Ghosteen

Didn't completely hate the second half of this album, the subject matter is heavy and the sparse synths work quite well for it. Would not listen again though. First half was pretty dire, as with other nick cave albums I feel a dodgy pub singer was given too much license to experiment and it's a big joke that I'm not in on. His success shows I'm in the wrong but I've heard enough to know he'll never be for me.

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.

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

no likey, slow, and.. weird?

Know what you're getting when you push play. This is not a rock and roll album. It's a spoken word meditation on death over somewhat ambient piano that goes on for a good long time. If you really want to dig into sadness, read the lyrics. If you want something relatively quiet to work to in the background, it's fine. But it ain't Red Right Hand if that's what you're looking for.

Not for me. 1/5

3.4 2x

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.

Harrowing

I'm a big Nick Cave fan but this is far from his best work. While he's none for darker, morbid themes. This album lacks the energy and cleverness of his better albums

I liked this even though I've never really heard of Nick Cave. Totally not my style but I like his spoken/singing/storytelling style. Beautiful atmospheric music. Great lyrics. Not quite my typical style of music but whatever. Live, laugh, love, right? I could see myself getting really high and crying to this. #WeekendPlans.

Not my vibe.

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

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

Good variety from Nick Cage

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.

For the artist, there is probably something deeply and personally profound about this, but musically, it's distilled shit. Why bother with the pauses between "songs" when you're going to resume with the same droll nonsense. Much like the films of Wes Anderson, this is the type of bullshit that pretentious people like because they think they are supposed to. I like the album cover.

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.

Each song is a bad poem disguising itself as music. Like the opposite of leonard cohen, terrible lyrics but pretty good vocals. The backing instruments do not belong in a song, they belong in a video game montage. Most notable song is Leviathan, the by far worst in the album. Hollywood seems to be the favourite of Nick Cave, as it’s the only one with any emotion behind it. Or maybe he was just grateful that the album was finally over, like me. (A little harsh, i didn’t actually mind listening to hollywood)

Between the 200 albums from Nick Cave, this is the only one I liked and think should be in the book

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.

This is not my fave Nick Cave but you can’t help being moved and that’s enough

it was ok.

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

I truly feel for Nick Cave and his loss. However, I do not enjoy wallowing with him in his grief. This album is not for me.

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

All due respect to this project, We do NOT NEED to hear ANYONE'S 17th studio album. We DONT

-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

Dette var en snodig introduksjon til Nick Cave. Alle disse sangene er omtrent identiske, både strukturelt og sonisk sett. Det gikk så utrolig treigt, og jeg ble ufattelig lei av å høre på Cave lese opp de endeløse diktene sine med den samme trøtte stemmen. Jeg stiller meg sympatisk til de triste omstendighetene rundt Ghosteen, men det endrer ikke den personlige vurderingen min.

Ghosteen is a snoozefest of epic proportions. It’s like Nick Cave set out to make a more depressing, slower, and somehow less engaging version of Leonard Cohen’s You Want It Darker — and totally missed the mark. The whole thing just drags on in a haze of whispery musings and ambient filler. Good thing I was mowing the lawn while listening or I’d have passed out. Easily one of the most lifeless albums I’ve sat through.

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

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

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!

The instrumental backing and production is top tier, but as usual it is ruined by the voice that is Nick Cave. It is also a bit galling to me that the one of the most overrated lyrcists of all time receives even more praise by the same critics who would lambast anyone else who would have created this kind of overwrought album about their dead kid who died due to absent parenting. A couple of the tracks, though pretty are nearly twice as long as they need to be to convey the point.

Atmospheric & airy synths. Kind of like Bladerunner OST Vangelis meets Black Star Bowie. Uplifting & melancholic by turns. Great album if you're in the right mood.

Nick Cave & His Bad Music

That was clearly a wild f’n ride. Too bad a was distracted with work to really take it in and really listen to the lyrics, which I’m assuming is vital for this album. Never heard anything like it before. Looking forward to reading about it and listening again when I have the chance. I’m gonna give it a high rating based on the intrigue factor alone. Bravo

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.

I thought I’d hate this but as the album went on I started to enjoy it a lot more. Still not one I’d play any time soon but wouldn’t mind if it was on in the background. I’m giving it 2 stars but it’s closer to 3

I’ve never heard anything from Nick Cave but I’ve only ever heard good things. And when it came to Nick Cave’s voice I was not disappointed, his voice is spectacular and full of nuance and subtlety. That being said I have nothing positive to say about this album outside of Nick’s vocal talent, well that’s not true I can tell that the band is wildly talented as well. The problem is I just hate the direction of the album. I don’t like the cover, I don’t like the production decisions and I hate the sound of the album. It actually made me go through his other work briefly cause I was stunned at how much I hated this album. Needless to say he has a lot of other sounds that I ended up liking more and some I liked less. It is also clear that the band has a clear intention to always try to do something different which I can deeply appreciate. But ultimately that just makes me more comfortable saying how much I hate this album. If you’re interested in Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds just try sampling alittle of each album and you should find something you like. For instance I liked the “Let Love In” album the best personally. So ultimately this album might be for you, but I’d still recommend skipping it.

