Ghosteen

This is a deeply introspective album that works more as a coping mechanism for handling grief rather than a truly coherent musical piece. The sound is generally surrounded an ongoing ambience and rather minimalist instrumentals. There is nothing flashy about them and they are mostly following a loop-pattern without really progressing. It makes the listener feel stuck in a state from which there is no going back. This all builds up to the final song which sounds cathartic to a way. What shines here though is the songwriting. It is melancholic and moving. It's not an easy listen. The second part of disc one is especially challenging to get through due to the way that tracks blend together. The standout track for me is definitely "Hollywood" by a mile. It definitely ties the album together and sticks a magnificent landing.

A really interesting listen 3/5

So I wrote an entire review and then I read the album was inspired by grieving the loss of his 15 year old son in a tragic accident. So I just don't feel right sharing my initial review. This man was grieving and turned those feelings into this album. I don't feel right criticizing someone's grief for something that tragic and will leave just a small amount of my initial review. The album art is beautiful. The melodies were hauntingly beautiful. If I could just listen to this album in a dark room and have my mind completely clear with over an hour of free time maybe I would really enjoy this album.

The reason that this album exists is incredibly tragic and makes my heart hurt for Nick. Losing a child so young is probably the worst thing that could ever happen to a person. This album is great for being an outlet for him to deal with his grief. It’s also not an album that I come back to often because it’s very heavy. I’m giving a 3.5 because his art helped him to keep moving forward.

This seems like it was probably very cathartic for him. He's had to deal with some serious tragedy in the last decade. The music was haunting and sad and soulful. Props for the beauty he's able to create through grief. Not something I'd just pop on while making dinner though.

I'm gonna preface this, with the fact that this is a very personal album by Cave about the tragic death of his son, so I'm gonna be a bit more generous in this review. The album is slow, murky and very sad, and while the lyrics sound like very B-tier slam poetry, they are the personal cries of Cave. Sadly, I did not enjoy the album, the sound isn't bad, the lyrics aren't something I'm gonna comment on (in short, they're bad), but I think I was just not in the right headspace/mood to truly enjoy something like this. I'm still gonna rate it above how I'd usually rate it, for the sole fact that this might be better enjoyed if you're in a less happy period of your life.

So full of emotion and feeling in every word. Something that many artists will never achieve through their career. While its not something I would listen to every day since I need to be in the right state of mind to do so. It certainly is a great album in its style and genre. Creating a certain emotional response and conveying feelings this deeply is a powerful thing.

Album of agony and despair

A haunting album that’s only more heartbreaking when you find about the dead son part. Like a lot of Nick Cave stuff it feels like Broadway without the energetic melodic parts.

Spooky poetry over a spooky choir makes me think this guy is trying to fuck an angel and I am medium here for it.

This artist disturbs me because he is very similar looking to an evil man I was involved with once. But the album was good, like a dreamy living poetry session

i enjoyed this, had an ethereal feeling, good stuff, good to see these guys still make quality music after so long

I really want to love this album, the production is amazing... The emotion obviously real, and powerful. But I feel like I'm intruding or being overshared with when I listen to it.

There’s something incredible eerie yet beautiful about this album. It’s not my style but there’s something about it that made me want to keep listening to it.

Some good songs. Certainly somber at best. Generally not a big fan of Ol Nick Cave, but this was pretty enjoyable actually.

too ghost

Good but not one of his great albums it may take more listens to be absorbed.

He really has an incredible and unique voice. Some of the songs though… seriously depressing. Album goes on a bit.

Wierd album but decent I liked it

This album sounds like I made it.

Dude has a great future in audiobooks Definitely think there’s a time and place for this album; it’s extremely ambient and there’s little percussion. It gives off movie soundtrack vibes (which makes sense, since the dudes been featured in plenty of movies). I really do like the lyrics, very poetic and emotional at times. I think if i was doing anything other than trying to focus on my work I’d probably be a bit bored, but it actually worked perfect for background music. Would definitely prefer a bit more instrumentation next time, but I think it accomplishes what it’s meant to do decently enough

A bit too down for me.

Didn’t know the context til’ I read destroy-fun…. Which was after I listened to it. Would listen again with this in mind. I kind of listened to this on the train while not really paying attn to the Lyrcs. Music kinda just made me want to sleep. Anyway.

Well knowing the backstory and also that the first 8 songs are written for children and the last 3 for adults I was expecting something sad. And it is very gloomy. Feels like it should be a soundtrack for a dystopian film or Labyrinth.

kinda slow.

You will be surprised, but this is not one song. This album made me think. I don't like this, I'd rather use AI

solid

That was depressing.

I've got a hundred and thirty more albums left to listen to before I complete this journey to 1001. This is the fifth album by Nick Cave that has been part of the ride and it's definitely not the worst of the bunch. There is an ethereal, other worldly vibe to it that feels like an attempt at some sort of spiritual reckoning, or literal 'come to Jesus moment', for Nick and the Seeds. Or maybe they just decided to seek atonement for 'Murder Ballads'. Regardless, I hope they got what they wanted from recording it. The only thing I got out of it is the lingering question of how did this guy get five pages in the book when, so far at least, the Ramones have none?

I don't really know how to rate this. Musically its not interesting but I understand why its an important album.

평소에 듣기에는 너무 잔잔한 스타일임. 그렇지만 사색할 때는 이만한 노래가 없다. 많은 생각을 하게 되는 음반.

Det er sgu sjældent, at en kunstners 17. album hører til på listen, men det her er en af de få. Jeg kunne måske godt have nøjedes med 1 album i stedet for 2

Ret sikker på at The Bad Seeds ikke rent faktisk er med på den her. Virkelig hård og på mange måder svær plade, der er noget sindssygt smukt musik her men som album har det aldrig helt ramt plet for mig.

Depressing day no. 2: Really good songs with a lot of feelings. The style is a bit slow for me - I know I should've be listening to the lyrics instead of just the music.

Interesting

Doesn’t sound like a Nick Cave

Not much is happening here. Sounds beautiful though

Interesting

I liked this less than other nick Cave albums I’ve heard. While heartfelt and emotional, there were some cheesy textures I didn’t like and it seemed to brood a little too long with too much overlap between tracks.

Fell into it more with headphones than while driving. Lyrics didn’t resonate with me the way they seemed to for critics but I liked the bookends here

Not the best Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds album, not by a long shot. I know there's tragedy and sorrow behind this album but it sounds like the music Ross Gellar played on Friends. 3/5 only because it's one of my fave bands and one of the all time great bands.

hard to rate an album like this… i respect it, but i find it hard to say that it moved me aside from the last three tracks

This project is haunted by Nick Cave and his creepy shit. It’s good-ish, but we didn’t need eleventy billion samplings.

