic backing vocals that permeate the record - **Cave's vocals**: His baritone is more vulnerable than ever, employing falsetto and spoken-word delivery. The voice-crack in "Waiting for You" is deliberately left as a raw wound ### Structural Innovation: The album is divided into two parts. **Part One** consists of eight relatively concise songs (3-6 minutes) that establish the album's emotional vocabulary. **Part Two** contains two epic compositions—the title track (12 minutes) and "Hollywood" (14 minutes)—connected by the brief ambient interlude "Fireflies." This second half operates almost as a **cinematic experience**, with "Ghosteen" building to an exultant crescendo ("Ghosteen dances in my hand!") before subsiding into fragility, and "Hollywood" unfolding as a slow, meditative journey toward acceptance . --- ## Themes & Philosophy *Ghosteen* operates on multiple philosophical levels: 1. **Personal**: Cave processing the specific, unbearable loss of a child 2. **Universal**: Using that specificity to touch on all human grief—"Everybody's losing somebody," as he sings in "Leviathan" 3. **Metaphysical**: Investigating what lies beyond death through Christian, Buddhist, and purely poetic lenses The album's central tension is between **unmooring and direction**. Cave describes it as feeling "unmoored and homeless, but pointed firmly toward paradise" . This paradox defines the listening experience: the music drifts and floats, yet feels purposeful in its drift. Notably, Cave has said the album is not solely about Arthur's death but also about **trying to bring his wife Susie Bick back to the world of the living**—making it as much about the survival of the living as the memory of the dead . --- ## Influence & Legacy Upon release, *Ghosteen* received **widespread critical acclaim**, earning perfect scores from multiple publications. It stands as the **highest-rated album of 2019** on Metacritic (tied with Kendrick Lamar's *To Pimp a Butterfly*) and the highest-rated of the entire 2010s decade . The album has influenced: - **The conversation around grief in art**: Demonstrating that extreme personal tragedy can yield work that resonates universally without being exploitative - **Late-career reinvention**: Showing that artists in their 60s can produce their most radical, emotionally raw work - **The ambient/chamber pop genre**: Bridging the gap between experimental electronic music and traditional singer-songwriter craft Cave's subsequent work, including 2024's *Wild God*, has shown him moving toward something like joy again, making *Ghosteen* a crucial document of the **middle passage**—neither the raw wound of *Skeleton Tree* nor the tentative healing of his later work . --- ## Pros | Aspect | Strength | |--------|----------| | **Emotional Depth** | Perhaps the most profound exploration of parental grief in popular music history—unflinching yet compassionate | | **Lyrical Mastery** | Cave's writing achieves clarity without sacrificing poetry; every line feels essential | | **Sonic Cohesion** | The ambient production creates a consistent world that rewards immersive, headphone listening | | **Structural Ambition** | The shift from concise songs to epic compositions in Part Two creates genuine narrative momentum | | **Vocal Performance** | Cave's voice has never been more expressive—the cracks, whispers, and falsettos serve the material perfectly | | **Universal Resonance** | Despite its specific origins, the album speaks to anyone who has experienced loss | | **Spiritual Generosity** | Incorporates multiple religious traditions without dogmatism, offering comfort without easy answers | --- ## Cons | Aspect | Limitation | |--------|------------| | **Accessibility** | The ambient, percussion-less sound and long runtimes (72 minutes total) demand patience; this is not background music | | **Second Half Pacing** | The lengthy tracks on Part Two can feel indulgent or repetitive to some listeners—"a bit sleep," as one reviewer put it | | **Emotional Weight** | The album is so specifically devastating that many find it difficult to return to regularly | | **"Leviathan"** | The one shorter track that feels slightly underdeveloped, with lyrics that can seem "esoteric" rather than emotionally direct | | **Lack of Variety** | The sustained mood of melancholy, while intentional, can feel monochromatic over the full runtime | | **Not a "Band" Album** | Minimal input from the Bad Seeds beyond Warren Ellis—those seeking the full band's dynamic range may be disappointed | --- ## Conclusion *Ghosteen* is not an album one "enjoys" in the conventional sense. It is a **sacred text of grief**—a work that redefines what popular music can do with extreme emotional content. Cave transforms personal tragedy into art that is simultaneously harrowing and healing, specific and universal, Christian and Buddhist, earthly and transcendent. The flaws—its demands on the listener's time and emotional stamina—are inseparable from its achievements. To make *Ghosteen* more accessible would be to betray its purpose. As Cave himself noted, "At times *Ghosteen* may feel unmoored and homeless, but it is pointed firmly toward paradise" . For those willing to surrender to its relentless waves, it offers something rare in contemporary music: **the sense that one is witnessing an artist's actual soul, laid bare, searching for peace**—and finding, if not peace itself, then the possibility of it. **Essential Tracks**: "Spinning Song," "Waiting for You," "Night Raid," "Galleon Ship," "Ghosteen," "Hollywood"

Another amazing Nick Cave album. I’m ready to deep dive this artist. This album is an emotional one for sure so be prepared. Every song is good. It has a haunting quality and the lyrics are very well written and engaging.

This was hauntingly beautiful. I went into this knowing only that it was heavily inspired by the death of his son but was greeted with an album that was almost uplifting in a way. It’s given me a lot to think about on what will doubtless be many later listens.

I typically detest Nick Cave. But this is more like spoken word poetry over really beautiful music so I'm not as against it. It reminds me of a sad ballad in a musical. The backing vocals are actually gorgeous. Wait why am I really enjoying this? I typically hate both Nick Cave and extremely sad albums but here I am, two earbuds in just to hear it better. I don't want it to end??? This is probably my most shocking enjoyment of an album so far. I saw the title and artist and groaned and yet here I am, about to give the album a 5.

This is the third Nick Cave album I’ve gotten in my first 100. The first one (Abattoir Blues) reminded me of my limited prior feelings about him: “I just don’t get this.” The next one (Henry’s Dream) made me think “Okay I’m starting to get this.” So when I saw this come up, I thought it might go either way. Instead I experienced something life-changing. It’s the only album I’ve heard so far in the project that I feel certain will be a part of my life going forward, not just something I can say I’ve heard. Why: I’ve experienced the kind of grief that created this record. Not just the pain and sorrow, but the transformation of how one sees the entire world after you really confront the truth that we all will die, some or us at very different times from what we expect. I can’t yet fully explain it, but that truth is in every note and idea and lyric of this album, and I feel like I’m going to be listening to it for a long time to figure it all out.

I gave a pretty extensive review on Nick Cave when Abattoir Blues came across, giving it a full five stars. So will I do with this one. What continues mesmerising me is the broad variety of themes that each album and song offers. Like what the hell is he pulling all the inspiration from. Like I wrote in the first review I visited Nick Cave Experience that enlightened me on the deep craftsmanship of art that he possesses. In one of the installations there was a remake of his apartment in Berlin. Filled with books all over the place. Not neatly on shelf, but lying all over the place, looking like they've actually been read. On top of that his constant active writing. On random piece of papers, puking bags on planes, letters, note books. Everywhere where he had access to pen and paper. This must be one of his most powerful albums, and it’s precisely that craftsmanship that makes Ghosteen feel less like an album and more like a place you enter. All of those scattered books, half-finished thoughts, obsessive note-taking and constant writing feel distilled here into something strangely weightless. The music barely insists on being heard; it floats, hovers, waits. And yet it carries an emotional gravity that’s almost unbearable at times. This is grief not as drama, but as atmosphere. As something that lingers in rooms long after the words have stopped.

