Ghosteen

I would have preferred just the instrumental.

149/1001 First listen. This being my third Nick Cave album on the list it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. It all stays in one slow lane for the full length. I don’t really want to be in a place where I’d want to listen to this again. I’m sorry your son died Nick Cave. 4/10

Maybe it's simply Nick Cave fatigue (really, we HAVE to hear FIVE different Nick Cave albums--two of them DOUBLE albums--before we die? But we can skip every Warren Zevon album?!), or maybe it's simply how relentlessly downbeat every single song here is. This was very close to an actual painful experience.

Some of the instrumentals were cool but he was so dramatic bruh oh my god

i understand the sentiment but i dont enjoy listening to this

nick cave is just slam poetry read over a generic audiobook piano Nick Cave sucks but this is probably his best work that I've been forced to listen to.

559/1001 😴😴🌑🌑🌑

Found it too boring to continue it after a while.

He’s got a nice voice, but so full of sorrow

for some obnoxious ‘real music enjoyer’ from like 2006 this would be a life changing experience

Meh cmon man, this shouldn’t be on here, you could do like 3-4 of their 80s albums on here before this

I personally find some songs a little "bering“. The intros are pretty long and many songs sound really similar.

This was kind of a weird one. At first I thought that I was going to like it as the music was kind of haunting. But as it ent on, it became difficult to tell one song from the next…too much of the same thing. Two stars.

bleh. probeert heel erg episch en tragisch te zijn maar komt gewoon ERG pretentieus over. just drags on and on and on

Interesting parts, very depressing. Drags on especially the second disc Standout song: Bright horses

This album is a combination of everything I dislike on songs, specifically the talking. However, the lyrics are deep and a bit thought provoking and when the choir like parts start playing it tickles my brain just right. Being told the story of this album and how it’s different the any other album by him because of a tragedy makes this album stand out more to me. But this album is definitely not one I’m listening to again.

Halfway through this album I was ready to give it one star, and leave it at that. That is until I started actually reading on the of this album, and man... it's downright depressing. I try not to let the context of the album influence my ranking, but in this case without the story the album just doesn't hit the mark. In this album Caves seems to be channeling his inner Leonard Cohen, and not really in an effective or appealing way to me. I thought the stronger songs of the first part were "Night raid", parts of "Sun forest", and "Leviathan", but this is more than offset by how the album feels so much longer than its already too long 68 minute runtime, and how the second part endlessly floats away. Even after reading that songs like "Hollywood" are much shorter than the original recordings, I kept wishing that most of the album had been left off of the studio album. There's a definite disappointment here, and it certainly doesn't make me want to seek out the earlier albums in this trilogy, though I actually did like "Skeleton Tree" when I listened to it a few years back. I feel guilty giving only two stars to this album, especially given how much of it revolves around the untimely death of his son years earlier, and how this dramatically affected the way he approached his music, but this album just didn't do it for me. Did I need to listen to this before I die? No, but I do think this album is a profound statement o loss and grief and others would.

It’s giving slam poetry at a drum circle

that was depressing

not my style

Too spacey n slow. Nice songwriting n that, just not my vibe

I always have this problem with Nick Cave. I really like him as a person, and his music and lyrics can be hauntingly beautiful, but I also find it impossible to listen to except in very small doses. It's too subdued and slow and I feel like I might fall into a coma. It's also quite a lot of the same sound over and over again.

This was long and tedious. Was there a point to it?

Leviathan feels especially self-indulgent on a generally pretty self-indulgent album. We've really been put off Nick Cave, possibly because he has somehow got FIVE albums listed on 1,001 albums, which really just does not feel deserved. Perhaps that clouds our ability to judge this album fairly, but it was not for us.

Call me a basic bitch, but I prefer my music to be less atmospheric. There is nothing wrong with this but it felt like I was watching a slow tv drama musical.

okay o children man let’s go -kinda long -first song ain’t giving me hope -okay what is this it’s giving christian music -BRO YAWNFEST -okay wait galleon ship the instrumental is giving stranger things im lowkey emo this is good im sad -okay this song is beautiful why is it reminding me of stranger things ending im gonna kms -wait ghosteen speaks is kinda good too -wait why is ghosteen lowkey byler and WOLFSTAR CODED LIKE COME ON -lots of lows with a few highs

Honestly the album is beautiful, I am just rarely in a mood for this type of melancholy.

This is Phoebe Bridgers for middle aged ppl

Really truly I do not understand the Nick Cave glazers. Lyrically it is wonderful, yes, but maybe I’m just old fashioned in that I believe music should sound…yknow…good.