I still don't really like nick cave but I think he is growing on me

A bit slow, but overall good. Good enough as background music on a chill work day.

A haunting, beautiful album. Not life changing but great.

The lyrics and words are very much front an center as Mr. Cave leveled up his songwriting chops. I found my mind wandering during my listen and if you're not processing the words there is sparse synth/piano/vocal layers throughout. I respect the artwork here but I didn't love all of it. Hollywood is pretty cool.

Not bad

Best I've heard from him yet but still don't really get it

Didn't listen. I'm sure it's raw and difficult and overwhelming.

Album is kinda like spoken word poetry, but in a weird nod your head and go “well alright” kind of way. Musically it’s a lot of background vocals and piano/percussion floating in the back. Not my favorite but not horrible. Just very unique and definitely has a specific audience. 5/10

It was nice! LOTR vibes. I made pasta to this album and it was greay background music for the task

Listen, the instrumentals and soundscapes were PHENOMENAL. I adored those, but the vocals took me out of it a bit. I guess I wished the voice was more dreamy? And the lyrics were hit or miss too, one time I could appreciate the simple descriptiveness but other times it completely ruined the fantastical feeling.

Don't listen to him enough, not really my style of music. I do respect what he does, also being in the game for as long as he is and having his cult following all these years.

A haunted house where every room is the same.

Listenable.

it was ok

Admire the scope of this one. It’s a bit like a dream. ✨

Just when I thought I had Nick Cave locked down, he goes and throws me for another curveball. First, based on "People Ain't No Good" alone, I assume he's all a sad piano man. Years after that, I came to partake in this list and discover both his talent towards cinematic grandeur ('Henry's Dream') and a general variety of styles ('Murder Ballads'). I also found out he was once in a band that sounded like they recorded out of a metal trash can ('Junkyard' by The Birthday Party), but, uh, I wasn't too up on that, so... But by the time I came around to 'The Boatman's Call' and "People Ain't No Good" again, I had a greater appreciation for his talents as a songwriter and a performer. I also figured this was about where his sound stopped. I mean, I'd heard that 2016's 'Skeleton Tree' was a damn depressing album, so I'unno why I figure he wasn't still a sad piano man. Well, here we are in the future of 2019, and one thing is for sure: he's still a sad man. But he ain't stuck behind a piano anymore. No, this album is based in ambient electronica. Huh. I never would've guessed it, but given what this album is about I suppose it makes sense. This album ... well, during the production of 'Skeleton Tree', Nick Cave's son Arthur died. He was only 15. And it'd be very easy to assume, as a lot of people did at the time, that with how bleak and depressing that album is, it's about Arthur's death and Nick's grief. It isn't. In fact, besides some amendments Nick made afterwards, pretty much the whole thing was written by the time Arthur passed. I can only imagine what impact a tragedy like that would have on someone's art, but by all I can tell, 'Skeleton Tree' is not about that. 'Ghosteen', meanwhile, from what I can tell, is. 'Ghosteen' is an album that touches on grief and existentialism, while never losing itself in hopelessness. If I were to use any sort of imagery to describe this album, it's "that moment of darkness that comes right as the sun starts to rise." You're still in that dark place; you're not quite out yet — but the future's coming on, and it hardly looks as bleak. That's the impression I get from songs like "Waiting For You" and "Ghosteen Speaks", particularly the latter, which has the deceased (a friend, a lover, family, whoever) reminding the listener that they're beside them; they just need to look for them. And this is why the music is the way it is. I mean, here's some trivia for you: there was a full drum track recorded for this album. It ended up getting scrapped because, well, in Nick Cave's words, it grounded the songs too much. These songs (some of which are built on loops) are meant to float as you sit there in that heartbreaking, melancholic feeling. And I'll tell you, it does work and can be pretty effective. Sometimes. OK, so here's where I play my hand. What I described up there, that's how this album sounds if you're able to fully give yourself into the soundscape and the themes. If the emotions resonate with you, it's a haunting, darkly beautiful album about grief. If you **don't** like this album, meanwhile, it is **slow**. Just this absolute slog where nothing happens in any of these songs and Nick Cave can't even be bothered to sing, instead just kind of mumbling in his gravely monotone. Whatever he's supposed to be making you feel on this album — and this isn't to discredit his feelings, but whatever you're supposed to feel, it's just not working. Regretfully, I find myself more leaning towards the latter opinion. Believe me, given what this album is about, I **wanted** to like it more, but ... I just had a hard time connecting with it. The less introspective reason (which is completely a "me" problem) is just that in the years since 'The Boatman's Call' Nick Cave decided to focus less on narrative in his lyrics. His explanation was that life doesn't happen in a straight line, so it was ridiculous to write about it that. This method, which is far more abstract and poetic, felt more authentic to him. And that's fair, but for my money ... look, I've made my difficulty with abstract, poetic lyrics no secret. I am just not good at deciphering meaning on the fly. And, look, this album isn't as bad as something like Bob Dylan's mid-late 60's work or how I tend to see most Joni Mitchell albums, but there are still some spots where I just have no idea what he's **supposed** to be saying. Heck, even accepting that it's more supposed to be about what you personally get from these words and not so much what **the one and true meaning is**, I've still got nothing. And in those moments, suddenly the whole project falls apart and I can feel how slow moving a lot of these songs are — especially when you hit the two songs over ten minutes on the second disc, goodness. But the more introspective reason, if you'll forgive me for indulging a bit here, is that ... I don't know if I've ever experienced grief. Personally, I mean; I can imagine what it feels like for others and empathize. But as far as my own feelings go ... well, as I've said elsewhere, I'm AuDHD. And a lot of people like me can have trouble with their emotions. And I'm not that bad about them, but when it comes to grief in particular, I don't know if I've ever felt it. A couple of years ago, my grandmother died, and of course I was sad about it; I loved that woman. But even during her funeral I can't remember ever feeling grief. I don't even know how often I miss her, and I know I should. And what all of this means is that while I can listen to this album and **mostly** understand what Nick Cave is expressing and empathize, it just doesn't resonate with me. I **want** it to, believe you me. I just can't get there. And it's another "me" problem, and not so much a criticism of the album, but it's not irrelevant to my experience, y'know? In the end, I just find myself disappointed. I was ready for Nick Cave to knock me out again as he had with his past couple of albums (besides 'Junkyard', anyway), and yet ... and especially on album with themes like **this** ... I mean, I'm not obligated to like an album just because it has sad themes and is based on and reflecting on personal tragedy, but in some small way it makes **me** feel like the jerk. Like, "Wow, you don't like the album about grief and his dead son because **you** couldn't resonate with it? Yeah, OK." I can only promise you, it's nothing like that. You might've not even been thinking that. But ... yeah. I wanna like it more, but as I sit here writing this review, thinking back on how endless those two songs on the second disc felt ... I can never be anything other than honest. But in the moments where it **does** work, it **works**. Look at "Waiting For You" and "Ghosteen Speaks". They're wonderfully heartbreaking, and I can't take that away from this album, nor would I want to. And I can only hope, going forward, that they're the parts I end up remembering, more than the others. And I really hope that some day I might be able to better resonate with this thing. I really do.