Just wow

Wow one of my most favourite albums of all time. Certainly the best album this century. Wasn’t sure if this album would appear on the list as it’s relatively new so had it in mind that it would be my choice recommendation when I finished this process. The content of the album is dark and deals with death and coping with it. Cannot really relate to losing a son but everyone will have lost a loved one at some point. In these circumstances personally I have always turned to music for solace. Calming my grief with music does help especially if it is a piece of music dear to the loved one which you have shared or if the words have poignant meaning. Every track on the album is able to do this but none more so than Bright Horses. Such a beautiful tune capable of bringing you to tears every time but also gives you the hope that one day you will see your loved one again. That’s the interpretation I put on it anyway and a reason why I cherish this album so much. Some question why Nick Cave puts us through so much to share his grief. My view is that he has every right as an artist to use his gift and platform to produce this album as a way of expressing his love for his son and enabling himself to come to terms with the devastation which profoundly affected him. Not once but tragically twice. RIP Arthur and Jethro. 5/5 25/1/26

sorrow. artistic genius

god....maybe his best album? i still probably need to chew on the "parent" second disc a bit more (tho its clearly masterful) but the opening eight "children" songs just refused to let go of me for their whole duration and made me tremble a little out on my walk. its every bit as much cleansing and cathartic as skeleton tree is desolate and harrowing...not to say its any less heartmeltingly sad but it finds enough distance and time to turn the sadness into something beautiful. and more than that, something Approachable...the layers of fantastical stories and images here make it far easier to reach out and touch grief, observe it from the outside, and use the former to clarify your feelings and the latter to clarify your thoughts. its not "escapism" so much as an authentically rediscovered justification of art creation and art experience as important parts of human life, human creativity as not being any less authentic or truthful as that which is "raw" and "natural"...a powerful justification of itself as more considered and constructed than the open wound of skeleton tree. the sound and songs themselves are minimal and new age flavored but never feel like they collapse on cliches of either arrangement or composition...theres interesting sounds and progressions to be found in even the very few elements present...once again, the Effortfulness feels like an awe-inspiring thematic statement with regards to the value of creation. almost certainly the least Dramatic nick cave album (even compared to his other mellow works) but maybe the one that feels the vastest...stretching out for miles and miles in any given direction. "we're all so sick and tired of seeing things as they are"

Nick Cave's most achingly beautiful album and his most difficult. Not something I will revisit all that often (I think I heard it 5 times since its release) but an album that gives me solace to have in my library.

Not an easy listen, not a fun listen, and not something I want to listen to more than once. But goddamn it, that is powerful. An incredibly moving portrait of grief.

I tried to listen to this when it first came out, but I just couldn't do it at the time; we were in the depths of COVID and my mother was dying. This was my first time trying again It is fascinating to me that Nick Cave -- the enfant terrible of Australian post-punk -- has evolved into a beloved elder statesman and poet laureate of grief. I wouldn't wish the misfortunes that led him there on anyone. But it clearly resonates culturally. Once upon a time, Nick Cave could barely get arrested (and I have seen him playing a number of small to medium venues over the years), but in 2024 he played six nights solo in Sydney at the State Theatre and ICC, and next week (23 January 2026) he is playing the Sydney Domain, an outdoor venue with a capacity up to 100,000. I truly believe his deeply compassionate reflection on grief and love through his music, interviews and the Red Hand Files blog speak to universal human experiences with an honesty, grace and vulnerability that very few artists have touched. Who would have thought that the singer from the Birthday Party would mature like this? And this album is probably the most beautiful and open expression of grief that has ever been recorded. I think its release coincided with a time when the world was shaken up and grieving. I know I was also shaken and grieving at the time, and listening to this album puts me uncomfortably back in that space. Musically, the ambient nature of the record is not to my taste, and it verges on spoken word, but I feel like it could not have been presented any other way. I find almost too real and true to listen to. Maybe one day I will be able to spend more time with this. I think this is one of the great works of art. I don't really want to listen to it, but that is mostly because it is too effective, too true, too real. It is hard to say right now how history will regard this album -- it might well become a classic, or it may be that it was important at an unusual moment in time during COVID -- but this might well be a five star record.

Jag vill inte sluta lyssna. Viss musik väcker känslor mer än andra. Skulle våga påstå att detta är den första skivan på listan som riktigt på djupet sätter ett avtryck. Jag förstår att det är en helt och hållet subjektiv upplevelse. Noterar även att 5:or och 1:or byter av varandra i andras review. Men för mig är det en otroligt stark och stämningsfull skiva. Det är inte avancerad musik, men det är inte poängen. Att jag lyssnat på albumet från början till slut flera gånger, utan att skippa låtar är också något som talar för kvaliteten. Kan inte sätta annat än en femma. Holy shit.

Blev helt golvad av denna otroligt vackra och gripande skiva. Temat är förstås en del i det, men atmosfären och stämningen som de lyckas skapa är också helt unik och så berörande i sig själv. Bland de coolaste (och finaste) lyssningsupplevelserna jag haft.

This is Nick Cave in his current incarnation - thoughtful, considered, devasted by loss but still with hope. It's a long long way from The Birthday Party to this. Warren swaps his violin for a Yamaha Reface (?) and knocks out some lovely ambient backings for Nick's laments, and Martyn Casey drills the low end. It's a tough listen but so rewarding.

What a peaceful album. What a beautiful album born from one of life’s tragedies. What a World.

At first I thought this was awful...like a weird mix of Neil Young and old man Johnny Cash But after a few tracks, I kinda liked it. I definitely liked it, like Mr Holland's Coltran story.

Vibes. Listened on train to airport and perfect for looking out the window feeling wistful

I put off listening to this for a long time despite really taking a liking to Cave in the last few years. I may have had it on the background playing before, but as a father I held off from deep listening because I know the circumstances around this record and the lost of Cave’s son. In hindsight, I missed out on a brilliant, beautiful record that isn’t a depressing project, but a celebration of life and all its beauty and heartbreak. “The stars are your eyes, I loved them right from the start. A world so beautiful and I keep it in my heart.” hits me so hard as a dad: the feeling of love for your kids that’s as big as a world and powerful as stars. It’s a deep, beautiful dive into grief, with perspective of life that will always be in the heart, even if that life left his sons body and is back to a form something like photons from a star. It’s a powerhouse record of emotion, backed by absolutely beautiful music and Cave’s emotional vocal delivery. I’m better off for having given it a fair listen, and plan to give it many more.

The 5 is because I saw that other people rated this unbelievably low, they should have included Skeleton Tree instead, it's less epic and ambitious I suppose but it's such a tight record, it's my favorite from the trilogy, not that normies would have liked it better haha

My second Nick Cave album on this list, just two weeks after the first. This album sounds like grief, it's devastating. The songwriting is exceptional, especially in the closing song, Hollywood. Sonically it's mostly ambient music, but emotionally, it is very, very heavy. It's ironic that, for being ambient music, it kept drawing my attention whenever I tried to do anything else while listening.

Well this album is something that I can't be objective at all. Lifelong Nick Cave fan and knowing the context of this album this album is quite cathartic for me. Having gone through tragic loss I personally feel that the mourning here is real. The first 3 songs usually crush me to tears. I know this isn't everyone's cup of tea and it's definately for specific occasions. But for those occasions it's fantastic album.

Heartbreaking.

Mesmerising, to be honest. Knowing the backstory, as this album was written following the death of his son, makes this ambient piece of beauty even more special. It's bleak at times, it's doleful at others, but sometimes it's almost hopeful and uplifting. How we does all that within the constraints of his own grief and while never stopping producing Nick Cave music is beyond me.

Wow. Just wow. What an incredibly stunning, moving, heartbreaking, hopeful, emotional album. It ended and I put it right back on again.

I'm never sure what you're going to get with Nick Cave, but this was great!

a marvellous, devestating piece of art.

Oof. This is great. Cave and Ellis have great chemistry together. I am a fan of their film soundtracks. I imagine this will repay repeated listening. Definitely have to be in the right mood for it though. I was supposed to go to this tour but I had Covid :’(

Already am a bug fan of Nick Cave. Listening to this album again reaffirms that he is a generational artist carving his own niche in the music world where he is free to express himself unapologetically. The depth of feeling on this album, the longing, the romance, the sadness, word can't describe. Masterpiece.

This is obviously not an album you'd play on Touch Tunes on a Friday night but it is perfect.

When I saw it was another Nick Cave album I was “ oh man, not again” but I couldn’t have been more wrong. This album was Stellar!

Возможно лучший его (их) альбом. Мне больше нравится трагедия Skeleton Tree, но этот альбом настолько странный в своих сочетаниях, кажется будто такого больше просто нет. Лучшая песня - Bright Horses.

Great vocals

Never heard of this before. Absolutely haunting. Hope I don't have cause to listen to this again

A haunting, beautiful, vulnerable, and deeply emotional album from the king of cool.

Slightly overwhelming but rewarding.

OMG, this is so beautiful.

Z - Bright Horses J - Waiting for You

Oh man, am I a Nick Cave fan now?

This is an album of grief, written after Nick Cave’s fifteen year old son died. I don’t know how to “rate” such a thing. It doesn’t even feel right to rate it. It feels so personal. It is devastatingly painful. I’m not a fan of Nick Cave’s voice and don’t enjoy listening to his music generally. This album moved me deeply but at the same time I hope I never have reason to seek it out and listen to it ever again. RIP Arthur.