It feels a bit glib scoring someone's almost unimaginable grief out of five but I guess that's the task. It's easy to connect with the human suffering and emotions that drive this record while not necessarily loving the music that carries them. The problem I have with much of Nick Cave's latter-day output is that he and Warren Ellis have struck on a mode of composition that I don't think is anywhere as impressive as they think it is. Everything has a relatively pedestrian synth drone and/or loop, Nick intones his lyrics on top in a predictable way and often some tasteful backing vocals are added. For me it just isn't enough to carry the weight of what they're trying to express on this album and on the songs from previous albums written before Arthur Cave's death. It feels a bit mean writing this but yeah that's the task. I liked the change in intensity from the synths halfway through Hollywood.

I was completely whelmed by that. He has a nice voice, but isn't singing about anything I find interesting, or in a way I find interesting.

I think context is very important in understanding Ghosteen. The album is clearly not meant to be enjoyed or to be listened more than once. It’s a heavy album and extremely solemn. That being said, I still give it this score because at the present moment I can’t find much to resonate to, and I guess I’m pretty fortunate to. Though I’m sure any similar experience would really make me open up to this album. There’s some beauty throughout, but as a whole, it was a difficult listen.

Mostly boring though calming and tranquille enough for me to give it a 2. Barely.

Just not for me at the moment.

I like some Nick Cave, but this isn't great at all. It's not bad by any means, but not for me. Usual melancholy, poorly delivered poetry.

👎

Couldn't wait for it to be over. Did not like it at all.

Alas. Did not manage to like it. Too dark and introspective. I know it's the point.

Nick Cave & The Bad Albums. the creation and circumstances surrounding the creation of this album are very tragic, but that does not make it good, at all. Sure, pour your heart into it, but also make it sound good. Just do slam poetry Nick, none of this half singing half talking pretentious nothingness. I'll give you this, the piano sounds nice on some of these tracks, and he manages to create some interesting soundscapes. That doesnt redeem this album though.

Look obviously it’s tragic that Mr Cave lost his son, but this album was an awful listening experience. I just do not like Nick Cave. Please let this be the last album from him list… please list!

Listened to half, boring

Christmas came early for me this year, this is the last Nick Cave album I'll be forced to endure! How is it that f-ing Nick Cave gets 5 albums listed in this book and in comparison, legendary artists like Steely Dan, Pink Floyd and Joni Mitchell get only 4 mentions? Mega-legendary Bob Dylan and the Beatles merited 7 mentions and Nick Cave still gets 5?!! Where is the perspective? It seems to me he got 4-5 too many mentions. It just goes to show you the crappy choices the author consistently made for the book. This album was a drag and depressing to listen to. Good riddance to Nick Cave.

Who would have thought a Nick Cave penned double record about the death of his son would be so upbeat?

Unless you're David Bowie, Paul Simon or The Beatles, you probably don't deserve to be represented more than three or so times on this list. And yet here we are, listening to a third Nick Cave album (and with more to come). This one is hard to judge and rate. It’s deep, heavy and incredibly raw, emotionally. I feel for the guy based on the personal tragedy that fed into the subject material here. But it’s also a hell of a long slog with painfully little dynamism or variety.

I don’t get the appeal

Weird, slower Nick Cave

Coveret ser ut som at da blei AI-generert. Føltes ut som at da aldri tok slutt

Yet another Nick Cave album? Fine, I’ll say it now: Overrated. But…. that voice! He should do audio books.

Feels like I’ve listened to several nick cave albums now. All of them just fine.

I have nothing original or interesting to say about this band. So, instead, I'll just get some thoughts down rapid fire style. -I genuinely don't know any ride or die Nick Cave fans personally, so I have a hard time imagining who this music is for. It's certainly not for me. Nick Caves smarmy vocals make me think of theater kids and REPO the Genetic Opera. -I understand this album was written during a grieving process, but that hardly qualifies this as needing to hear it before I die. -Less than 10 years old, who is citing this album as being seminal or even a standout? Doesn't deserve to be on this list. There are some nice soundscapes on this album but nothing that couldn't be found on soundcloud by searching "Moody soundscape." My advice to the critics writing these books is to get off Nick's jock, leave the man alone. 2.5/5

If you are going through it, this could help you process. But I think you have to be in that mindset to "like" this.

shut up you boring cunt

Weird

Not quite

Someone loves Nick Cave

Excruciating. That's the first word that comes to mind. The music didn't grip me and I found the lyrics to be so annoying. There seemed to be some kind of attempt at doing what Leonard Cohen does, but failing miserably.