It’s a little too much Nick Cave at this point. If this album is not even in the top 10 of his based on major publications’ lists on the guy, it should not be among the 1001 best of the best

Fuck, this is a tough listen. Musically it reminds me quite a lot of Kid A / Amnesiac era Radiohead, which is good because that’s my favourite Radiohead era. Lyrically and emotionally … fuck. Great music can come from personal tragedy - Rumours, Arrival, Zeppelin’s ‘All Of My Love’ - and this is on a par with those. It’s raw, and broken, and a really hard album to hear, but it is good although not something I really want to go through again soon.

3/5

A bit to slow for my taste but I guess this album really depends on your current mood. I can imagine you enjoy it way more in different moods

This is a spoken word album with ambient sounds in the background. I think it was trying to tell a story, but I couldn’t really follow it. The voice drone on and on like the sounds in the background. I’d like to give it another try while reading the words. Three stars for at least sounding creative.

Better than the usual fare from Nick Cave as it was less country sounding - shame it was born out of the loss of Cave's son. Best: Bright Horses Worst: Hollywood

- Vom Cover her habe ich so eine Art Musik erwartet - Ich denke wenn man in der richtigen Stimmung dazu ist, passt es ganz gut - Ist mir für den Alltag etwas zu ruhig und fast deprimierend - Aber so etwas habe ich definitiv noch nicht gehört und finde es gut, dass das Album in dieser Liste ist Topsong: Bright Horses

This is a challenging listen to say the least. An hour plus of Nick mainly speaking, sometimes barely singing, over minimal ambient music. About the death of his son. It’s gorgeous but also not really enjoyable. How to rate this? It’s a beautiful piece of work that I never care to hear again. But it is ceriay worth hearing before you die. I’ll split the baby and give it 3 stars

Ég held að ég þurfi að hlusta djúpt á þessa til að ná henni almennilega.

Hmm, don't really know what to say, probably would've enjoyed it more if I listened actively, bit it very easily faded into the background. Didn't hate it

Grim

feels a tad one note but i like the note if you know what i mean. I always fuck with this melancholic type shit

Another album by the prolific Nick Cave, one I’ve not really listened to properly. Not one you’d go back to often but a very interesting listen all the same!

Hard one to rate as I only give 4+ to albums I want to hear again. As beautiful and haunting as this is, it's quite a tough listen as Cave pours his heart out over his son's death. Atmospheric but ultimately I don't really want to return to it

3.5 One of the more recent albums on this list, 2019, and my second Nick Cave album. Glad I had a long road trip today to listen to this one because it’s solidly over an hour long and kind of necessitates you focus on it a bit. Drenched in grief, every song heartbreaking. Every note sad. Covers a lot of the normal Cave bases, lots of poetry and religious references, but here they were waaaay more personal because of the circumstances. Multiple tracks well over 10 minutes long, little operettas in themselves. Cave is still never gonna be my favorite artist but I’ve always respected him and this is clearly a solid work, especially from someone grieving.

I think this was highly rated at the time of release, I liked it.

3-

Very sad, but very nice.

Aight

Slow, somber, and beautiful but I feel like you need to be in the right mood for it.

Muy bonito y triste al mismo tiempo, la historia en torno a este disco y la vida de Nick Cave hacen difícil al menos para mí disfrutar de gran parte de su música. Lo he escuchado una vez y media para no dejar nada atrás y finalmente no me guarda nada como favorito aunque creo que en general es un disco que merece la pena como música ambiental casi religiosa.

I like Nick Cave's music. But this album was a little too melancholic and gloomy for me. If I'm feeling too good and want to look into the depths of my soul, I might listen to it again. I can hardly imagine ever being in such a state of mind. 3/5

Ya me toco su album del 92 que no me encanto pero me sorprendio para bien, de este me esta gustando el sonido de la melodia que resulta muy atmosferico y onirico. Casi prefiero que no meta la voz en las canciones. Esta curiosete.

I don’t really know how to rate this album. On the one hand it is almost shoegaze in its musical landscapes, and the other it is sparse and minimalist. Knowing the back story of it, makes me want to like it more than I do, and while I enjoy the emotionality of it, it runs very long.

I felt this album took me to a beautiful synth landscape. And although beautiful and mysterious, it wasn’t exactly an exciting place. Stand out track was Hollywood.

Wasn’t in the mood, then was in the mood. Good enough for me. 5.0

I enjoyed it. Mellow, good songs.

I know Nick Cave’s work has been critically acclaimed but this does nothing for me. I am aware that the albums concept was based on a Rea life tragedy but it all seems a bit self indulgent

Kan vara trevligt med nick cave i små doser. Lite för deppigt att lyssna på ett helt album tyvärr. Cd 2 kan man hoppa över

Interesting vibe, not a huge fan of the vocals but instrumentals were great

It's sad, dark and slow, and reading the story behind the record, the reason is clear. It's well written, well executed, but too long to my taste, lacking of variation for such a long record. And Even though Cave is a great artist, there is too much of him on this list (as for many other artists/bands).

Man that was sad as shit.

I know that Nick Cave is beloved. And I respect his epic moody sad style. But man, this is a tough listen. Like some songs are really cool and you can kind of get into the sadness of it all, but I get somewhat fatigued with this. I would have to be in a very specific mood and that's a mood that I'm not a lot of the time. I respect the hell out of him for recording this after his son's death. Its beautiful and painful, but its also a hard listen.

didn't leave huge impression, but i might not have been in the mood. slower and more pensive

Quite a lush, modern and epic production, but not my favourite Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds album. Too many synths, not enough piano. I preferred the melodrama and track length of the second disc, it brought me in a bit more than the first side.

first listen didn't do much for me

The songs are complete, they have good harmonies. The vocals are ok, but not amazing The album is good but it’s too slow for me.

Some of this sounds like bad poetry, Cave's vocal performance isn't always the strongest, and yet some of it (the first few tracks in particular) is some of the most affecting music I've heard.

This is both weird and beautiful as a struggle with grief often is. It is real, raw, and an experience and I honestly don't know how to rate it.