Amazing! So calm! Love the cover too. It's the artist of 'where the wild roses grow' i'm amazed I never thought to listen to more songs by them.

Well, that was intense. It felt like a marathon to get through it, but as I listened I could imagine myself coming back to this album through life, and it feels singular in its atmosphere and its purpose. I even had a dream about it, which has not happened with any Kings of Leons albums.

Insanely good

This is obviously great, but it is a very challenging listen because it is so bleak. This is art to appreciate, not something to throw on and enjoy. It is very moving though.

It's hard to give this less than 5 due to just how well it does what it is trying to do and the epic nature of the soundtrack to the poetry and all the powerful emotion. I'd probably give it 4.5 if I could give half stars, though.

Ghosteen is the sixteenth album from Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. Ghosteen is a far from the work the band recorded earlier in its career; the sound is defined by the ambient electronic support and the near-complete lack of percussion elements. The double album is a concept album; the songs are an exploration of the grief experiences by Cave after the accidental death of his son. Ghosteen met with universal critical acclaim, and was regarded as among the best albums released in 2019. While perhaps too early to tell, some regard Ghosteen as the best release of Cave's extensive career. These are haunting, beautiful songs from a parent surviving the worst of losses.

I hated it at first. My first thoughts were somewhere along the lines of "What a bunch of pretentious garbage". I still decided to force to continue listening and push through. Don't regret it, turned to be much better than I thought. I think the issue is that you really do need to be in the right mood to listen to this. It's a mediation on grief. A very long poem made up by 11 tracks that requires your full attention to listen and reflect. Not all art has to entertain you in order for it to be good. After finishing it I did feel as if I had gone through some sort of journey. I don't think I'll revisit it. It's one of those works of art you could only see or hear once. Otherwise you run the risk of the magic disappearing, and I don't want that to happen. Fav tracks: Waiting for you, Ghosteen Speaks, Galleon Ship, Ghosteen, Hollywood Least fav tracks: Spinning song

Incredibly heavy and melancholic, but understandably so. It’s an incredible record of grief and loss, which for me highlights what an incredible songwriter Nick Cave is. Its definitely not my goto NC record, but it has a time and place thats for sure

I can't help now looking forward to Nick Cave albums and anticipate the depression that follows. The subject matter here is incredibly sad and dark, and it comes through in the music. Most tracks are vaguely ambient; very sparse and direct, but with enough behind them. It is a shame that some of the better tracks, Ghosteen and Hollywood, are incredibly long without merit. Having said that, it is on my rotation. Nick Cave convert. Super.

Man, Nick Cave has been through some stuff hey. This is so melancholic and haunting that I can't help but feel for him. I suspect there probably has been, and will be again, times when this would be exactly what I would need to listen to.... That being said, this means I don't necessarily want to have to listen to it again, ever.... Which didn't make reviewing it easy. This is what he is best at though in my opinion, the extremely reflective and grief stricken music. Into my arms is my favourite of his in this vein. This is almost progressive, or Brian Eno style ambience. I think largely it was both great, but yet something I don't want to listen to again.

Tycker personligen att det är en av de svagare plattor med Nick Cave. Men det betyder inte att det är dåligt. Nick Cave är ju Nick Cave.

Сказки от Ника Кейва. В своё время не добрался до этого альбома, когда он вышел. Очень интересно, приходится переводить.

Love the atmosphere. The way songs build layer upon layer. Would take more listens to fully digest the lyrics but I'm sure they're depressing. But I plan to listen again. Alright, I wrote the above text right after my first listen then shortly after listened again. Can confirm: very depressing. But also not hopelessly so. A very beautiful album both sonically and lyrically. One of the best I've discovered from this list so far.

This is a great concept album. Ethereal, sad, hopeful, haunting. All the songs are good with a cohesive structure. Perfect if you need to cry for an hour. And I love the album art.

I absolutely adore this album by Nick Cave. Of all the Nick Cave albums I’ve listened to, this one feels like his most raw and vulnerable work yet. Tragically, Cave lost both of his sons to separate causes, and you can hear the weight of his grief, particularly for his first son, woven into every note of this album. It’s a deeply personal part of his healing process. Musically it stands apart from his earlier albums. It’s a dark, immersive electronic ambient journey, driven by analogue synths, droning textures, and delicate piano melodies. The percussion is sparse and subtle, used more to add texture and color than to drive the rhythm. This album is a masterpiece of emotion and atmosphere.

Favorite Track: Bright Horses

beautiful, sorrowful, pained. reaches in and shows you your pain

Nessun album mi ha mai colpito così tanto al primo ascolto, durante la seconda canzone continuavo a piangere. Si percepiscono tutto il dolore, il lutto e la rassegnazione che seguono una simile tragedia, ma anche la conscia scelta di continuare a trovare la bellezza nel presente sebbene macchiato dalla tristezza del passato. Oltre alla marea di emozioni che l’album ti scarica addosso la melodia che accompagna i testi è sublime, semplice ma efficace, cupa e solenne, talvolta soffocante talvolta angelica. Non posso dare meno del massimo

Both achingly beautiful and an expression of a sadness beyond measure....you can feel Nick's grief for his son in every song. Might be the first 5 album I've come across that I may never listen to again....

Not the best Nick Cave album, but it might be his best ballad album. You can feel the emotions pouring through on every single song here, sometimes it sounds like he's just a second away from breaking down. The songs themselves are very sparse, almost ambient, but i love the atmosphere it creates.

Very different from all of the rest of the albums on this list so far. I needed something like this

I love this beautiful depressing shit so much I admit some of the lyrics fell a little short for me, but that’s being nitpicky and a minor complaint drowned out by the sheer beauty of the album as a whole. Favorites: Spinning Song, Bright Horses, Night Raid, Ghosteen, Hollywood

es realmente desgarrador. 4.5

si, y si sabés el contexto, más si.

More listens

some peace of mind

Achingly sad, haunting and beautiful. A work of art.

Entrancing and hypnotic… this album goes for majestic depth and cosmic gravitas and it succeeds more than once. 4.6

Few songs are too ambient for me...And hard to distinguish the fact that the album is about the death of his son. But for me Nick is still a stylish badass. It is a clumsy 5.

Superb

Wow. This was not what I was expecting to listen to early this morning. This is a powerful album that wonderfully expresses the emotions and thoughts around loss, greif, and love in a way that very few works of art are able to. I didn't expect much from so recent an album being a "Must listen to before I die" but this certainly is.

Sublime.

This may be the review I spent the most time thinking on. It's very unique but I'll be damned if this isn't artistic. I don't think it's perfect from a purely musical point of view but the rawness, honesty, and connection to what someone is going through is what music and poetry are meant to bring. This is the opposite of the hollowness but clean sound I've heard on many top albums on this list that seem focused on how to get an audience to be successful. This is an expression and the more I listened to it the more I appreciated it. It may be the last album I'd put on with a group, but as a solo listen on headphones where you're paying attention, this is beautiful to listen to.

Hef aldrei verið Cavefan, en um leið og ég las að platan væri um sonarmissi þá ákvað ég að nálgast hana af virðingu. Hún er mjög hæg, næstum ambientleg, hófstillt, sorgleg en líka falleg. Ég finn til með honum en ég er líka glaður að kynntist þessari plötu. Ég mun koma að henni aftur.

Compelling and strangely beautiful.

Wow! That was tragically beautiful.

A more heartbreaking and authentic expression of grief you will be hard-pressed to find. Devastating and beautiful.

Oh Nick Cave my ear has such a complicated relationship with your works. What to make of this fantastical album cover that would be completely at home on a pre-teens sweatshirt? For me, promise… I admit a not-so-secret love of such work. From the outset I felt very at home in this world. It’s a very dark place we are traveling but there is something hopeful to be found in these ethereal shadows. I can’t stop reflecting on this album, staring at the cover art while I lose myself in the haunting music.

Sem nenhuma afetação, todo o esplendor da beleza a partir da melancolia. Ou o uso da arte para enfrentar a dor.

restrained, introspective, excellent

Really beautiful record - especially if you feel like remembering someone who has passed away

Brutal

Perfect as always!

Not a feel good album, not a fun, happy, upbeat bop, it's just Nick Cave with his usual haunting beauty, this may plunge you into the depths of grief you never knew you could go to.

Bellísimo álbum del gran Nick Cave. Melancólico, sutil y envolvente.

One of the best expressions of grief I've experienced. One of the great artistic statements of the twenty-first century, full stop.