As a project this is obviously full of value. But I really didn't want to listen to it today and, frankly, I didn't enjoy it much. One of the few albums I haven't managed to get all the way through. It doesn't mean it doesn't belong on this list, obviously, but just not for me.

So boring. Every song sounds exactly alike. 2/5

Í fyrsta fannst mér þetta fínt en undir lokin var ég orðin sannfærð um að ég væri búin að vera að hlusta á sama lagið í rúman klukkutíma

weird. i didnt like

Too depressing

62% Best: Sun Forest; Hollywood Must-Hear? No

I have to assume this won’t be the only album of his on the list. If it is, they picked the wrong one.

Easily the most boring thing I've ever listened to.

This ambient, elegiac album is heavy and airless, its slow synths and murmured vocals blurring into a weightless monotony as its mournful tone collapses into self-absorption, leaving the listener wandering through a fog that never lifts.

1. zong - 2 2. horzez -1.5 3. uuaiting -1.5 4. Night - 1.5 5. Sun -2 6. Ship - 1 7.speaks -1.5 8. Leviathan - 0 9. Seen -1.5 10. Flies - 1 11. Hollywood - 1.5

More speaking than singing. Poetry put to music. Background music that I forgot was on because it faded into the background most of the time

Not in The mood for it.

I certainly always respect when an album tries to be an art piece but this really doesn’t inspire anything but respect and an appreciation for a few good ideas from me. It’s a lot. And it’s not accessible and I don’t really feel inspired to dig for the key to unlock this one.

Ne mogu ove ala Marjan Ban albume slušati, užas. Glazba je još čak i okej, ali taj njegov glas i naracija mi ubiju volju za životom. 2/5, 3/10

It was okay I understand the acclaim it received but I couldn't hear him over the instrumentals

Nah, I'm good.

i liked this more when i read the story behind it and saw what it was trying to accomplish as a side-a side-b experience but i didn't actually enjoy the experience of listening to this

okay this really shook me, i didn't know what to expect. it's giving church spoken word. it's giving angsty emo drama spoken in weird tone directly into my ears with eerie music following. um maybe if i was in the right mood i would like this more!

Maybe I’d rate this higher if it came along at a better time but I can’t imagine when that time would come.

It was ok to me, i know its got a real sad story behind it but the album itself didnt really connect with me

didn't get it i guess

If you like to hear talking, disinterested sci noises, and unenthusiastic butterfly symphonies, this is the album is for you.

Yawn...

Oh Nick Cave. You are such a tortured artist, especially on this album. It might be a masterpiece of grief, but it missed the mark for me.

Strange. Album seemed to take forever. The vocals remind me of a cantor that Is saying a lot over the music. I think I'm missing the point of this selection.

The lyrics are pretentious trash. Instrumentally I don't mind it. Not sure how to rate this one, if it was just the instrumental aspects I would happily listen to it in the background. However the problem is once he opens his mouth. Subject to editing I will put this as a 2 star .

The perfect threesome for the author of this book: him, Elvis Costello, and Nick Cave. Unreal! Mental!

Honestly thought I'd already gotten all the Nick Cave albums on the list, but apparently not. In a previous review I was like "I generally enjoy Nick Cave" but now I'm questioning that because the last three albums by him that I've gotten (including this one) have been resoundingly meh. This one is not very fun, mostly it's just boring. I'm bored. I get it Nick, but can you make it a little more interesting?

Good lyrics but would work better as poetry

Very Nick Cave. Very orchestral.

2/5 (good singer, but music is slow)

I don't know how to feel about this album. Bright Horses is quite pretty and some of the songs are kinda nice, but none of them are songs I would want to regularly listen to.

Hrozna nuda sorry not sorry

Not my taste

hate it

4/10

kann lowkey nix mit nick cave anfangen sorry. 2.5.

I did not use a private spotify session for this one. Wasn't familiar with this one and was curious what Nick Cave I would get. The music that seems to be made for a speed induced fight in a pool hall on a Tuesday afternoon or the ballads that would serve well as background music for a film?

As a statement of loss and grief, this album does its job stunningly well. I found it agonizingly dour and depressing, but maybe in the right frame of mind I could connect with this. I really really hope I’m never in the right frame of mind to connect with this.

I just don’t understand how there are so many Nick Cave albums on here. I get that he is unique. And no doubt that this one is cool in concept, first album is from the perspective of the children, the second from the parents. Great way of constructing. Unfortunately, the broad brush does not create a complete painting, and the individual constructions that are each song are not that good. Beyond this, Nick’s voice is not that interesting to me. This is one of those classic cases of the “experts” loving something (ie critics) while the customers don’t (ie the listeners). This is widely critically acclaimed, and yet the people on this album journey have voted this as under 3 stars. The simple fact is that this is just pretentious and boring, and it’s why it’s less than average with fans of actual music.