Great! I said on the last album that I would not be seeking out more Nick Cave, and the next on the list is... Nick Cave. Sigh. I'll listen, but I do not have high hopes. I do know that this album is very personal and emotional to him, so I'm trying to reserve judgment. Upon listening to it... he has some good lyrics, but I don't enjoy his voice. Good album, but not for me.

Dark, melancholic, scary-beautiful

I'm sure there a time and a mood for this album. It is sad and depressing. Hard to listening to. Musically, a mixed bag. 3/10

2/5 Ei omaan makuun. En osaa sanoa 100% varmuudella onko tää musiikkia vai pelkkää puhetta, jossa taustalla jotain suhinaa.

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.

Hienoa tällä kertaa rauhoittavaa ja maagista musiikkia. Tämä äijä tosiaan osaa ja on osannut sitä aina tehdä

Olipa tunnelmallinen levy, ihan kuin olisi kuunnellut vangeliksen Blade runner ääniraitaa. Nick Caven samettinen ääni ja tarinankerronta on hienoa kuunneltavaa.

Välillä sai nauttia oikein kauniista harnoniasta ja välillä tuntui kuin olisi kuunnellut surkeaa äänikirjaa seaworldin ambienssiraidan kanssa. Ei meikäläisen pala kakkua.

Beautifully solemn but nigh on impossible to revisit

Very good album. Not Nick Cave's best, mind you, but extremely beautiful and serene. Subject matter is the death of Cave's son, and he really sings his his heart out on a couple of tracks - just listen to the stunning Waiting For You, and you might be able to catch a glimpse in the loss Cave was feeling. Sonically, this album is much less bluesy than previous outings, but more daringly experimental with lush, but tasteful synth arrangements. This must really be one of the most recent albums on the list, and it really is deserving to be on it. 4/5

Couldn’t get into it after 5 tracks. Not my style, perhaps I’ll try to revisit it another time when I’m in a more depressed mood.

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

я конечно сочувствую Нику Кейву, потеря ребенка - это пиздец. Поэтому альбом и такой тоскливый. но кроме скорби здесь нет ничего интересного, по крайней мере для меня. опусы не отличаются вообще друг от друга

This was written and recorded shortly after Nick Cave lost his son, Arthur, in 2015. I can hear the emotion in his voice as he paints a picture of what he's feeling and what he's going through. Much of the album teetered between ethereal and melancholy and was incredibly interesting to me. It's super heavy even if the underlying music is light.

My GOD no

We are due for a good album. C'mon algo!

tooooo heavy

... fine. no fun.

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.

бархатный коронный голос и медленные сочные песни маэстро в звучании 2019 года, ч это тут забыло лол нич нового бтв

I generally really like nick cave and the bad seeds but found this album disappointing.

oof this was a heavy one for sure

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

what the fuck nonsense is this? Bullshit lyrics pretending to have some deep meaning. Like they got their lyrics from Seb Pearse's New Age Bullshit Generator. The music is lame, too. Every bit as fake as the album art.

custom_rating: 8

I did not care for this at all. Wound up skipping through most of the songs. It’s a 1 rating for me. 1/5.

It feels very odd and sort of depressing to review an album about the loss of a child on a scale of 1-5. Its unthinkable and any art that results from it surely has merit. If this helped Cave deal with that loss, then that's a great thing. That being said I will do my duty. 1. Not a Nick Cave fan - do not get it. 2. This album offers something I am not seeking. That may be immaturity, but I don't seek music about loss. I also don't seek spoken word poetry music. I think I primarily listen to music to feel better about life. I'll work on expanding what I get from music, but I won't start with Nick Cave.

Definitely felt pretty sad listening to this, knowing the context of this album. So if good art is supposed to make you feel something, I’d have to say this works. But I’m not sure it succeeds in speaking for itself. Some of the harmonies swell in a nice way, but the songs themselves are nothing special, and the poetry is sometimes affecting but more often maudlin, sometimes almost comically so. In fact last night when I was listening to this while walking the dog and walking around my neighborhood, I paused for a while and was staring mournfully at the sky, not noticing another dad walking by with his dog. Then Nick cave started basically sobbing on the mic about burning horses and spirals made of children and it was so over the top and macabre that I actually starting laughing out loud to myself right as the other dude walked past me in the dark. I bet he was fucking terrified.

I appreciated this less than last Nick Cave (Abbatoir Blues). A few interesting songs - Waiting For You was decent I could see how some folks dig the song writing and there were genuine moments where I was getting attached. I dont think im the right audience for the super serious poetry over this kind of music. Vocally, it can sound like jason segel singing his Dracula opera in Forgetting Sarah Marshall 😂 (iykyk) Props to Cave on this one. Sounds like he was going through some serious hell while writing this.

A brutal and challenging album on every level. Such a sad recording story, but Cave does an incredible job of bringing us into his experience of grief - in music and words. That said, an interesting art piece, but not something I really needed in my life right now.