This is my 9th album. I saw the beautiful, breathtaking cover and already knew I would give 5 stars, but listening to it felt nice again. I will probably give every Nick Cave album here 5 stars, because they're all amazing. Nick Cave is a poet, a God and overall someone who understands grief, sadness and love at suc a deep level. Ghosteen is for some people his best -or one of- work. I understand that, though I disagree. Bright Horses is monumental and beautiful, like the Colosseum in Rome or so, but the rest of the album does not have a standout song in my opinion. With more easygoing songs, I would give this album probably 6 stars, but it's not an easy one to listen to, partially due to the length. 5 stars. And I recommend listening to Bright Horses to everyone here.

If you're ever wondering why Nick Cave has so many albums, and ask why one from 2019 is on the list, all it takes is one listen to understand why. Haunting, haunting record. Heart breaking every step of the way. Proving without a shadow of a doubt how great Nick Cave is as a songwriter. Multiple times throughout the album I nearly cried (title track got the closest). This record is phenomenal and a true instant modern classic

Very sad, but very good. Knowing this is about grief after the death of Nick's son really helped open up this album for me. It's a cathartic listen yet also heartbreaking.

Usually Nick Cave rubs me the wrong way for some reason, but this one won me over. Maybe I prefer his voice when its over more ambient music

Damn. I guess I'm a Nick Cave fan. Got a lot of catching up to do — he's got like 250 albums. Yeah, this is long. But I sank into the sonic sea and was mesmerized by Cave's haunting moan.

He strikes me as an Australian Leonard Cohen. Interesting and intriguing.

Hauntingly beautiful. And with reason. Nick Cave poors his grief out in this tribute to his son. I'm not one to be emotionally sucked in by music but this album tears me apart. 5/5.

Nick Cave has a knack for writing albums that tip me into a different (parallel? complementary? contrasting?) emotional space. I love his songs individually, but I do struggle with listening to a whole album in one go because of this. This album is particularly haunting, knowing that it was part of Nick's processing of his son's death. It's a beautifully produced sparse soundscape that swells and ebbs in an emotional flow. So, while I am giving it 5 stars for its musical ambition (and the fulfilment of), I'm unlikely to listen to it regularly at this point in my life. I hope I never find occasion to need this to speak to my soul 🧡

My favourite album from Nick Cave, can't stop listening in loop waiting for you.

Really beautiful sad album

Prior to starting this journey of 1001 albums, I held no expectations that I would give a first time listen all five stars. I must give five stars to Ghosteen. Only Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush move me such as this music.

I think it was good to be forced to listen to Ghosteen again, because it really is one of the most beautiful records ever made. It's just much too depressing to listen to on a regular basis.

“I am here and you are where you are.” Should have picked a different time to be cutting onions.

It is so painful and emphatic, never heard so sadly music, but it is great!

Profoundly moving. Really quite amazing.

Absolutely lovely. It’s said that great art comes from great suffering and I’m sad that such a beautiful album wouldn’t exist without such pain. Definitely one to revisit.

Grief comes in a myriad of forms. Nick Cave took the more humanistic form in regards to its expression. The sudden, tragic passing of his son in 2015 has colored not only the music made by Nick since but people's views of him as he tapped into the very emotions and thoughts that were deemed unexpected of him. Ghosteen, however unfortunate the situations surrounding it were, could very well be the best work of his long, well-traveled career, which shouldn't be a thing one says in regards to this but it applies. Not a note is wasted, not a word misused as a light is shone ever so beautifully on life, death, grief and all the corners that represents it. Whatever Nick does next, it will be hard to top this. But there's no doubt that he'll find a way.

Push the Sky Away is the last Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds album I was familiar with. It is an excellent record, but they have so many killer records (basically anything during the period: From Her to Eternity - Let Love in) there is always a better album to get back too. Ghosteen: knowing the back story I understand it is a highly personal album, and that might be one of the reasons I could hardly connect with the record at all initially. The other reason is that most of the tracks at first just sound like (very) sad, slow soundscapes, often with some spoken word / minimal singing over it. It is only until Ghosteen Speaks that things changed a little. A really good song. Leviathan also good and the rest of the album stays on track. In fact, Ghosteen is pretty impressive too, especially after a couple of listens. So, initially, I thought I would probably not listen to it again but during the afternoon I backtracked completely and now believe it is another truly outstanding Nick Cave record.

Kenne zwar viel von Nick Cave, aber dieses Album nicht. Und finde es super!

Admittedly I only joined the Bad Seeds fan club a few years ago but they seem to be maturing like a fine wine, and this album has a legitimate claim to being their best. I won’t pretend to know what all of Nick’s lyrics are about but there are some devastating lines that cut through, and his poetic imagery really compliments the ethereal, fairytale soundscapes that Warren Ellis helps to create. It’s far more graceful, beautiful and euphoric (or maybe cathartic is a better word here?) than an album about grief has any right to be, really. And then it closes on a song as bleak as Hollywood, suggesting that the grief remains after all, partially or completely unresolved. That jarring change in the bass pattern at 9 minutes in… amazing stuff.

I liked this a lot. Calm and evocative, or something. I don't know all that many adjectives. This is apparently the third in a trilogy for the band, so I guess I should listen to the previous two as well.

I love his voice, his excellent songwriting & the superb musicians he works with. The tribute he sang at Shane MacGowan’s funeral was so moving.

Hauntingly beautiful

I've listened to this a couple times and every time I do I feel like I'm doing it an injustice because I'm not paying enough attention to ever single lyric. It a really well done album that has so much feeling and emotion to it in every song. As I also know a bit about the album and have friends that went through the same thing ... it really hits hard for me. Excellent listen and added to my rotation of listening.

Beautiful sounding album with enchanting synths and pianos, the lead singer's voice belongs in the Smithsonian.

Een en al pracht.

I haven’t been able to give this album the time and space it needs, but I’ve listened enough to get the feels and know it’s very good and I will be playing it again when I have the opportunity. It put me in mind of the Leonard Cohen album earlier; it’s another album that deals with death but with a different take. Listens: 1 Fave Track: Don’t know yet Rating: 5

ayo, first Bad Seeds album, let's go my dudes! (jk I know this is a very sad album) I held off on diving into Nick Cave's discography for so long because I knew there'd be a bunch of his stuff on this list. This is the one I cared about listening to the most, as I've already heard a couple tracks and was taken by the analog synths and emotion involved. Both cinematically grand and painfully intimate. One of the lines that hit the hardest for me was at the end of the title track, where he wearily concludes: "the moon won't get a wink of sleep / if I stay all night and talk" My Nick Cave knowledge now mainly consists of this, that song from Deathly Hallows Pt. 1, & the abrasive Birthday Party record. What an introduction HL: "Hollywood", "Night Raid", "Sun Forest", "Spinning Song", "Galleon Ship", title track

surprisignly really nice, 4.5/5

5 star Haunting, warm, cold, minimal, beautiful, outstanding. One of the best new discoveries from this list

It's a very beautiful album. I don't often listen to it because it's so slow and depressing but it is damn good.

Maybe I'm growing softer as I age, but hearing this four years later, Ghosteen has gripped my heart in a way it didn't the firs time I heard it. The themes of life, death, grief, faith, and acceptance, amongst many others, paint a sorrowful and beautiful picture that brought me to tears at times. *Heard before

The sound of a sorrowful Omen. Beautiful, Haunting, and Surprisingly fresh.

Sat on a train listening to this. It’s been a long week, started at an ungodly hour Monday and I’m hours from home. Nick is in my ears and I’m glad to have him. I can feel myself decompressing, returning to a normalised state. Ghosteen is such a calming album. It has a spiritual feel. Is this Nick Cave finding his way back into the world after the devastating loss of his son. I certainly get that impression. Like the first shoots of spring after a harsh winter, that little glint of colour pointing to optimism and new life. Today Ghosteen has been the perfect travel companion.

Album #: 236 first impressions: Excited to give this album a close listen. I've heard it before and I've heard Nick Cave's other works, at least in part. Nothing really stood out but I know this album has a reputation for being beautiful and unique in his discography. after listening through: I feel a little emotionally destroyed, but also somehow lightened. This album is a really beautiful meditation on loss and grief, and how universal these things are, but how consuming and altering they can be. No, his vocals aren't pretty, but neither are those emotions. The contrast between his voice and the instrumentation is such a good match for trying to describe the contrast between how it feels like your world has ended when you're dealing with death, but how the rest of the world simply...goes on. All the beauty and all the darkness sits together. The lyrics are really beautiful and challenging. And on a personal note, this is my 201st reviewed album and I am feeling ready to continue powering through the other 4/5ths of this list (lol) post-reading reviews/wiki: Seems like my reaction was about on par. recommended for: all of us in this "post-covid" world. we've all been challenged to some degree by this event; many, if not most, of us by death or serious illness, or at least its proximity.