Very sad but beautiful.

An emotional window into Nick Caves grief . Beautiful and ambient. I enjoyed listening to it and learning more about Nick Cave (we share a birthday). I think Ghosteen is meant for slow and intentional listening. A practice I am new at but appreciate nontheless.

= The Beatles Despite some powerful lyrics, not Nick Cave's best and also no need for this many nick cave albums especially since none so far have had red right hand

3.4 stars rounded down

Out of the several generated this has been my favorite Nick Cave album. It’s no easy feat to turn grief into any artistic expression but it feels very heartfelt and easy to connect with (3.5/5)

The 11th or 12th best Nick Cave album. Still good.

Pick up the tempo!

I can feel the beautiful mourning in the music even if it is not what I was expecting. The lyrics and message are powerful and somewhat cathartic. While not what I was expecting, I can see the beauty for some in this.

Dang.

Not easy listening but pretty epic

Sad album this.

Generally I'm not the biggest fan of Nick Cave. Yet, there's some good sound on there

Better than I thought it was gonna be. Great words in this one

I need context for why, for the most recent year included in the list thus far, the creators of 1001 decided to selected Nick Cave's band's 17th studio album. To some extent, perhaps this is some magnus opus by an old-head rocker that sums of his career beautifully, like American IV. But from a legacy perspective, I would put my money on Igor or Alex G's House of Sugar leaving a more lasting impression on the music industry than this album. After listening, this is admittedly my favorite album by Nick Cave, but I also have never been able to finish one of his albums before. A cohesive tribute to the dread, acceptance, and peace of the dead. A little monotonous, but I can get down with it. Might never listen again tho

If I hadn't known the circumstances surrounding this album, I'm sure this album would have lost me like most of the other Cave albums. You can certainly feel the man's pain and some of the lyrics were pretty gut wrenching. Love up those you love. I feel this man's pain. I always thought the best musicians can make you feel their passion for their music. This album certainly did. Just not in the manner I would have preferred. Sorry for your loss, Nick Just damn...... 3

Not my favorite seed.

A haunting elegy. Certainly not an album everyone's going to enjoy, but the bleak beauty it delivers is hard to ignore.

some songs are right up my alle others not. I definitely need to listen to it in a calmer setting.

Moving and atmospheric but very very very heavy

More ambient than I was expecting. This one has potential to grow on me although it is a tad overlong and I need to be in the right mood to listen to it. Still, good chance I revisit it in the future.

This is my 3rd Nick Cave album in a month, he is fine, but I don't really care about him THAT much. Thankfully this is my last one though. First off this album cover is really ugly it looks like an AI image of a Kinkade painting. What I've learned while doing this challenge is that I really don't care about music where the lyrics are the focus. I love music that has rhythmic complexity or just great grooves. I am assuming people who love this album love it due to his lyrics. I get that it is sad, and I am trying not to sound like a horrible person, but this album is just a little too slow/one note for me to really get anything out of it. I mean it sounds pretty, but I just have never enjoyed piano ballads and this album is full of them. Mid 3.

Not the best album for a morning workout. It’s well done, a little depressing, but that’s kinda the point. I respect it but don’t think I’ll come back to it.

I’m not really sure why so many Nick Cave albums made the list - this one was a decent listen, I liked it better than Murder Ballads, but I doubt I will listen to it again. I guess I’m just missing something here.

Third Nick Cave Album. Who would've thought a guy who I never previously heard of would be so well represented in a list of the most essential albums. And given how much I liked his newest album, I'm guessing there's a spot saved for it on the next list. That being said, super interesting guy/songs/music, but this album didn't quite capture me fully.

heartwrenching, but not what im usually into

I would've rated this higher, but I just couldn't connect to the lyrics.

Nick Cave is ALWAYS going to give a great performance and excellent compositions in his songwriting. I do however, not vibe with his more beautiful/ambient tracks as much as his more operatic/orchestral stuff.

Very well made record. It’s just too sad for me and I’ve never really resonated with Nick Cave’s music.

I love Nick Cave and this album is decent but there are others that belong on here more than this does

so so slow

It’s interesting and kinda clever, but it left me cold

It's undeniably atmospheric and really, really beautiful in places. However, at the risk of sounding like my mother, there's no tune. This project is making it really clear to me that I prefer music that gives me that cathartic release of singing along at high volume. Even if I knew the words, I could never do that with Ghosteen. But in the right frame of mind, I could see me listening to this again. It feels like a headphones on, sit in a dark room and really pay attention type record. 3/5

I enjoyed this wistful Nick Cave album much more than his other albums, which have a harshness to them that grates. Still, don't think I'd listen again.

This 2019 album is trying very hard to do for Nick Cave what Blackstar did for David Bowie and what, well, every Leonard Cohen album did for Leonard Cohen - but it's not the same when this sort of change happens overnight. It's gentle and ponderous, but can it be trusted? And I can't forgive him for making me listen to Murder Ballads, so this gets a suspicious 3.

I think this is better than some of his other stuff on here, but it's still a chore. 3.

This was beautiful and very heavy. I don't want to listen to it again, but I'm glad I did. Personal enjoyment: 3/5 Relevance to this list: 5/5

3.4 2x

Ouvi este álbum com alguma expectativa, mas não fiquei deslumbrado. As letras das canções são muito boas.

Good variety from Nick Cage

3/5

Look, it's eerie and beautiful, haunting and captivating. Could I listen to it daily, god no. I like a lot of Nick Caves work but most of it is not music I can listen to endlessly for pleasure, but happy to dive into now and again. Namely if I'm feeling a little sad.

it was ok.

This is a musically beautiful album. Its not really my vibe at the moment, though. Its very slow paced.

-this was probably the most unique and emotionally moving album I’ve heard from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds as of yet. I liked the ambient direction -there’s something to be said for music that can spark an emotional reaction of any sort from me.. it got a bit boring at some points but it was beautiful enough to stand out anyway -Favorites are Night Raid, Leviathan, and Hollywood

Lirically, it's great. Very emotionally heavy. But musically, it doesn't excite me as much. Anyway good songs

Was going to rate this lower but the album is about the death of his son, so the lyrics seemed a little deeper. Hopefully the last nick cave album on this list!

Un álbum precioso, ambiental, a la vez que sombrío y lleno de dolor. Me ha gustado mucho su atmósfera esotérica, protagonizada por sintetizadores analógicos y armonías corales. Tanto la música como las letras (muy poéticas y abstractas a veces) saben transmitir muy bien la pena del autor, que acababa de perder a su hijo. Es como una versión ambiental del You Want It Darker de Cohen. Por otro lado, la voz de Nick Cave se me hace un poco pesada, no sé muy bien por qué, y me ha parecido un álbum algo largo y monótono, a pesar de la calidad de sus temas. Un tres que roza el cuatro.