What can you say about Nick Cave. Possibly the greatest song writer of the 21st century. If you're looking for anything resembling a rock album this ain't it. I don't think there is an electric guitar to be heard on the entire album. What you will find are deeply personal lyrics sung with emotional depth set to a dramatic soundscape that helps lay Cave's soul to bear for all to see and feel. 4 stars

Nick Cave-y

Una portada ya de por sí surrealista, en clave redentora y paradisíaca pero absolutamente artificial e irreal, el disco es una exégesis del proceso de duelo de Cave con la muerte de su hijo y conforma la tercera parte de una trilogía que gozó de parabienes de toda la crítica (completada con Push The Sky Away y Skeleton Tree) compuesta por un tipo de 50 y tantos años con una inspiración pocas veces vista. No es en absoluto mi disco favorito suyo (Abbatoir Blues/The Lyre Of Orpheus o los de los 90 Let Love in, Murder Ballads y The Boatman’s Call) ni siquiera del 19 (Lana del Rey, Kiwanuka, FKA Twigs, Billie Eilish y sobre todo el de Weyes Blood que hace de contrapunto a este de Cave) . Sin embargo no es un disco cualquiera, es un disco enorme, como casi toda la discografía de Cave. Aquí brilla la orquestación y reluce el falsete, sobre todo en tema como Bright horses. Está Warren Ellis, pero no son los Bad Seeds de Blix y Harvey. Night Raid suena grave y suave a la vez, una canción ciertamente profunda y bella. Sun Forest culmina el camino, brilla con luz propia. No es que el resto, Galleon Ship sin ir más lejos no lo hagan pero esta destaca por encima. Las referencias a Scott Walker son obvias, por ejemplo en Ghosteen speaks. El segundo disco (Fathers) es aún más profundo, con solo dos temas que sobrepasan generosamente los 10 minutos unidos por un speech musicado. La primera, Ghosteen tarda casi 5 en echar a andar y podrían ser 3 canciones en una. La segunda, Hollywood, sigue la misma pauta aunque uno espera, en vano, que aparezca la fiereza indomable de Cave y los Bad Seeds. Un disco extenso, profundo y delicado. Necesario para Cave pero que puede hacerse largo, demasiado contenido, y no termina de despegar con algún tema de rompe y rasga de los que nos tiene acostumbrados.

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

Not bad.

Dark melancholic masterpiece. Very quiet and smooth.

I love this guy, I really do. But damn, it was hard to finish this album

Beautiful haunting music, with depressing vocals.

this album is wildly atmospheric and though I enjoyed it, it absolutely wanted to put me to sleep.

Wanted to like this but it just is too plodding.

As slow as molasses running down a hill ona hot summa's day. The 12-minute final song was complete cheap shot too.

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.

This is an album meant to be listened to while driving alone in the dark through the woods and mountains of Pennsylvania with hours behind you already and hours still to go. Right now I'm not in a car, it's not dark, and this is not the best album for my mood.

I don’t get it …

I actually like this way more than I initially thought I would.

I hate this guys music. Of all the albums ever made there is no justification for having everything this cunts put out on here. Jesus Christ

hipster boomer music

es realmente desgarrador. 4.5

si, y si sabés el contexto, más si.

Sehr düster und deprimierend. Ich konnte nichts damit anfangen. 1/5

More listens

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

This group is revered but I still don't know why after two albums. This album was the same ambient music with poetry for every track. Extremely slow and depressing.

Not his best

Really cool, loved the ambient vibe, so different to Lyre of Orpheus / abattoir blues. Incredible cover too.

Haunting.

some peace of mind

pretty chill album, deep baritone. Good album.

Not really for me. I just didn’t find it very grabbing.

It's alright.

Joa, bissl langweilig?

Songs so glacial they becomes ambient. Slow heavy mournful dirges on synth and piano with choral support and swelling strings. His voice is frail and thin, raw and tender, hurt. It's like watching the tide come in on a miserable wintery beach. Dark and despairing with cracks of light coming through.

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

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.

nick cave + the ambient half of david bowie's low, so great start already even if it doesn't quite work. but quite beautiful and moving

Only here because it's a Nick Cave album. Would rather have seen newer artists than someone who peeked in the late 80's/early 00's This album wont turn a classic

Old New Wave Heads Mumble A Lot

Ya, ummm I’m not feeling this. What’s supposed to be taken from this album? Is it poetic verse over slow music? Is it just bad singing with good lyrics? I know Nick Cave and I’m not taken back by his musical delivery. I just can’t seem to pull anything all that good out of what I’m listening to. Maybe it’s my mood or maybe it’s the time of the day. I don’t feel any sort of inspiration or life changing moment arising out of this listening. Choice cut: Waiting for You

Pretty heavy, I like it but I feel like I need to live a full life with more heartbreak and loss and then I’ll see this as the masterpiece it is

Some really beautiful tunes.

I wanted to like this so bad because the idea is super cool. But his voice is borderline unlistenable to me

very ghostly and pretty.

A man dealing with his mortality? Not my favorite album for them.

Alright this one is hard to be subjective on considering it’s a very personal album about a journey with grief. That being said, musically it’s not very involved, and it more of a spoken word album than a music album. Unfortunately, the poetry just didn’t resonate with me, and I didn’t find it to be that great. I appreciate putting something personal like this into the world, but it just hit mediocre for me.

Such a nice, easy, relaxing listen.