Ich glaub ich hett das Album ohni das Projekt nie gfunde. Au nöd gsuecht. Dennoch bini froh hani das ghört. Sehr guet komponiert. Irgendwie sehr speziell und doch so bekannt. 5 Stern.

Listened to the first half. It's just gorgeous.

Jesus this is heavy, I've just read some of the wiki on it and it's got a real heart wrenching back story to it. It's staggeringly beautiful, real minimalistic, but lyrically powerful. You 100% have to be in a certain mood to listen to this

Not much to say about this album, other than that was an unbelievably sad and beautiful peace of art. Nick Cave just gave the rest of his broken heart back on this record. Amazing stuff. It reminds me, although it's a different genre, of Mastodon's Crack The Skye. Similar emotions evoked from listening to those two albums. Ghosteen jumps on my playlist once in a month, to make myself feel all the sadness in the world.

10/10 calling this “transcendental” would be an understatement Nick Cave has an incredible talent for breaking the barrier between the musician and the listener, and piercing straight into your soul

Se on Nick olen kuullut tätä herraa jo aikaisemmin Cave. Se on Elvis referenssi ensimmäisessä biisissä. Se on tuttua vaivalloista laulua.. heh Se on hienoja lyyrikoita joita pitää vähäpätöisinä kun kuullostaa niin ylihienolta.. se on pätkiä lyyrikoita jotka lumoavat.. Se on vain lyriikoita.. ambient vain ja pelkästään kääreinä ympärillä.. Lyriikat vievät ja vetävät.. Näkee oli taide pitänyt saada musiikkimuotoon.. Se ei iske lujaa ja heti.. Pitää rauhoittua ja hyväksyä.. Ei halua hyväksyä, mutta on pakko huomata että se vaikuttaa.. Ihastuu.. Pakostako.. ei....mutta tässä on aika ja paikka ja tarkoitus.. siihen on pakko uskoa.. heittäytyä.. Mutta korkealla tai pitkälle ei tarvitse sillä ilmavirta vetää mukanaan..

Really liked this one thank you nick

Beautiful and undeniably sad

Powerful stuff, not an easy listen but no less perfect for it

I was not emotionally prepared for this album. As always, context is everything, with having teenage kids myself, I can't imagine the desperation of loss and tragedy. Yet, love transcends. 5 heartbroken stars from me.

I've listened to this album before, when I was making my way through Rolling Stone's list of the 100 best albums of the 2010's. The first time I listened to it, I had no idea what had gone on in Nick Cave's life leading up to the recording of this album, but it's plain as day that this is the work of someone who's going through an immense amount of pain. Spiritually, it I've listened to this album before, when I was making my way through Rolling Stone's list of the 100 best albums of the 2010's. The first time I listened to it, I had no idea what had gone on in Nick Cave's life leading up to the recording of this album, but it's plain as day that this is the work of someone who's going through an immense amount of pain. Spiritually, it reminds me a lot of the Nick Drake album I listened to several weeks ago (in fact, Spotify launched into a Nick Drake song immediately after this album's last song, as if to say "aww, here you go, you sad little fella"). The stripped down instrumentation and bare-bones production really help the lyrics shine through on this album. Even though the subject matter is crushingly sad, I found this album incredibly beautiful.

Last albums of Nick Cave, after death of son(s) are more intense than ever. Saw him live last June and was one of best 3 concerts ever.

Ethereal, Calming, Healing and just exactly as what the album cover looks like

Þetta er algjörlega ótrúleg plata. Svo mikil ást, svo mikil sorg og særindi, svo endalaus foss af tilfinningum. Meistaraverk!

even when it doesn’t quite work, and sometimes it doesn’t quite work, the ambition and depth of spirit are astonishing

wooow prachtig. Dat laatste nummer ook wow wat een trip.

Wonderful

Raw songs of loss and pain. Hauntingly beautiful.

i dont know what to say about this. im a big Nick Cave fan and actually saw him live last week. This album is a thing of beauty but a difficult listen and not one i put on regularly. ive 3 kids and the pain and sadness is writ too large to engage with for me. on a surface level, warrens loops and instrumentation are beautiful, as are the piano and singing. definately a work of art that deserves to be heard, not something i want to return to in my current state

341/1089 nick cave and the bad seeds no. 3 let’s go. i already liked what i’d heard of nick but then seeing him in the Kylie doc made me appreciate him more. the end of spinning song into bright horses is so beautiful. Very strong Low Roar vibes. really liked the first two tracks, then it merged a bit in the middle and brought it back together from the title track to the end this has 5 star potential for me once i give it another listen or two maybe 81/100

Damn...

Tough listen, but so good. Spinning Song and Waiting For You are incredible pieces of music.

This is a very profound and beautiful album. I felt moved by the lyrics and exploration of grief but not in a wholely negative way. It seems there is a sense of peace and comfort in this album too. A really gorgeous album. Favourites: Bright Horses Night Raid Ghosteen Fireflies

I have been meaning to get to this one after Skeleton Tree took me out behind the shed a couple years ago but until now it hadn’t happened. I didn’t even know Ghosteen was a double album, nor that it is by and large lyrics that run closer to spoken word poetry, albeit over a very ambient and haunted production. It’s fascinating and drenched in alternating hope and sorrow, but it’s no Skeleton Tree where the grief was very audibly at home, front and center in his voice and his head and engraved in the melodies despite the album already being written before the loss of his son. There’s grief here too of course (It lives on in perpetuity if you let it), but it’s on the other end of time that has allowed it to be processed and reflected while the album was written. Which isn’t bad of course, it allows for clarity of feeling that Cave is trying to get across. One is him immediately suffused in grief. The other is a man wanting to talk to his son across the afterlife. They’re both immense records. But this just doesn’t hit as immediately across the board. It’ll grow on me whenever I come back around to it, I’m sure. Spinning Song, Bright Horses, Galleon Ship, Ghosteen Speaks, Leviathan and the title track are all immaculate.

A haunting window into the heart of the cave.

Emotionally wrecking.

That was difficult and beautiful.

When you hear the first songs, you cry with the artist. After the last you want to jump from the balcony. Too sad at the end.

I was having difficulty connecting with and understanding this album. It seemed more like a mood poem and rather repetitive in the sadness. Halfway through I learned that this was the first album Nick Cave made after his son died and it all instantly clicked. This is beautiful and contemplative of the sorrow of loss and the ability to go on. Definitely need to be in the right headspace to appreciate this.

I have loved Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds for a long time. I recall checking out a book about "Goth" culture when I was in school and seeing Nick Cave emblazoned on it's pages. But I would not listen to his music until some time later. I lived alone in a bottom floor garage made into an apartment when I first started listening to Tender Prey. Nick Cave was a constant companion in the dank loneliness of what essentially was the basement of the family living above me. I could hear them walking, living, much like the narrator in From Her to Eternity. I'd open my door to damp foggy evenings interwoven with the briny smell of sea spray, and the Bad Seeds and I would escape into the dark. Ghosteen is the haunting revelation of loss and grief and acceptance and hope that people first mistook Skeleton Tree for. Unlike the barren and jagged soundscapes of Skeleton Tree, Ghosteen enfolds itself in tender and sweeping piano, stripped down melodies, and long soft soundscapes. Ghosteen is filled with the loneliness of staccato notes reverberating with Cave's cracking voice; Ellis' haunting falsetto weaving in a almost naive melody; broad swelling synths reaching toward heaven. Ghosteen is deeply beautiful and deeply sorrowful, and I believe you could count "Bright Horses" amongst the best that Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds have ever written. And yet, some of the songs are ponderous, plodding, too indulgent in their lugubrious airs. Some of the music is not meant for us, but is an expression of something else and othering. Sometimes the dirge weighs down too much, and as a listener you get lost, wander off. Ghosteen is a record I am glad to have listened to, and find worth reflective engagement, but it is not one in which I find myself returning again and again.

A weaving melody of melancholy and regret, almost nothing like most of the Nick Cave ouvre.

i've hated every nick cave song i've heard up til now, but this was a huge surprise

Magiskt vackert! Nästan lite överjordiskt för mig. Det är stundtals nästan lite jobbigt att lyssna på då det är så vackert och sorgligt. Nick Cave är en hel upplevelse och har man sett honom live så förstår man vad jag menar. Mycket fint album!