I don't know, maybe it means more if I'm a Nick cave fan, but I just plain don't know him or his stuff. 60/100

Slow and depressing

i'm sorry, this is now my 3rd nick cave album (4th if you count birthday party) and i am really starting to think i really do not understand this at all. i don't really find his music to be compelling or haunting, i just mostly find it incredibly dull and a bore. a pretentious dude droning on for over an hour. not for me.

Have listened to a few of Nick's albums hoping to find more of RED RIGHT HAND, but apparently that recording was an aberration. Reminds me a bit of Leonard Cohen's last album, but he had an excuse - he was dying. This is one long doleful hum - quite funereal.

Gar nicht meins, zu slow/ominös

Not their best. I prefer it when they're more upbeat.

Idk man

It's always hard to rate an album like this that's steeped in so much context and meaning that the actual music is almost secondary. Especially when it's as heavy as this. This album is less an album and more of a therapy session for Nick Cave following the death of his son. While personally I didn't find it to be something I would come back to (this is very much not my thing musically) I feel grateful this exists, even more so than usual for albums on here I don't particularly like. That being said it almost really feel intrusive for me to listen to and straight up wrong for me to rate. Because I have to I'll give it a 4/10 but that's trying to strip the context and the meaning of this album away from it which spits in the face of the whole point of art, I know. But a score must be put and for something like this, I guess that's what I'm going to put.

Spacious and ethereal sounding, devastatingly sad, unsurprisingly given it’s about the death of his son. Not as amazing as critics would have you believe, but maybe you have to be in the right headspace, which I hope I never am.

Atmospheric, weird but good if you’re in the right mood

A beautiful bummer.

Lite sömnigt va

Had to stop listening because I don't want Nick Cave to end up in my daily discovery list... or my nightmares.

I don't know why I didn't like this album, as by all measures I should have liked it. I love this type of music, and Hospice is my favorite album of all time. I don't know if it's personal (mentions of Jesus typically make me shut down after being told regularly I'm doomed to hell as a child and young adult) or maybe it's because the other concept albums I love tend to be more forward in the music side, where this feels more like spoken word with music attached to it. But I must deviate from critical consensus here, and give it a lower score. Of course, the daring to create an album like this always deserves a nod, but...

2 Had a few thoughts on this album, then I read what it’s about, so I’ll keep this brief. I don’t wish the loss of a child upon anyone. I can’t imagine what Nick must have been going through while writing and recording this album, and I really hope it helped him achieve a sense of catharsis that I’m sure he so desperately needed. I’m also happy for him to see that this received mass critical acclaim, though I’m sure that means very little to him in the grander scheme of things. I can’t say this album really spoke to me personally, but I’m probably very fortunate in that regard. That said, I do think there’s something quite profound about the longest two tracks here, Ghosteen and Hollywood. Ghosteen encapsulates all the emotions of this album quite effectively in a 12-minute suite (probably why it’s the title track), and then Hollywood serves as a sort of epilogue from there, with the repeated lyric, “And I'm just waiting now, for my time to come” being an absolute gut punch knowing the context of this album. It’s the kind of sentiment you wish upon nobody, but you can’t help but sympathize with coming from someone in his shoes. I have to imagine for many, Cave included, this is a very situational listen, and in those moments, I hope this helps those that need it.

Unfortunately another one I just didn't "get". Too slow and melancholic for me. I felt like this dragged far more than other albums I've listened to - I checked the time left a lot more than usual.

Beautiful music. Not for me.

My word...Ghosteen sounded like a ghost-town. Yawn!

this whole project would be much more exciting and enjoyable if there was a strict "1 album per artist" rule. I'm sorry for nick cave's loss and this isn't nearly the worst of his albums appearing on the list but i hate his voice, i hate his whole "deal," and i don't know what i possibly have to gain from listening to another 70 minutes of him

Somehow this is my 5th Nick Cave album. I keep hoping it's the last one

Even by Cave's standards, this is a heavy and dark affair. It's more like a gospel album than a classic Bad Seeds album, and sonically, the layers of keyboards and piano, with lyrics more spoken that sung, and very sparse background singing is just too homogeneous, and it makes me feel numb - which mightn't even be completely against Cave's intentions. But I honestly was glad when the album after this with Warren Ellis brought energy to proceedings again, and the next band album actually featured the Bad Seeds again not just in name.