Who hurt this dude

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"

This is the sixth Nick Cave album on the list (if you include that Birthday Party stuff), putting him up there with the Beatles and Bowie. Really? Still, I have told some friends I have much more respect for him now than before this odyssey when I only knew him by name. His voice is limited (he can really own do baritone) and he is strange as F, but he can pen / arrange some beautiful songs. This album has a very dreamy feel and it's not all masterful, but man does he hit some high notes. Waiting for You is the piece de resistance - sad yet hopeful, soaring, and absolutely beautiful. Just wow. Similar beauty as Into My Arms and People Ain't No Good on a previous album, but probably the best of all his songs. Ever. It definitely captures the essence of this album, recorded after the death of his son and dedicated to their bandmate Conway Savage who died of cancer before the album's release. Bright Horses is another majestic and touching song. Hollywood too (moreso the first 9min before Cave tries falsetto).

Good lord, what a depressing album...understandable, given it was written after Nick Cave's 15 year old son died after falling from a cliff. It's beautiful, but absolutely heart-rending. I give 4's to albums I want to hear again - this album is worthy musically, but not sure I'd want to hear again because it's making me think of what it would be like to lose my own children and that's far too painful to think about. But I'll give it the 4 it deserves. Favorite tracks: Bright Horses, Sun Forest, Leviathan (the ending is majestic and sorrowful), Hollywood (especially the dark turn the song takes after the line, "The kid drops his bucket and spade and climbs into the sun").

Ну ладно, мне понравилось

Fun with a modern album, but this has left me with the feeling "Why?". There are so many modern amazing albums to choose from, and the author of the list chooses this one. That is baffling to me. Probably the author only have a certain set of artists in his color palette to choose from, and this was the newest album by one of those. Ridiculous. About the music then. Quite a snoozefest to be honest. Another piece of music that focuses entirely on the lyrical side, and I've expressed my views on this earlier. I tried to pay some extra attention to that, but didn't find anything noteworthy really. The only thing keeping this from being a one is the fact that it is at least quite calming. I listen enjoy electronic ambient music quite a lot, and this is not too far from that, so that is something it has going for it. But I still think it got a completely undeserved spot on the list.

We've had a lot of Nick Cave. Sometime I think his stuff is ok, sometimes I think it's quite bad. I just can't shake the feeling of him being a "I'm 50 and this is deep" type of artist. I can't really really review this though. I read that he recorded it after his son died. The heavy subject matter doesn't really get made justice when I'm listening to it while working after taking a sleeper train. Giving it a 2 star for now, maybe I'll come back to it some day.

Excellent album, some top tier writing by a great lyricist, Nick Cave. Not easy listening, its an album tinged with meloncholy and grief, but also hope.

First Bad Seeds album on here at last after 250 reviews. Love some of the others but I've never really connected with this even though I get what it's about. I just find it really boring.

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

Damn starting with "Spinning Song" what a song the vibe with the synth is crazy and I almost cried like I had tears in my eyes, what a masterpiece. Those songs with the synth give me some sad Stranger Things vibes. Really weird but powerful and deep. That "Sun Forest" intro was amazing I really enjoyed it and that touched me a lot. The rest of the song is also sooo wonderful like the voices which accompany are insane, for me the best song of the album. That album was clearly a masterpiece, you could really feel the backstory behind this album and that feeling lasted during the entire album, that's a masterpiece a huge 4 but more of a 4,5.

So apparently this album was made after the death of the singer's son. Ghost + teen = ghosteen? weak pun not a fan The music has a gloomy but hopeful vibe that's quite pleasing. I'll do another listen concentrating on the lyrics. Alright I did another listen and it goes indeed quite deep. Yeah what Cave went through truly is terrible. I was going to say I wasn't that moved by the album. But nobody cares how it made me in particular feel or how relatable it was for me. Cave felt the need to make music after his son's death, a process which may or may not have healed him in some way, but that's not important. He made art - From and for his own feelings. From and for a moving event he went through. From and for his loved ones. That's one of the most beautiful things one can do. I'm now going to rate the album quite low. It is based on how the music sounded and how much I enjoyed listening to it, not on how much emotional weight it has.

Dark and depressing.

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.

I understand the appeal, but the album just moved too slowly for me and didn't warrant its overly-long runtime.

this was a really interesting album. i really enjoyed it though i'm not sure i'd ever listen to it again. it never really felt like it was overstaying its welcome which i expected to happen given the runtime.

Not for me

Really enjoyed this, a bit unexpectedly. Had heard of Nick Cave but never listened, was very chill and ethereal, good soundtrack to building furniture!

A bit depressing and pretentious.

I can’t even

It’s impossible for me to be objective/unbiased when it comes to Nick Cave because he’s easily in my top 10 artists of all time and I’ve been a bit obsessed with him for many many years. It’s also impossible for me to separate this from its context (the tragic death of his 15-year-old son) and therefore it’s an album I very rarely play as it’s totally devastating. It’s almost more spoken word in parts too, but hauntingly beautiful. Sparse, stark, slow, spiritual and so so sad. I put on its successor (last year’s Wild God) straight after in order to kind of progress the story, move on to a sliver of healing and joy again, as Nick has begun to do.

Beautiful. Listening to it in the background I was enjoying the baritone, stripped back Nationals-esque vibes. When I properly sat down and focussed in on the lyrics and the composition, I felt truly moved. Even more so once I'd read the story behind the album.

boring af

Amazing. Very sad.