En ihan ymmärrä, miksi tämä levy on listalla. Ristiriitaisia fiiliksiä. Aika melankolista settiä ja Wikipedian kertoman mukaan ihan ymmärrettävästi. Toisaalta hienosti tuotettua ja olohuoneen kaiuttimilla tästä sai aika paljon irti, oli iso, upea äänikuva. Toisaalta tämä alkaa kyllä äkkiä toistaa itseään, samaa hidasta surullista puhetta, joka ajoittain taitaa olla laulua.

Beautifully solemn but nigh on impossible to revisit

I think this is the fourth or fifth album from this band, and I'm over it because this challenge is slated for crusty old white dudes. The album itself is actually pretty good, but I don't think anyone needs to hear 4+ albums from one artist/band. This is my biggest gripe about this challenge, but it's almost over for me. *sigh* Good album

tooooo heavy

... fine. no fun.

Nick Cave-y

Not bad.

There was a lot of emotion in this album. I actually thought the vocals were pretty good. The backing instrumental was ok at times as well.

hipster boomer music

Melancholy to the max. I didn’t hate it but damn it if this didn’t put me in a somber mood this morning.

Not his best

It's alright.

Joa, bissl langweilig?

Album is heartbreaking to listen to. Rather an album containing grieving poetry than structured songs. Beautiful lyrics. I don't think I'll be returning to this album, therefore 3 stars. Nevertheless an interesting listen with a very special backstory

# Album Name: Ghosteen # Artist: Nick Cave & the seeds # Rating: 3/5 # Comments: Nick cave is like an ex-wife. Its a real love/hate relationship. Theres a lot of emotion and dark undertone to the album. But i just dont gel with this band. Maybe i have to give it time. Maybe i will never gel with it? Who the fuck knows. But for now. It was just OK. # Top Tunes: Ghosteen # Would I listen to it again? hmmmm. Probably not.

Old New Wave Heads Mumble A Lot

Some really beautiful tunes.

very ghostly and pretty.

I mean sure, it's got some poetry to it, in songs like "Fireflies". But lord, I feel like slitting my wrists after listening to a Nick Cave album. One upbeat song, is that too much to ask for? And why are there FOUR albums on the list? Easily could have taken one album off and put something... happier on it. I would get the point of separating the songs into two discs if there was a shift of mood or something. But nope, just super depressing. Top tracks: "Ghosteen Speaks," "Galleon Ship"

I generally like Nick Cave but found this monotonous and boring. There were a lot of interesting things that made the songs unique but you had to be listening hard for them

I applaud the effort to channel extreme grief into a great piece of art; and Nick Cave's sensitive intellect and admiration for beauty is on full display on Ghosteen. Nevertheless, the record is really long, and not much happens. I'm very much surprised it could qualify for this list.

Moody Nick Cave music. I always think I am missing something deep in the lyrics when casually listening, but when I look at the lyrics I still don't get it.

very edm like.. fav track: bright horses other picks: waiting for you, sun forest, galleon ship

I can understand why this album is the way that it is. I can appreciate the melancholy, the heartbreak, the dark and sober mood. It is just too much for me.

I can appreciate the deep emotion and heartbreak worn on Nick Cave's sleeve here. It's not really what I'm looking for in an album, but it has its own merits. Ghosteen commits to this intense yet soft and mournful mood that's reminiscent of Bowie's final album, Blackstar. The synths in tracks like Ghosteen Speaks, Hollywood, and Leviathan are pretty darn great. You don't hear many albums with such a low, downcast tone hit the charts these days, and it's cool to hear a modern take on what's essentially a grief concept album. Leviathan is an excellent track, made so by its light, airy percussion and piano (added to the already-strong synths). My main issue is that there's exceptionally little variation in mood or instrumentation between tracks. The same melancholy, the same piano-synth-bass-downtrodden vocal combination, the same slow tempo, swamping every track and making this a little exhausting for one continuous 68-minute listen. I don't see myself listening to this album often. There's a lot for the ear to pick up on, though it falls towards being accidental rather than soundscapey. You hear little crescendos and blips in the backing vocals, in the synths, and wonder if it's a mistake or intentional. Then you decide it's probably a mistake when it doesn't seem to add much to the music. I'm also not one for listening to lyrics, but I get the impression Cave is quite focused on them. All that being said, I'm willing to bet this album hits a heck of a lot harder for somebody in mourning – and for that, it warrants at least a decent rating. 3/5 Key tracks: Ghosteen Speaks, Leviathan, Ghosteen

It’s not bad. I just wasn’t really in the mood to hear something this moody, so I was a little bored by it, but I recognize how interesting and intricate the sound is. Maybe I’ll give it a relisten on a day I’m in the moody for such slow, methodical moodiness now that I know what I’m going into. Such a powerful voice and sound. Feels like he’s trying to take me to church at a time when I wasn’t in the mood to go. That’s the only reason why it doesn’t connect and even then, it connects enough for me to see merit in it. I know how much I’d enjoy it under the right circumstances.

This album was incredibly heavy and an unsettling soundtrack to an unnecessarily long drive in pursuit of name-brand pyrex measuring cups my little sister asked for for christmas. An absurd mismatch, but I'm glad i was alone and not destracted because it's really beautiful. Like with many double albums on this list, I don't know why it needed to be so long. It felt at times more like soundtrack than songs.

1001 Albums #16 I was really excited for this going into it, not having gotten anything recent yet with the generator (and alternative is a great genre). Within the context of the death of his son I think this album is probably a great tribute. Without that context I found it kind of boring; nothing really grabbed my attention at any point (the whole album to me felt like background instrumentals with Nick Cave's voice just loudly booming out song lyrics). That being said, it wasn't really bad at any point either. Kind of a mediocre album, but with my initial excitement for it, also a bit of a letdown. Maybe with a future revisit I could/would appreciate this more? 50/100

Interesting ambient low-key music. Not my jam.

Waiting for You // Galleon Ship //

I suspect this is actually beautiful and makes you feel, but I simply cannot listen to an album where every album is this depressing and somber. The instrumental’s are very ethereal and well mixed, the lyrics are poetry but I’m having a very hard time listening to something so bleak, especially without being in the mood. I struggle to rate something like this because musical and lyrically It seems exceptional but my personal taste is interfering in my ability to enjoy it.

I love Nick Cave, always been one of my favourites. This has one or two great songs on it. But it suffers the same as all recent Cave albums (besides Carnage) of having a great sound, a few great songs, and the rest pretty samey.