Plutôt sympa et mélancolique

Really brought a very sad energy to the function (of getting the train) this morning. I got big into this album when it came out, partly because I was writing about it and was a bit depressed at the time lol. Looking back with a bit of a clearer head I can see that it's too long and a bit of a dirge at points, but then the central concept in the lyrics of imagining yourself out of grief still remains extremely moving so it still gets four stars. Now if only Nick could imagine himself out of his anti-cancel culture screed he's so obsessed with these days

Good

I thought this was excellent poetry, with some beautiful synth. This is my first Nick Cave album, and I'm looking forward to the rest. A "must relisten" for me. Might even bump it up.

Overall: 8/10 Nick Cave took his grief and made it into something truly beautiful. I can understand why some might not enjoy this because it's incredibly depressing and moody, but I think it's an album that everybody should give a chance at least once in their lives. That makes it perfect for this list in my opinion. Fav Song: Ghosteen

VERY enjoyable! Really indulgent Disc 2 but Disc 1 was a mournful wistful delight. Bright Horses is my favourite.

Now this is an artist! I can understand that this music is maybe not for everyone, but I cannot understand how people can't recognise his artistry.

Jesus Christ.

This is a beautiful album, really well written and his lyrics are great. Another case of I don’t think he can do any wrong. I struggle to think of the scenario where I would put this on ever, maybe like full out sad sitting alone in the backyard after a long, tough day and it’s a little chilly out and I like that.

Good. But just a little long.

Moody deep record

Deeply and profoundly sad, but as far as a listening experience goes, I can only handle in short listens at a time. Not just cause of the emotional content, but because it becomes a tad wearying to listen to straight through. Also suffers from "I don't think I'll ever put this on for enjoyment" syndrome, much like with any Lingua Ignota album. Objectively a good record, just not always what I am in the mood for.

Way better than the other nick cave album on here, but this is never something I'm just going to throw on.

Sorry idk I really liked this?

Enjoyed. I very much like the mood of Cave's work.

I'm a bit conflicted on this one. I'd say I enjoyed this a lot and the best songs here are amazing but I can't imagine that this is something I'll return to frequently. Most of that is down to the fact that this is a very slow album with extremely personal and heavy lyrical content, inspired by the untimely death of Nick Cave's son. Because of that, this isn't exactly something that I'm gonna be itching to throw on even if the music here is very good.

First Nick Cave album that really clicked with me

Wasn't in the mood for it initially, but sucked me right in, haunting and grief ridden

This was a Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds album I wasn't familiar with, really good and moving

Before putting this album on, I was familiar with some of Nick Cave's work, mainly from Murder Ballads (which I'm very excited to get to as part of this list) as well as Red Right Hand and Shivers (by his other band, The Birthday Party). I really like all of these songs, but I know Ghosteen is a very different album to any of those earlier works. I started listening to this album on the train, with fairly poor quality earbuds, and turned it off after three tracks because I realised I wouldn't be able to properly appreciate it unless I had proper headphones on. I'm now starting my proper listen. • Spinning Song is very aptly named, the song makes you feel like you're spiraling, as if in a daze. It's surreal to hear Nick Cave sing in a falsetto, it's such a stark difference to his usual style. • The instrumentals of these first few tracks all feel so heavy with emotion. The repetition of Bright Horses is as if you're remembering a better time, but keep getting brought back to the present, and Waiting For You's chorus feels like it should be cathartic, but just isn't. • The lack of drums and percussion throughout the album really works. Every song feels like it's floating, untethered to anything. The sparse percussion that does come through, such as in Leviathan, actually helps to elevate this floating feeling. • I was not expecting Ghosteen to sound the way it does. After almost five minutes of sparse instrumentation like the previous eight tracks, it suddenly explodes into an almost triumphant sounding chorus, and traditional drums finally make their appearance. Six tracks later, Ghosteen reaches the catharsis Waiting For You was aiming for. This is not an album I'll be rushing back to. However, it is a piece of art. This album feels more like an emotional experience when you listen to it, than it does a collection of songs. It's so vividly different to any other album I've listened to that I find it hard to even judge as an album. I will listen to this album again in the future, likely after experiencing some grief and I find myself needing some way to let those emotions out. I can't speak to how this album feels in that headspace, but in my current one I can still see how special this album is. I'm not giving it a full five stars because of my current experience with it, but I can easily imagine the reasons others may do so. Favourite song: Ghosteen

A dark and heavy album, unsurprising considering the theme of it. Not an easy listen in a lot of ways, but it does have a sombre beauty to it.

A stunning piece of work. Dreamlike. The opening few tracks in particular are terrifically moving.

As one of the few more recent albums added to the list (as the book creator tends to only remove other albums only recently added in the previous edition, rather than ditch clunkers like The Sensational Alex Harvey Band "Next" as that would require reformating the first 3/4 of the book and more cost), i'm really pleased to see this incredible album added. People mistakenly think that "Skeleton Key" was about his sons death, when in fact that was a coincidence and it was written before hand. This one definitely does however, and to me is immensely brave and oddly beautiful and uplifting. Warren Ellis has been in full effect for this trilogy (going back to "Push the Sky Away") and his minimal loops and effects (including harmonies) steal the show here, although Nick showed how important the piano is to his modern work through his "Idiot Prayer" solo piano covid live album (recorded at Alexander Palance with social distancing in full effect). This album became a fan favourite to all including my then 8 year old daughter, who could really lose themselves in this mysterious world of Cave. Only 4 stars as it is just a bit too long, especially towards the end with two 10+ minute songs, Hollywood in particular drags eventually.

Hauntingly beautiful

Dripping in love, grief and heartache.

ik <3 van dramatisch langzame nick cave

I was going to open my review with a silly one-liner, but I don't think it would be right. This listening experience was haunting. The ambient synths and droning combined with the personal voice struck me in a way I did not expect. It's the first time where I stopped having the music play in the background and actually sat up and focused on the composition and lyrics. I can't identify very strongly with lyrics about god, but I can identify with the thought that the world is cold when it felt like it was once full of wonder. "Horses are just horses and their manes aren't full of fire" is a lyric that really stood out to me in particular. I don't know if I would put it on again casually, but I'm glad I listened to it before I died

Excellent album.

Mellow and morose, almost post-rock like in its soundscapes

Before Listening : Oh it’s the Scream guy (One of their songs was used in the Scream movies). Other than that, I’ve never heard of them so I’m a little curious. Let’s see what happens. After Listening : I’m sad now. This was so heartbreaking but the sounds were so comforting at the same time. I can’t really choose a favorite here. Yeah I don’t really have much to say other than I hope whoever is going through this type of grief can find peace.

Gorgeous, haunting

This is interesting. It's cerebral. A bit too much so for me today. I can't wrap my head around how good it probably is today. I definitely didn't dislike it, but it's way outside my comfort zone today. It's ethereal and beautiful. Mournful forlorn melancholy. It's going to take a few listens and in the right headspace for be to give it a truly fair shake.

I was pleased to have received this album have been developing an ear for Nick Cave’s music over the past few years. My tending is towards earlier stuff. Listening notes on opening tracks… I like the gentle nature of the ambient sounds of what I’ve hear so far. Some of it sounds a bit mimble-y, (I know what I mean by that - kind of misplaced or unrefined movement/progression of the ambient melodies). But certainly feel that this is a musical ‘experience’ that I’m being guided through by, held by Cave’s poetic voice as a kind of ‘narrator’ or master of ceremonies. Having got to the end this is really tricky to ‘rate’ as it doesn’t really compare to anything else I’ve been given to date, being more of a sonic/musical piece of work that an album of songs. On first listen I’m absorbing the music rather than really comprehending all of the lyrics. I’m struck by the vibrations created by what I’m hearing, even listening through headphones I feel the music resonating in my chest and solar plexus. Maybe it’s my imagination. I’m recently bereaved myself but today not feeling grief so much in this, but a kind of - immersion. I can see why this has been held up as a really significant album and listening to it has made me question my rating system. I think that after a few more listens this could be a significant album for me too. I have to stay true to my own system though and so right now, on the basis that there are things I really like but some stuff I haven’t tuned into yet, give this a 3.5- 4. Oh I really like this album art. It sounds pretty much like that to me. Number tracks: 11 (across 2 disks) Favourite track: probably #9 Ghosteen Disk 2 in its entirety - Ghosteen, Fireflies and Hollywood.