Snore.

An album to fall into. It just oozes feeling and vibes (albeit, usually melancholy). Absolutely loved it.

Sounds like TSO but with mostly piano so it’s more mellow, and a little boring because it doesn't have the same kind of energy or emotional range. It seems like a controversial album, but I didn't hate it, I was just a little underwhelmed.

What a insanely emotional album. His voice reminds me alot of IronKid. regardless, these lyrics share the sorrow of Mr.Cave, and i love the body of work created through this grief.

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

mamma mia che angoscia!

Jesus. This album is perfect. That's first. And let's contextualize. This album comes from the depths of grief, beautiful and wretched, carving out painful recesses in the soul to then be filled with whatever healing may fill it back in. It's fucking gorgeous. I listened (for the first time, ever, mind you. Also, first Nick Cave, Warren Ellis, and Bad Seed album, lol.) while moving through a morning yoga flow. It's floating through space, or sensory deprivation but fir the auditory cortex and grief as a companion. Fucking beautiful. Harrowing. Healing.

Well I guess after enough Nick Cave albums I finally like him!

Nope. Not for me.

I love the idea of Nick Cave and the post punk movement but this album is just slow angst and anger. I think this could have worked if the album was 42 mins long and better mastered or was more upbeat arc

Redemptive, bleak and desolate. The minimal textures move gently behind tales of loss, grief and hope. Not necessarily an album of tracks rather than a journey through stages of mourning. Beautiful.

Fuck Nick Cave - Zionist scumbag

I don't know why there are so many Nick Cave albums in 1001 generator - they are all so bad. He is a terrible singer, no musicality - reminds me of Shatner.

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.

Mesmerising.

It's Absolutely Devastating. It seems wrong to try and pick a favourite track. I pray I never have to experience what Cave and his family did leading to the creation of this music. It sounds amazing though.

Not good

Nick Cave is a brilliant songwriter, and his partnership with Warren Ellis has created several captivating albums. This one shouldn’t work as well as it does, the first album written after the death of Cave’s song, dealing with mortality, grief, and loss. While it’s slow and meditative, the music is still dynamic and grabs your attention. It doesn’t hit the 5 star mark, because it is a deliberate listen, but definitely worthwhile to revisit.

This is #day163 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... it feels so strange to listen to this album on Spotify. Back in December 2019, I received a vinyl copy of this record on St. Nicholas Day. It came in a gorgeous gatefold sleeve with a glossy finish, a 2-LP set housed in printed polyline inner sleeves with lyrics. It's a splendid edition that only adds to an already astounding album. I truly believe Ghosteen is The Bad Seeds' best record. Even though it was largely created by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis alone. Still, it's my personal favorite, and I can't listen to any other album in their catalog with the same repeated awe and trepidation. Wait, no, Skeleton Tree, the predecessor from 2016, also comes very close. But Ghosteen is something else entirely. A masterclass in Nick Cave's somber approach to grief. Listening to this album feels like staring into an artist's heart, cut wide open, with no possibility of turning away. It's poignant, gut-wrenching, yet beautiful. I can't find the right words to fully express what this album means to me. Six years on, it still gives me goosebumps. This is a 5 out of 5, without a doubt. P.S. Here's to another potential controversial artist, as I gave Abbatoir Blues a 3 some months ago. But let's face it, the Bad Seeds are no strangers to controversy. Looking forward to #day164.

And I thought Leonard Cohen's music was boring...

One of the problems with this generator is that sometimes you get an album with a vibe that just isn't aligned with your day. I was having a pretty good day. Read a book. Made some soup. Things were great. Then I listened to this. Devastating. This album came out a few years after Cave's 15 year old son tragically died. He's clearly grappling with some things here, this is heavy. It's also a gorgeous album. It's mostly ambient music in the background, with his deep vocals over top. I think he typically is more of a narrative-based lyricist, but this one is very abstract and poetic. It's more or less one long poem set to ambient music. And he's like 60 years old when this came out, he sounds good still. This is only my second Nick Cave album; way back on album #30 I got Henry's Dream, which is very different than this. I didn't really like that one very much, but this is basically a different artist altogether. The album is a bit long (68 minute double album) and the songs do bleed into one another a bit, but maybe that's the point? This is up there with Beck's Sea Change on the list of "albums that I hope I don't feel like I have to listen to very often because they're so sad". I've said it before, but good music should make you feel something though, and this made me feel something. Time to try to get that mood back up. Favorite song: Waiting for You Other: Spinning Song, Bright Horses, Sun Forest, Galleon Ship, Ghosteen Speaks, Ghosteen, Hollywood 1/14/25

Beautiful and moving. Try not to cry.

Beautifully atmospheric and well-crafted in all aspects. Love it!

Un album concept où la musique s'estompe (sans totalement s'effacer) au profit du propos. Bellement exécuté.

Where with Skeleton Tree you were still listening to Nick Cave's pain, Ghosteen is listening to his grief. It's oh so beautiful, but not an album I personally enjoy putting on.

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.

# 390 : Nice cover artwork - very pretty - as for the music, well… SNORE! ZZZZZ - have the people that rate something 5 stars actually listened to what they are rating? Extra star for the cover art.