Respect for him writing this… I’m sure it was a cathartic experience. But that doesn’t make it an enjoyable listen.

Correcto

A bit weird, didn't except this album to be from 2019 lol

Not the album I wanted, but the album I needed

Good album. Melodious and good lyrics.

Ahora estoy triste

Not bad, a little morose but I enjoyed it.

Vastly different to the norm.

Good - but not his best album.

qué álbum más triste. Es bonito, dentro de todo lo bonito que puede ser el duelo y la pena, pero no sé si amerita estar en la lista. Debería haber un límite por artista: no más de 2 discos por banda/artista

Not in my edition of the book! 2019. 3 stars. Not his best work. Powerful? Yes. Essential listening? No.

Moody, emotional, hauntingly beautiful.

Nice synths

Something is going on here. It's got very polished production. The ambient music feels repetitive. This would be better served as a book or blog of poetry with this music backed version as a special release. It's fine

Weird, somewhat cool trippy ambient. Not bad, not sure I'd go back to it.

This one wasn't that bad, at the end he learned how not to bore everyone with random noise and his deep voice

Beautiful. Sad. Not my favorite of NC&TBS or even in the dead son trilogy but still stands

a persons album about their son who passed away being rated slightly worse than mid is what this website is all about <3

A bit too much Jesus talk but overall quite nice and chill

Nick Cave writes poetry over OK tunes. Some poems resonate more than others. Not for me, but I appreciate the artistry.

Interesting vocal quality... haunting and deliberately 'soft'.

This album is heavy and hard to listen to, not only because of the grief theme throughout it but also because it's indulgent and slow which in turns makes it a bit boring. It certainly sounds like a hard painfull process that he went through and I can't deny that it makes the album have a certain gravitas. But aside from the sadness I feel like there's not a lot more going on here and it makes it a bit plain in my opinion.

Chilled

Conflicted

Best Song: Waiting for You. This is where I think Nick Cave shines: extremely minimal production and a simple chorus around which he can weave more verbose stories in the verses. Worst Song: Hollywood. I don't like Nick Cave's falsetto. Overall: Can an album be too understated? This album feels so lyrically dense - even more so than the other Nick Cave albums I've listened to - that it almost feels like this album should be read more than it should be listened to. The sheer density of it does work against it as an album, as the moment you stop giving it sufficient attention to hold its lyrics in mind, the album drops easily into the background and out of mind.

Fine, not sure when I’d be in the mood to listen to it though

RIP Arthur

Sphärenklänge

Damn what a sad album. I kinda like the atmospheric vibe.

I have some curiosity about Nick Cave, this album didn't grab me though.

I’m not a Nick Cave fan so I’m glad I read about the background of this album first. I don’t care for his music but only a monster wouldn’t have the utmost sympathy for what happened to Nick’s son. RIP Arthur Cave

It’s fine I guess…

I'm sure this will be a divisive album. I found bits of it a bit awkward, bits of it very nice. Not my favourite NC...

I liked it, it was weird and a bit slow and sad to be great, but overall I thought it was ok. Average

I like nick cave. Really. And I know griefing is hard. But why change your sound so much? This is really boring. Sorry to that but it’s true. Luckily his next record is more rock oriented.

Very haunting and sad album, which is -as it is known - about the Cave's son who died aged 15 after he took LSD for the first time and jumped off a cliff. At my first listen it is a 3 star album, because while lyrically it is beautiful and incredibly sad, the music is solemn and ambient, but is not very varied and therefore those nearly 70 minutes are way too long. Some songs were gorgeous but it was a bit tiring to listen to at one go. 3.5/5.

Good album. Very sad mood.

This is kinda boring. I think his kid died or something, rip and all.

i feel like i said this about the last nick cave album but it’s very leonard cohen and over the garden wall and house of leaves. always pretty cool with 1 stand out song

Emotional album and it feels like a very personal conversation between Cave and the world, almost like a prayer. Is it the most enjoyable album? Not really. It's like being read a poem for 1 hour. It is beautiful, full of grief, and tranquil at the same time, but also largely the same throughout and, as an album, doesn't really scratch that itch for me.

Hard listen tbh

This was quite a peaceful album for an evening on the beach, but I can’t see myself listening to it casually. The lyrics were pretty powerful, especially given the context, but it didn’t justify the long runtime for me.

Bright Horses Sun Forest

The music is like a super soft bed. It is really mystical and spherical.

My first album was Nick Cave and it was shite, so it's amusing to see him pop up again over 400 albums later. Story behind this is very sad, and it comes out completely in the music. Not normally my thing, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much it resonated still. Saved a couple songs, but most aren't the kind of thing you would pop on for a quick listen. Once to absorb fully, though I'm not sure I would again.

No sé qué opinar ... bastante rollo, la verdad ... pero a veces tiene un uauuu.

This album is so theatrical and immersive, but in a really dull way. It doesn't have the down-home kitschy charm that Gris Gris (a few albums prior) does, another very theatrical and strange album. I like Nick Cave's voice, but I always find myself wondering who he is making music for? I don't know anyone who has ever told me he's their favourite artist or even that they like him or think he's cool. He's flying under the radar intentionally I guess? This music is just so cold and inaccessible. But I guess he's living in his own private musical soundscape and it all makes sense to him. Oh wait, wrote it after the death of his son. Omg. Okay, this is grief music, I understand! Listening again through another lens and yeah, I get it. Poor man. My deepest sympathies and condolences. I think this is now a very beautiful hereafter that Nick Cave has created for Arthur. Albeit, boring and not for me. This album cover is absolutely gorgeous. It really does transport you to a magical fairy realm. Just too bad it's so marred by sadness.

No sé qué opinar ... bastante rollo, la verdad ... pero a veces tiene un uauuu.

I feel like there is something of emperors new clothes about Nick Cave. You would look foolish to dislike him. But I can't get past the overwrought lyrics and spoken word like delivery. The music is fantastic though. I would listen to an instrumental version of this no problem and it somewhat saves it. 3*

This album is fucking beautiful. Nick Cave wrote it after his son died. It's super heavy and emotional, understandably so. Favourite songs: Bright Horses, Spinning Song, Sun Forest, Galleon Ship Least favourite songs: Leviathan 3/5

Nick Cave is so intense! You have to be in the mood or proper state of mind, to listen and fully enjoy - - I wasn't this time.

The authors of the 1001 book really love "Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds". Even though I do not consider all their work among my favorites, I can understand why they have so many albums on the list. Each of these albums is so different but also so aligned with each other that it is hard to select just one to represent the whole work of the band. This also creates a problem: wrong choices like this one. I still like the final result of the album with all this speech poetry, but it's far from the best found on the list.