This is good stuff, though it's obviously not a barrel of laughs. I'm not sure I would listen to it regularly, but definitely appreciate the quality.

This really is a lyrics first album. And the lyrics are great. I wasn’t sold on this album until the very end. The final 4 minutes or so of ‘Hollywood’ is where the album finally clicked for me. Wonderful album.

Not the strongest of the NC albums we have been served but some lovely stuff.

Kind of painful to listen to, but beautiful

A pretty great album from an artist that I'm generally indifferent towards. While I go back and forth with my opinion on Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, I'll concede that the group has one of the most consistent discographies in this singer-songwriter art-rock adjacent genre. And this is no exception; it's slow, hollow, empty, dreary, and sort of day-ruining. The whole thing feels like sailing away on a ship to a faraway land, as you're surrounded by the mystic aura of the various atmospheric synths driving a grand majority of the songs here. It's slow, and it understands that, feeling like a subtly shifting reality, or one's perception of it, as spirituality and religion seep in to take hold of one's drifting mind. The songs build very slowly, with my favorite being the vocal harmonies and swelling synths coming in on the back-end of 'Galleon Ship'. The ambient synth work here is generally pretty great, though the album is just as potent when it's doing the typical piano-ballad thing. And Nick Cave is as emotive as he's ever been here; his lyrics, while simple and vague at times, paint these pictures of a lost, crushed love. I didn't read too much into it, but I'm well aware that Nick had lost one of his children around this time and had dedicated his previous album, 'Skeleton Tree,' to that. This album seems to carry over some of those themes, I'd say, with an emphasis on growth and reflection. And Cave's dark, deep vocals and croons fit the ambient backdrops here surprisingly well. Really enjoyed this album. I think I said it already about a couple of other Nick Cave albums on this list, but his musical growth is one I can really get behind. His later years are far more subdued, cerebral, and mature than some of his edgier '90s albums. I appreciate that, despite enjoying both eras for two very different reasons.

after the unfortunate death of his teenage son arthur, nick channels his feelings strongly in this double album. what does grief sound like? probably something very similar to this album... with deep pads, ethereal vintage synths, and lyrical content that's tragically common for nick... he sounds numb. i would be too if i was dealing with all of that.

4.5

I pay respect, he lost his son before this record. It's full of pain and so reflective. I don't like this kind of narrative music but I get what he was writing.

This is such an achingly sad, heart-piercingly beautiful album, I feel weirdly guilty for not giving it five stars. I just found it a bit much to listen to in a single sitting, in more ways than one.

Kinda dug this, sounded like a much less boppin’ Father John Misty but I’m okay with the chiller vibes for sure.

this album has the vibes of a soundtrack for a show or movie. I love a good soundtrack so was really into it. the only thing I didn’t like was Cave’s voice… which bring this down a notch. the only track where his voice did something for me was hollywood. it’s a good body of work and I would listen to some songs again. -favourite tracks: SUN FOREST and HOLLYWOOD

That was quite beautiful. Listen to it twice during the day. And I'll be adding it to my permanent Shuffle.

3.5 stars. Quite a turn from his earlier work, a direction which I enjoyed. Fully ambient/ambient pop with a very chill vibe but lyrics that are centered on grief. Feels like weightlessly drifting along with moments of bleakness and hope.

I started levitating at one point. this is grief. Highlights: Spinning Song, Bright Horses, Sun Forest, Ghosteen

Instant goosebumps when Warren Ellis starts on the synth.

To anyone who doesn't "get" Nick Cave.. I didnt (still dont kinda) really fw it either. It's pretty hardcore and definetly not for casuals. It takes some time to get into it. But this is really him at his most beautiful and reflective. Give it some time, a few years maybe and you could find yourself liking it. Just don't write it off because its hard to listen to. When I started this listening journey I was not looking forward to it and also questioned why he had so many albums, but I think there's value in seeing an artists evolution, especially when they are as influential and long lasting as Cave. Also it would be really boring for an artist not to evolve their sound like most bands eventually do, so I really understand having to listen to like 5 Nick Cave albums and a few from his bands.

Very up my alley. Wasn't expecting such ambience and drama from the music. The lyrics and haunting voice drew me in when usually I struggle to pay attention to those.

Beautiful songs on here, but unsure about the synth sounds.

It's a really good album - although quite sad that it was for the son he lost.

This was a pretty beautiful album. Super bummer and sad but it was quite good as well. Sucks that he lost his kid, that's sad.

Actually very nice.

Lip album našeg piano petersona

Haunting… great album.

The music on "Ghosteen" is melancholy and full of grief, but there's a lot of beauty too, and an air of mystery. Nick Cave wrote the songs in the wake of his teenaged son's death, and that's crucial context here. A lot of songs have imagery of children departing. These lyrics on "Sun Forest" felt like a core image on the album: "I lay in the forest amongst the butterflies and the fireflies And the burning horses and the flaming trees As a spiral of children climb up to the sun Waving goodbye to you and goodbye to me" The synths on these songs ebb and flow in waves. They feel like long, deep breaths inward followed by an equally long exhale. It's gorgeous, meditative music. I was really struck by the backing vocals on "Ghosteen Speaks" starting around 1:15. They sound otherworldly, like a spirit reaching out from another world, which I think is exactly the intent. They rise and fall like a lot of the instrumentation on the album. So much of this music feels alive and organic — it breathes and pulses. This is a heartbreaking and deeply moving album.

I want to be a little bit delicate with my review here because I know this was released after both his son and one of his band mates passed away, and I do personally think that context behind art often helps my experience in understanding and connecting with it and I like to take it into account when reviewing something. In my head I've gone back and forth with enjoying and not enjoying Nick Cave many times in this project and even here with the instrumentation differing from his usual cowboy-noir, this doesn't really do much for me. I do really like ambient synth music, and i like the cowboy-noir-rock-folk genre that he does outside of this album, but the result often fails to captivate me. It's OK to not like everything but I've really been trying to understand why. I think maybe part of it is that a lot of his music feels like singular listening experiences- when I'm done I don't feel like I need to go back and hear something again, because a lot of his sound is more spoken-word-y than it is melody driven? And that's one of my favorite aspects of music as an art form, I can (and love to) revisit it over and over. Unfortunately with his music I just don't want to. For me, hearing Nick Cave albums on this list is like meeting up with an old friend who is perpetually downtrodden and experiencing some traumatic event(s). You want to be there for them and lend an ear or a shoulder to cry on, but you know what you are getting yourself into each time because the past 5 times you've met up you've been given this really emotionally down and draining hangout that when you've both finished your meal or your drinks you walk away thinking that you need a palate cleanser. I know that there is a deeper philosophical thought here about myself and how I react to things that can bring me down... how I have a tendency to let these feelings come and linger for a day, but show them the door the next morning. I also know that it's not wise to shelter your life too much and always avoid heavier topics, but I've gotten really good at hanging out with these things in moderation, for my own mental well being. I'm giving this a 4/5 because of the bigger picture here. If I listen to this album without any context I would probably give it a 3, but it does what the best art does; it made me think, it got a reaction out of me, it made me introspect and for that I am appreciative and I am happy to raise the 3 to a 4.

Haunting.

And so, we return to Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. It's been a while, hasn't it? this is my fourth album of his, with one remaining. Honestly? I'm not tired of them. I'm not tired of hearing this man's albums. Now, there are a number of reasons for this, but there's really only two that matter. The albums that I've heard so far have all been pretty different from one another and they've all been really really good. It's that simple. Ghosteen is excellent. The fact that these guys are making albums that are this good nearly 40 years into their career is astonishing. This is definitely one of the more somber albums of theirs that I've heard. It's kind of like The Boatman's Call in that regard, but more depressing because of personal reasons. A lot of these songs appear to be about the death of Nick Cave's son. Damn. That's genuinely extremely sad, and I give my condolences to Mr. Cave despite it being over 10 years since that happened. Regardless, the album is great. Nick's voice aged pretty well. He sounds like the same guy, but older, which isn't as much of a given as you'd think it is. The writing is just as deep as ever, though I'm noticing a stronger focus on emotions over stories and characters, which makes the album stand out a bit. The album's a bit long, but it makes sense in the context of the album. I will say that I have seen more praise directed at this album's predecessor, Skeleton Tree, for a lot of the same reasons as Ghosteen, so if I had to put a 2010s Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds album on this list, I'd probably go with that one, but Ghosteen is still an album that I'm very glad that I listened to. High 4/5.