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

Haunting and evocative - in fact pretty damn good

Nick Cave is definitely hit or miss artist for most. A great voice, incredible songwriting, deeply harrowing music. This style of music in Ghosteen unfortunately does not work for me. It is probably some of the darkest and saddest music I can think of, but its the "Ambient" style of music that really takes most of the luster away from me. Hauntingly Beautiful is the description I would use for this. Best Song: Wild Horses Rating: 4.5/10 2 Stars

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 sounds like David Bowie singing Tom Waits.

i thought i liked nick cave and the bad seeds but this tells me i was mistaken? could i write poetry to this? n

Look...I just don't like Nick Cave, okay? Please stop trying to make me like his music. I made it through five songs of this before I gave up and listened to "Songs in the Key of X: Music from and Inspired by X-Files, starring David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson: Only on Fox Television: Check Local Listings for Broadcast in Your Area" instead. This compilation includes the only Nick Cave song I kind of like, "Red Right Hand."

I don't think I could be convinced that this isn't one hour long song.

Beautiful warm voice sent me right to sleep. I downloaded to my sleep list of albums.

This is significantly better than all the other Nick Cave albums on this list--as in its actually listenable. Very mellow and somber sounding. This actually makes me thing this guy can actually write music. I might have to revisit this when I have more time to take it in. 4/5

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.

a nicely varied experience compared to the usual Nick Cave but it was heavy and difficult to listen to for most of it

two nick caves a week apart was more than i could handle. was absolutely not feeling this one. 1.5

the best part about this is the album cover and the worst part about it is the rhymey-wimey lyrics. please stop making my brain go "oh oh hoh let me guess no shortage of fools" shortly before that line is delivered because the AABB rhyme scheme is so tortured. I'm not sure why this is on here when the list has other, more formative/influential Nick Cave except that recency bias was probably a huge factor. I get that this is a big departure from past sound but there's a lot of other synth-sweeping music that came before and some of it is already on this list

After listening to 250 albums, I decided to write a comment for the first time to express my regret that there is no rating higher than 5...

Come on, this one guy has 3 albums (so far) in the Top 1001? I call "BS"! The introductory song was interesting, but boring, really boring. The second song, "Bright Horses", was the most played track according to the stats. Dreary, boring, monotone, why, fantastical, those are the words that first come to mind. If you're into spoken poetry over music, this one's for you. Otherwise, this sounds like a fantasy movie soundtrack. I could see fairies and elves dancing in the forbidden woods. WTF, what am I missing? How did this make anyone's Top 1001 except the ultimate Nick Cave groupie? You know that sound at the end of Family Feud when they get the 3rd X?! That's what I want to do right now! One star because somehow 14M people have listened to "Bright Horses".

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.

Aptly named album - felt eerie and otherworldly. NC is just a boss about creating sounds that are gloriously unsettling.

This was a but much, even for me

If someone put this on the aux I would crash

I only ever liked one his records and this ain’t it

Aburridísimo

A masterpiece. Simply beautiful. Was lucky enough to see Nick Cave live a couple of months back and it was astonishing. Bright Horses was breathtaking. Warren Ellis is a star.

How’d he get an AI image generator for the cover in 2019?

I get it. Very emotional and some nice soundscapes. But not the kind of thing I could listen to over and over. Kind of had enough by the halfway mark too.

Really just a gorgeous record all around. I think understanding the context of what was going on with Nick when he wrote this record is essential to fully appreciating it, but even without that context it’s still just a beautiful sounding album. 9/10

Painfully slow and boring

Pretty spacey

Thanks, No thanks. Got enough own problems

Não é meu tipo de música. Mas tem o seu valor. Acho que posso dar uma segunda chance depois.

chato chato chato chato

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.

It’s a perfect album. Lyrically heartbreaking and sonically sumptuous.

Not for me

Okay. Look. I get it. He's been through some shit, and the lyrics and music are clearly shaped by that. That said, this album is dreadful. Overly long tracks, with very dim music, and something aproaching spoken word.Not for me. Somehow this got listed as one of the top albums of 2019? Did nothing else release?

Dull piano, slow, boring songs. Voice is cool. I found myself wanting this album to be over. If I had to choose either listening to this album or being held down in a fire ant bed, I’d pick the fire ant bed. 1001 album worthy: No - 4/7

Raw and revealing, it almost makes you feel like you shouldn’t be listening to it. Beautiful.

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 //

Oh my f God was this a great album. This is the second NCatBS album I've listened to since I started and I'm all on board. I will probably buy this one and it will be in my official at work rotation. I need to listen to it again. I was cleaning while listening and going through so many emotions. Like I said in my other review Nick Cave is someone I've known of for years but had mixed up for some reason with several other different artist none of whom sound anything like this band. I hope I have another 40 years of life left to get to enjoy and celebrate their catalogue and this album in particular. Just as solid as his 80s and 90s.

A sparse album with electronic, spacey feel, and an almost spoken word vocal style. This feels like an album that’s deep, personal, and meaningful, but as a music album it was just okay. All of the songs sounded pretty much the exact same.