Double album, well produced, first song mentions kings. 2nd song, pianos, strings, ethereal female voices, feels of grief. 3rd song same, no female extra voice or chorus. The wife says this album gave birth to the Nationals.The 4th song has hotel imagery, the female chorus is back along with bells. All these songs are slow, so slow, Nick speaks sometimes instead of singing. I just read, he made the album after his son died, he used loops, synths and no percussion. I'm up to Galleon and suitably depressed. Don't know if I can last a whole double album. His son was 15 when he died, I can't through this.

very challenging record. as someone who really enjoys slow difficult listens like lulu i find this to be charming but i need to listen more to really understand it. im more of a rock fan so the repetitive ambient pop style here gets boring at points which i dont hold against the record as thats more my fault. strong 6/10 for now, will probably go up in the future.

I love Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, but Ghosteen is not an album that I enjoyed.

meh

Ratings: 5: I will happily play this album anytime 4: I may occasionally play this album of my own free will 3: I will happily listen to this if someone plays it in the background 2: I will tolerate this if it is playing in the background 1: I will leave the room if someone plays this in the background Lands somewhere between 3 and 4 really. This album has potential and would benefit from closer listening and repeated listens which I'm just not able to do these days. Moving on.

Album follows the death of his 15 year old son, who died falling of a cliff near Brighton having taken LSD for the first time. The tragedy is felt in the lyrics of the songs.

What a sad album. As a parent of a teen boy that kind of freaked me out to listen to.

Terrific album for sad, somber contemplations of love and loss. Big anthemic themes from Nick Cave with delicate soft instrumentations. When listening bring your kleenex for sure... 😪

Low pace is what you need sometimes, and this album is perfectly that, although it can bit melancholic. Art is an expression, and in this album there is only the expression of sadness nothing else. 3/5 Be prepared 3/5

Perfectly whatever. Their other stuff is great this didn't need to make the list

Love some Nick Cave. Lots of soulful lyrics. I would have enjoyed some variety in style and beats.

This album is probably better than the 3 I'm giving it, but this is how I felt about it today, hearing it for the first time. I can hear the songcraft and the arrangements and performances are all great. But it is mostly one mood—and a downer of a mood at that. (yes, I know what the album is about.) I think Nick Cave is a gem and very many of these songs were pretty great, but hearing the whole thing in one go is a lot. So it's probably at least a 4, but it hit me like a 3 today.

Nick Cave has long confused me. I just can't pinpoint how I feel about his music. I guess I'm mostly ambivalent. I listened to this in two parts across two days. I'll admit today's listen was enjoyable. But he is not someone I would veer to on my own.

Not the best album if your starting out on NC

Very interesting. I thought there were some missed opportunities for drums and percussion to bring up the energy, but it wasn’t bad. Kind of long and got boring after a while, but never bad. Not sure why this is so highly acclaimed 6.5/10

Summary says the album is about how his son died, which obviously is very sad, but I couldn’t really get into the music. Weird voice 5/10

I consider this music that Nick Cave is planning on using to haunt people.

This is poetry with background sounds, not really music. Lyrics are tough and beautiful. Great songwriting. Butttttt its as depressive as they come. If I ever end my life, this will be tue album that will be playing when done. Soooo depressing yet such dark and great lyrics.

This benefitted greatly from being on in the background but I don’t know man. It sounded nice but was so long. Also what’s with all the Nick Cave on here? Low 3.

seitsemästoista albumi bändin ja VIHDOINKIN TAJUSI MIKÄ TEKEE MUSIIKISTA MUSIIKIN... tuntemukset.. ärähdykset... ÄRH:.... the fires continued theough the night.. the kid wtit the weird face appeareda nad dissappeared into the headlight... aaaASSÄRH ÄRN ÄRGH ÄRH ÄRH ÄRH........ runoilijapoika.. unelmoijapoika... surupoika... AÄRH ÄRH ÄRH ÄRH ÄRH.... älä odota enään.. elä... elä... LIVE... LIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! spinnign song

Album 368 of 1001 Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Ghosteen Rating : 3/ 5 Kind of depressing...but done in Nick Cave style. Can't really listen to this one for enjoyment. If I decide to listen to Nic Cave again, I might listen...but he has others that are better. Written and recorded soon after his son's death, the album "explores themes of loss, death and existentialism, as well as empathy, faith and optimism.". Not really one to dance to.

Knowing what he had just gone through makes this album hit hard. The tragedy carries it. Not sure I like it too much...but it sucked me in from start to finish. Credit where credit is due

It was a grey and rainy day and I enjoyed this melancholy backing track. I can't tell if my enjoyment means this is the best Nick Cave album on the list or if I just needed the right setting for the other albums....

Good album, great listen

Was Waiting for You in the Sun Forest, looking for Fireflies and Bright Horses, but all I found was this album.

I think I’ve had a fair few Nick Cave albums at this point, in his various forms. Honestly, they’ve ben quite hit and miss for me. I’m hopeful for something pleasant today, but there is that part of me that thinks back to how terrible The Birthday Party were. Fingers crossed for something good! Songs I already knew: none Favourites: Bright Horses This album wasn’t bad, but it certainly didn’t blow me away. Perhaps it was my naivety, but the album cover had me expecting something fantastical and different, but this was an album of slow maudlin tracks. For what they are, they are good. However, I think I need to be in a state of real misery to get an other from albums like this, and I’m unfortunately in quite a happy place right now. Ah well.

Música ambiental y Nick Cave hablando. Un poco rollo. Ni fu ni fa.

No sé qué opinar ... bastante rollo, la verdad ... pero a veces tiene un uauuu.

I loved it musically, but the droning vocals began to wear on me a bit by the end. Enjoyed it enough to go back to a couple of tracks in the future.

Even more ambient than Skeleton Tree, but less experimental and less dark. This is Nick grieving at the same time that he opens himself to love. That being said, as poignant as some of these songs can be, I don't think it's as interesting or consistent as its predecessor.

A great tortured, depressive, dark and melancholic output from the prolific Nick Cave. I loved the introspective new age/ambiant aspect of this piece of art. The synth tones were so on point. That said, I can't really tell why it finds its way through this list, as this artist have other very important albums within his career.

Utterly beautiful music that does absolutely nothing for me.