This is a really haunting and atmospheric album. I read up on the backstory while listening, then was having a really hard time holding tears back while I was trying to lift weights. These songs just ooze with loss and mourning, while also remaining hopeful. That said, the songs do kind of run together and the album really lacks variety. Even still I feel it deserves a 4 with how much it affected me.

SO listened to this almost fully on my way to work. Especially helps knowing the context and story behind this album which is full of tragedy. And it does feel like it listening to this - a grim, very dark, somber, melancholic and serious listen. Really hard to judge something like this in one day of listening.

full of pain, full of beauty !

I think they are a bit of an acquired taste. I saw them live and was sold. They do like to change things up and he tells a good story. Some are very odd...

Not my favorite Nick Cave (this album always makes me miserable), but it’s beautiful when performed live.

Not much to say I haven't said already about other Nick Cave albums. Solid 4 Stars.

😭😭😭

Vi a Nick Cave en el Primavera Sound de 2022 sin tener prácticamente idea de quién era. Fue un espectáculo en el que se dedicó a acercarse al público y a tener momentos intimísimos con esas mareas de manos, escogiendo a una de ellas y cantándole a los ojos hasta que llorase. No entendí nada pero me pareció poderosísimo. Tres largos años después aquí estamos, escuchándome mi primer disco de Nick Cave, fracasando en mis intentos de no llorar por la calle mientras canta a la memoria de su hijo sobre synths de ambient. Qué pedazo de disco. Poderosísimo también sin duda. Admiro su vulnerabilidad y le agradezco haber tenido la maestría para convertir su dolor en un dolor bonito de los que poder compartir y que durante hora y pico nos haga pensar en lo que es la vida y lo que es la muerte. Gracias, Nick Cave, seguiré escuchándote, pero puede que las próximas veces intente no hacerlo por la calle.

I like this one. Also the long songs on the B-Side. Pleasantly surprised.

Heartbreaking.

Wasn’t expecting to like it, but this album is actually great. Calm and surprisingly enjoyable atmosphere with beautifully layered instruments. Albums like this tend to be way too minimal and underwhelming for me, but there’s great texture here that easily offsets the minimalism. Great album. Not my type of music, but this is very well made.

Having not really liked much Nick Cave before I actually thought this one was quite good, but not really 1001 worthy. 3.7/5

Solid miserable noise

This is grief in audio form. Even without knowing the album's backstory. That's simply what it sounds like. The sparse ambient instrumentals coupled with Nick Cave's somewhat tired sounding delivery, all contribute to a desolate but dreamy atmosphere unlike anything else in Cave's catalog, even the other ambient-leaning albums of the "trilogy", Push the Sky Away (2013) and Skeleton Tree (2016). This is a double album, but it's a pretty short one at under 70 minutes. The concept is that the songs are all a family, with the two long tracks on the second disc being the mother and father and the ones on the first disc being the children. Family and loss and grief are obviously big themes on the album, which could potentially have been handled in a heavy-handed way. However, Cave's cryptic and surrealist lyrics keep it from ever becoming that. The key here is in the delivery. Only occasionally we get a glimpse at what these songs are actually about, and when that happens it hits you like gut punch. Beautiful. Key tracks: Bright Horses Waiting for You Ghosteen

Muito bonito e melodramático. Som ambiente, e profundo, que te prende bem. Não é um disco fácil de ouvir, bem pelo contrário, é uma experiência maçante e cansativa, e geralmente eu consideraria isso um gigantesco ponto negativo, mas no caso deste álbum e o contexto por trás da sua discussão, isso acaba sendo algo positivo. Essa exaustão que ele causa é obviamente proposital, e faz parte da experiência brutal que Nick Cave construiu aqui. Definitivamente um disco que todos devem ouvir antes de morrer. 4/5

Pretty sombre and melancholy - not a surprise I guess - decent enough, but hard to say you enjoy

I think this album deserves multiple listens, preferably on a rainy day where you have nothing else to do. Even over the course of a single listen, the moody ambiance grew on me. There are hauntingly beautiful moments even on first pass and I suspect a lot I’ll grow to love with more listens. Maybe I’m a Nick Cave fan now?

This is a very good album that I don't really want to listen to on any given day. With a little dad-istry under my belt, I feel marginally closer to understanding Cave's pain after losing his kid; enough that I sense the grieving and the existential want behind these songs. He's a varsity songwriter and a great lyricist, and like the best of them, he speaks of his own experiences behind veils and parables. They're not fun but they're rich. I want to listen to more Nick Cave, and I hope to cultivate his wisdom without sharing a fraction of his pain.

This album sounds like if a ghost got really into journaling and incense. Nick Cave basically said, “what if sadness, but make it floaty?” and then wrote the most beautiful breakup letter to the concept of existence. Every song sounds like it’s trying to hug you and apologize for dying. Rating: 5/5 Short Review: The soundtrack to softly levitating in emotional distress. Favorite Track: “Bright Horses” — it’s like crying in a cathedral, but in a really aesthetic way.

This is beautiful. Heavy but beautiful. 4/5

Interessiertes Gesamtwerk mit ruhigem meditativen Songs., um es zu verstehen muss man es mehrfach hören.

Hauntingly beautiful. And sad. And great. 4.5/5

88/100. Definitely one of those albums you just get wrapped up in. It feels more like an experience than a collection of songs.

Great for a cry.

Damn that was the saddest thing I’ve ever heard

It's better than most of the Nick Cave I've heard. He usually sounds like he's trying to hard to have this weird, deep voice Here though, it's sounds like he's just singing, or reading, in his natural voice, which is deep enough. Now, the problem is that much of it just sounds like poetry read over soft music. It's Ok. But the actual songs are nice, often revelatory, and well done. If this was split up better, I'd like to listen to half this album sometime. But the way it is, I'm not sure I'd come back. I'll probably put this on once more in my life. (Probably on a day I'm feeling sad.) I'd say it's a 3.7 album, but since nothing relly annoyed me, let's give it a 4.

I think knowing the backstory to this album helps when listening to it. I think I would give it a lower rating without that context

Loved this album when it came out. So beautiful, haunting and a heartbreaking exploration of grieve. It definitely pulls on the heart strings but is also cathartic and euphoric in places.

That's a tough listen, but music evokes emotion, and this did exactly that.

Im not a big nick fan but I liked this. His voice us still annoying but musically me likey.

After you listen to enough music, and you've been around long enough, you begin to instinctually disregard newer albums. I did that with this one. I remember casually listening and enjoying enough, but morning spectacular. Upon this listen, it really strikes home how good he truly is. Don't wanna listen a ton. Not much fun. But it's really beautiful.

Grief and heartbreak on record. Cave sounds like he is on the verge of tears the whole time. I’m not even sure how to rate it - it’s so obviously a document of a terrible time in his life that I’d feel weird either acclaiming it or dismissing it. When I have the spirit I’ll revisit it in full. I did appreciate the lush production, textures, and atmosphere very much.

I originally listened to this when it released in 2019, haven't listened since though. Look forward to revisiting

Did I just take drugs without knowing? Feel oddly enlightened.

3.8 - Für meinen Geschmack ein paar zu langsame Nummern, aber am Stück entfaltet sich eine zauberhafte Stimmung, in die ich sicher noch oft eintauche. Highlights: Sun Forest, Ghosteen Speaks, Hollywood

Nick Cave. A name I had come across many-a-time. For whatever reason, as I tend to do sometimes, I had decided I didn't like him without knowing anything about him or his music. When this came up, I put it aside for a week or so. Great, I have to listen to the fella... I finally put it on on the way back from work, listening on the streets of Paris - was completely shocked, I was not expecting anything of the sort. I was intrigued but didn't really know what the hell to think about it. A weird mix of Leonard Cohen, Hans Zimmer and slight reminders of Aphex Twin and the like even. Listened to the full thing again, reading more about the album and the fellas behind it (well, mainly him and Warren Ellis it seems). Ended up going down a Ned Kelly wormhole, after reading that he was enamored with him growing up. What a story! And what a story behind Nick Cave. An interesting, flawed, yet seemingly good natured and wise man. I'd give 4.3/5. Will definitely listen to more of his stuff - also like his idea of constantly evolving, exploring different genres and the like. A wonderful life lesson from this list is to give any and all artists a chance, despite what prejudices you may have beforehand. Let the music speak. It has opened my mind to many musicians I would have previously said I didn't like, having never listened to them before.

- ambientação que lembra brian eno - vocal é bem marcante, guia a experiência e história durante o álbum - é interessante, bem tranquilo também, poucas variações, meio drone

VERY intense