Bright Horses has an element in it that reminds me a lot of a James Blake song that was released a few years in advanced of this -- I'll dig it out in a bit. Pretty song tho. Okey sooooo this one falls into a general category that I enjoy while listening, but honestly have no driving desire to dive back into. For some reason the sad old man tone + epic song structures just don't appeal to me. And yet I have no problem with other epic song structure (e.g., Sigur Ros). Anyway, the songs on here are pretty and honestly were very interesting during the listen. I felt absorbed and moved, especially in the second side (chapter?). The songs are often lush with ghost-like qualities derived from vocal delivery, echoes, etc. The result is a beautiful album and I get the appeal, but for me it isn't something I need again anytime in the near future. I'd say objectively this earns a 4, but has low replayability for me.

This album sounds like if trey parker and matt stone were to make a fake album and this would be their go to singing voice. The difference is that these songs are not funny and enjoyable at all. Long and boring listen

Pretty atmospheric. Unique album for sure. Headphones recommended. Interesting that it was more of a narration than singing, didn't hate that! 3.5 for straight up enjoyability with the bump for unique.

An incredibly spooky album with some crazy sound effects and Nick Caves singing style. Felt like I was in a dream the whole time and the album just zoomed by

About halfway in and this album is ethereal af. Hauntingly beautiful. I feel like you need to be in the right mood for this one, but I feel like it would be great on psychedelics. Also seems like a lot of this was sritten after his son fell off a cliff and died. Definitely gives it the sad tone but also seems hopeful. A little long for my liking but I completely immersed myself into that.

not for me. kinda mopey and slow

🎧Mostly mournful crap

This album did not work for me at all. Incredibly pretentious "musicality" that amounts to spoken word over synth pseudo-melodies that sound pretty, but don't actually do or say anything. Maybe this would've worked better as an instrumental album, because I can't stand the Leonard Cohen-esque sing-speak poetry style of lyrical delivery. Complete fail of an album

A very beautiful and haunting album. I've very impressed with the ambient and atmospheric nature of most of these tracks. Dragged a bit sometimes and his voice is meh but very good. 4/5

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.

Such a pretty album. Absorbing it is a slow and gentle process; it almost requires a certain amount of patience. It's wrapped up in its longing and embodies the spirit of grief. Grieve until you can't anymore. Grieve until there's nothing left. Grieve until it hurts less. Ghosteen both gives and takes, trapped in a dialogue of its own melancholy. Sometimes it helps to wallow in that sadness.

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.

He’s very dramatic… but didn’t hate it.

Had to turn it off. Couldn’t do it

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

Correcto

Alright. Collective angst, loss, grief, existentialism, faith, healing, love... It seems silly to say anything about this album at all. From one sensitive human to another, I recognize you.

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

Not the album I wanted, but the album I needed

I like the title and the picture on this album. Kinda perfect for the Halloween season. Sorry this album sucks. I don't do this often, but 1 star

Good album. Melodious and good lyrics.

I am ~100 albums into this weird odyssey. This is the first time I am writing anything. This album just moved me. The backstory is so tragic. Son dies. Devastated father tries to make sense of a child's passing. I felt compelled to write because I know some will play this without context and may miss the brilliance. It's atmosphere and depth. Hollywood could possibly be the most amazing song I have heard in my older years. It's Stairway to Heaven mixed with Dylan's stream of consciousness with pure Nick Cave brittleness. BTW, I was so into it, I listened to Carnage and Australian Carnage (live version of many of these songs). Anyway, I get it if it's not for you. But if you are even slightly intrigued, give it a second listen.

Poetry inspired by "Stranger Things" ... or something.

Ethereal masterpiece, first time listening to Nick Cave and wasn’t disappointed a single bit

Didn't care for it much. Too mopey.

Okay?

Ahora estoy triste

Based on the Wiki article I was really looking forward to checking out something this highly acclaimed. I found it to be a soundtrack for suicide. No thanks.

Not bad, a little morose but I enjoyed it.

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.

Not for me

I would like a refund for the last hour of my life please

Unbedingt bei Kerzenlicht an einem grauen Herbsttag im Keller hören!

Kam raus nachdem sein 15 jähriger Sohn von einer Klippe fiel und gestorben ist, merkt man auch, ist mir zu depressiv.

Vastly different to the norm.

This is an interesting combination of emo, ambient, and songwriting. I wasn't expecting this, having listened to a few Nick Cave albums, but thought it was a good listen.

Very impressed, rather unusual and emotional

Awful, just awful. Horrible voice, horrible music, horrible sound.

While I can see that this is for someone, it's not really for me. This is likely very touching for someone dealing with loss. Nick Cave has a very emotional voice that is backed up by an interesting band/group? that makes a for a very theatrical sound. Almost like a movie soundtrack. There is a lot of artistry here, just more of a performance than an album of songs.

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 for me.

I do like a bit of nick cave, but haven't really listened to many full albums. Id say I liked every track on this, but I found it a bit samey and whilst absent minded listening found one track could have easily been another. Liked the songs but not sure about the full album

Sublime.

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

Moody, emotional, hauntingly beautiful.

Good

Nice synths

Can't stand this artist, everything i hear is whining, not music

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.

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

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.

Excellent album, great writer

The album was a real surprise for me, despite the dark mood I found it varied.