I like several of these songs. I know they were very influential and popular in Australia, but the music is a bit out there for me. Still, it was kind of fun

Heavy album but good somber sound for most of it

atmosphärische musik, packender gesang - und trotzdem nicht meins.

oopsies sorry i fell off for a bit but i'm back listening to ghosteen. this is kind of just like spoken word poetry there's so much emotion and meaning behind it but the music itself isn't really my style

3.5 stars. I have not enjoyed other NC&TBS albums, but this one I did. The singers vocal performance is actually complimented by he arrangements, rather than him simply talking over a more interesting backing track. "Waiting for You," is actually pretty good, and the singer actually sings! The title track is pretty good too. Lyrically the songs are also more story driven and not as vague and abstract like on the album "Abbatoir Blues." At 68 minutes/11 songs, some songs do feel rather drawn out. It was actually beneficial to not listen *too* closely sometimes otherwise it would feel like these were going on forever.

I dunno... It felt like a good album, but not really my style

This is a soundtrack to something... Bleak, haunting and stretched to the limit.

6/10

Is it well made? Definitely. It feels like a portal into the writer's soul. Now would I ever willingly listen to it again? No.

It seems that the author of this project is a huge fan of Nick Cave and Damon Albarn with how many of their albums are on this list. I think both artists each deserve a single album on this list, but not 3,4,5+ albums. They have a unique sound and style that I can appreciate, but they are definitely not on the level of say a Beatles or Led Zeppelin who definitely deserve having multiple albums on this list.

Not sure if this was planned, but Ghosteen was preceded (on this list) by Junkyard, an album from Nick's band, the Birthday Party from 1982 and this album was released 37 years later. A lot has evolved in Cave's sound through the years and Ghosteen is definitely a mellow, haunting and sometimes beautiful album. It's an album of grief and reflection (his son died in 2015) and it comes through in the music quite well. Not a record to spin during a party, but instead a listen in a dark room with headphones would be appropriate.

I am fortunate enough to be in a time in my life where I cannot relate to this album, but it is quite beautiful

I think it's a good album, very atmospheric. Probably the most melancholic music I've heard since I heard the album A Crow Looked At Me by Mount Eerie. Hard to rate and I probably wouldn't listen to it again in a hurry. A 3 I think.

nsomma, alla fine non mi fa impazzire, un po' troppo lagna pure per me

Slow, atmospheric, dark.

Honestly I think I just don't get this. There is obvious intelligence behind the lyrics and artistry in the instrumentation but is it exactly music? Tonal monologuing over movie soundtrack backing.

Pakottaa kuuntelemaan ainakin kuulokkeilla kuunnellessa. Sinänsä tarinat ovat mystisensynkkää perus avaruus-Cavea, mutta tarina ja surutyö tehdään selväksi, ei voi ohittaa. Raastavaa. Olisin kaivannut enemmän melodiaa helpottavaksi kaveriksi, vaikka orkestraalinen ambient on hienon kuuloista.

WOW that was strangely calming and super weird. Not my genre but an ascending experience

Even though I've never owned one of their albums, I've always been a fan of their style of music. I can never listen to it for more than a handful of songs at a time however, and normally just dive into the song really hard when it comes up in my ipod shuffle playlist. Considering the heaviness and theme of this album and having yet not lost someone close to me, I am having a hard time being critical of its content. It sounds extremely emotionally heavy, but I have a hard time focusing on the lyrics for how slow it moves. One thing I'm noticing listening to a full album instead of just a song here and there is that I really have no clue how to describe the instrumentals of the bad seeds. It's just.... a drone-y keyboard, and that's it really, the backing vocals are pretty nice at times, but mostly it's just Cave. I'm giving this the score I expected at the beginning, mostly because I can't relate to the content even though I know I am in a lucky position for that to be the truth at 34 years old.

Trying too hard to be Leonard Cohen

Later

Probably the best Nick Cave we’ve had but it still wasn’t good, per se. My anger towards his other albums was replaced with pity for a mourning old man. It was sometimes hard to take this as truly genuine given all the different hats that Cave has worn as a songwriter through his other projects on this list but when I was able to do so I had slightly more appreciation for this album. 5/10

Love this album and Nick Cave. I still think albums this recent shouldn't be included here though. Setting that aside, this album is so gorgeous and haunting. One of his better albums for sure.

Devastating listen

Atmospherically it's very good. I'm just not a fan of the spoken word parts. I prefer more melodic vocals. Leviathan also kinda drags on in my opinion because the lyrics are quite repetitive.. Unrelated: the cover art is very pretty and fits well with the feel of the album.

Tough one here – Cave's wrenching, unflinching portrayal of grief is something to be commended for its brutal honesty, sheaving a father's raw loss in shimmering synths and instrumentation. As an art piece it's a triumph, but as a piece of music this album did feel about 10-15 minutes too long. The instrumentation is gorgeous and perfectly executed, but 70+ minutes of synths within a narrow melodic vein + spoken word vocals would is a challenge regardless of the subject matter. I'll be revisiting this one in a clear headspace to take it all in again, as I concede I'm an instrumental listener first and a lyric appreciator second. While I caught glimpses of the narrative Cave was painting throughout the album, the sheer heft of emotion here deserves to be understood and appreciated in full.

A little emotional, a little preachy.

I really like the majority of the songs but every song being very slow and depressive gets a bit much once you're half way through

Very calm and majestic

Loved the music, but not the singing as much. Many of the instrumentals would make great music for big mountain ski touring type films.

Haunting, mellow, and ambient sounds. Vocals add such an ominous touch, in a spoken word style.

Annoying, boring but also profound and beautiful

it sounds like if nick cave made a ambient album.

Хороший альбом Даже шутить не хочется 7/10

I've never really been a Nick Cave fan, and I can't feel emotionally attached to music like this, not music where emotion is mostly rooted in his poetry and subtle vocal expressions. As such, this isn't for me, but I can see the appeal. It's a consistent album with no hits or hooks, and instead is focused on consoling the death of his son from prior years. Lyrics are spread apart as though a stream of consciousness, making it very personal and genuine. The parts of repetition reflect his choking up emotionally, serving as powerful moments. They're highly imaginative and metaphorical, giving the audience tools to empathize with him. The instrumentation is very sparse and ambient, with nothing more than back vocals, a piano, and various synths. The overlaying synths allow them to substute standard instrumentation. For example, one synth would be deep and constant like a bass line, while another would focus on the treble, complimenting Cave's singing. The mood is often dark and hopeless, while other times optimistic and ready to move on. Regardless, I'm not able to like this album. The tracks don't appeal to me, and I can't get emotionally invested. I see the appeal, and I see the comparisons to Leonard Cohen or Antony and the Johnsons, but it's not a record I'll revisit. Good, a bit long and some tracks I don't see much value in, but not for me.

If there were a Grammy for beautifully depressing, this would win forever.

Good

Hauntingly beautiful. Not an everyday listen but in the right mood this is pretty intense.

This was almost too potently sad for me.