As that other (admirable) review puts it: "I don’t know. It also just all seems silly to say anything about this album at all. It’s stunning." I will only add a few things. There's a misconception that this album as a whole is Nick talking to his deceased teenage son. Cut "Ghosteen Speaks" is about that, sure, and the tragic story of Arthur Cave's death is central to the overall narrative of this indeed stunning record. Yet I believe that what most of those songs are really about is Nick slowly and gently trying to have Susie Bick, his wife and Arthur's mother, return to the world of the living, while passing through all the stages of grief himself. Not that this misconception changes a lot of things. Listening to *Ghosteen* is a harrowing experience, but also a strikingly beautiful one. And if you listen to it the right way, it's also a record filled with faith and hope. Extremely sad, obviously, but also mystical. You feel like you're staying silent next to the characters depicted in those songs while they muse about their past and current lives in front of the sea, a grey overcast sky looming over them as the twilight takes hold. Rarely in the history of music in the last fifty years or so has a so-called "one-note" album offered so many memorable moments like that. The record, which uses minimal input from the Bad Seeds apart from Warren Ellis, also contains two of Nick Cave's most beautiful songs ("Bright Horses" and "Waiting For You"). Which, given his huge body of work, is no small feat. "Galleon Ship" and "Ghosteen Speaks" recycle Ellis's trademark circular loop sound -- already used in "Jesus Alone" on previous LP *Skeleton Tree* -- to great effects. Wordless background vocals abound, mostly performed by an angelic choir. And Cave is a commanding presence just as he takes us into a fascinating maze of melancholic impressions. The "second part" of the album containing the two long narrative songs "Ghosteen" and "Hollywood", linked by the short meditative interlude "Fireflies", is a whole cinematic adventure all by itself. "Ghosteen" starts with Cave using all his powers to see hope on the horizon through an early climactic build-up, before a lengthy, more muted and subdued sequence ensues, showing how fragile hope still is in his predicament. And "Hollywood" cryptically narrates the story of Cave and Bick trying to escape from their unbearable pain on the other side of the world, with Cave recognizing that it's gonna be the place where he's waiting for his time to come as well -- reminding the listener that death will always be around the corner for each one of us, and that it's up to us to make the best out of the time that's left. That closer is in turn ominous and soothing, displaying the sort of obsessive one-note bassline that already sounded so great in that other masterpiece that *Push The Sky Away" was. An ambiguous finale, adding to the whole mystical mystery of the album, where Cave eventually goes full falsetto to convey his most intimate thoughts. Who would have thought the eighties Prince of Darkness was able to convey so much grace? I tried my best here, yet it still feels "silly to say anything about this album at all". It's the sort of record that can't allow you to do anything else while you listen to it. It works in relentless waves, and you either fully yield to them or you don't. Hope there's enough strength and empathy in you to do so Number of albums left to review: 57 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 408 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 234 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 302

This album is heartbreaking. I hope I never have to listen to it in the same place he is. This is probably the heaviest album I've gotten on the list. Masterpiece.

Why is there so much NIck Cave on this list? Totally different in style and vocals.

Wonderful! I want to see these guys perform live some day.

Soaring and haunting. His best.

Heel indrukwekkend album. Is volgens mij een album dat is gemaakt nadat zn zoon is overleden. Je hoort echt de pijn van de zanger. Instrumentaal is het een vrij minimaal album, maar des te meer maken de teksten indruk. Op de latere nummers hoor je sterkere muziek en orgels? Draagt ontzettend bij aan de sfeer van het album. Oprecht had ik niet gedacht dat ik dit album zo vet zou vinden. Ook de stem van Nick Cave is ijzersterk. Wist niet dat een stem zo diep kon zijn joh, crazy. 2e plaat is voor mij net iets te veel van het goede. Merk dat ik er dan een klein beetje klaar mee ben. Maar alles bij elkaar was dit echt een ontzettend goed album! Favo: bright horses, Night Raid, sun forest

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

Not my type of music.

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

Haunting and beautiful. The only downside is that I don't think Cave's vocals quite do it justice vs, say, a Jonsi style. He's more suited to being a dirty dirty man in the vicinity of Kylie Minogue

mehhhhh, feel like this is just spoken poetry over some background music. Might be great, but isn't what I am looking for in an album

Great art made from awful circumstances. At times so open it's a difficult listen. Not much more it feels even appropriate to say, but joins Black Star and other albums where the context is inescapable.

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

I have never been a fan of like the low crooning. I'll say that I wasn't feeling well this day and had a headache, but I honestly just could not wait for this album to end.

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

I like Nick Cave. I don’t understand the inclusion of this album

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

A beautifully tender album, made a pretty difficult listen by knowing the circumstances in which it was conceived. I do tend to prefer Nick Cave's more upbeat songs. They tend to cover his tendency for slightly non-sensical and overblown lyrics, which are exposed on this record. Still, a great album for a melancholy mood.

See previous Nick Cave reviews. Great poet, but I don't care for the musical accompaniment.

Conflicted

I wasn't looking forward to listening to this album and I found the last offering of a double album by Nick terribly painful. This was the exact opposite. Sweet sublimation. Well done Sir.

Rare nick cave case where the backing music was doing more for me than the vocals