Wel mooi maar heel erg magere Heijn vibes geen goed album voor een mooie dag

Well this was depressing I understand why this album is meant to be sad. I got lost on wiki reading up about what happened - truly awful But even with that understanding I didn't enjoy this album or think that it was any good. Beautiful album cover though I'll give him that Seems that this is more of a personal project to him, rather than something for people to listen to 2 ⭐️

Just kinda nothing?

Some good tracks, mostly moody and a bit boring honestly

Went on too long. Did not enjoy it.

This was sad and beautiful but I fear I won't be listening again. Boring and TOO sad for me lol. 2/5 (personally). Read my music journalism at annasmithwriting.com!

I expected an album of Nick Cave’s vocals would be my sticking point with this album, but i think it’s actually the music. The backing tracks are either so ethereal i drift off and stop paying attention to the beautiful lyrics or its jarring (synths) and actively annoy me. Leviathan was reminiscent of queue of wicker man at Alton Towers so st least retained some intrrest. Ghosteen the song lost me when synths start ed to sound like refugee from a jean-michel jarre song. Although my dislike for those did mean more of the lyrics in the second half made it into through my ambivalence. Overall the album was just background music Sorry Nick it’s me not you.

When I realized this was a very recent album from Nick Cave, I was excited to see what he had in store. I'll admit that this was neither what I was expecting, nor exactly why this was added to this collection, as it's not a strong Nick Cave album, and frankly not that strong an album overall (although I'll admit I must be a tiny minority in this opinion, given the nearly perfect Metacritic score reviews). He seems to be channeling his Leonard Cohen indulgences to a high degree here, and not really in an effective or appealing way to me (and there's some uncomfortable-fitting Bjork/Vangelis-like music too). I thought the stronger songs of the first part (the "children" of the double album) were "Night raid", parts of "Sun forest", and "Leviathan", but this is more than offset by how the album feels so much longer than its already-too-long 68-minute runtime, and how the second part (the "parents") endlessly floats away; even after reading that songs like "Hollywood" are radically shorter than the original recordings, I kept wishing that most of the album had been left on the cutting room floor. I usually enjoy Nick Cave's music quite a bit, so the disappointment here is doubly felt, and it certainly doesn't make me want to seek out the earlier albums in this trilogy ("Push the Sky Away" and "Skeleton Tree"). I feel guilty giving only two stars to this album, especially given how much of it revolves around the untimely death of his son years earlier, and how this dramatically affected the way he approached his music, but this album *really* didn't do it for me. I fear I'm just stuck on a past version of Nick Cave that no longer exists.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

Beautiful haunting music, with depressing vocals.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Dark and depressing.

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

Not for me

A bit depressing and pretentious.

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.

mamma mia che angoscia!

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

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

# 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.

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

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

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

This was a but much, even for me

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

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.

Painfully slow and boring

Thanks, No thanks. Got enough own problems

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?

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.

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

🎧Mostly mournful crap

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

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

Didn't care for it much. Too mopey.

Okay?

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

not for me

Another Nick Cave album ! Really ? This one was easier to listen to than some of the others but I am still not a fan and can’t understand the appeal. However, having said that it was fairly easy listening first thing in the morning so somewhere between 2-3*

I just don't get the appeal. I can tell a lot of care and talent is put in this album, a lot of emotion too, yet it leaves me completely unfazed and it quickly turned into background noise. It does not grab me.

Ok album if in the right mood. Very slow and mellow. Kind of reminds me of something to listen to in a planetarium but with lyrics

Depressing. Did not enjoy listening to this.

The sound of the dreams the BFG uses to knock out insomniacs. Favourite track: Night Raid.

Not his best

somebody too much naval gazing

#288. This album sucks. Start to finish. Look, I get it he made it about his dead sin and all that, and that's fine if that helped him cope, but maybe he should have just had one copy made, and put it on his own shelf at home, and then carried on. 2/5: an extra star because I really quite like the album cover

Too depressing

This is not what I look for when I want to listen to music. I'd probably rate it higher if it was a spoken word performance. But apparently it's "Alternative" or "Rock."

I thought Nick Cave was better.

The world is indeed full of crashing bores.

Kinda slow for me.

It was... boring.

Not my cup of tea

Yet another from Nick Cave. This one more ethereal and seemingly more of a concept that has some profundity to it. But mostly I'm just glad there's no more of him on the list.

I want to love Nick Cave but I just don’t.

boh, particolare, ma lento e noioso. Non da buttare ok.

Really not my cup of tea.

Why is this on the list. His 'music' is not must listen unless you hear it in a movie. Not completely without value so 2 stars

Hey, tu sais quoi? J'ai pas envie de l'écouter. Congé d'album, en plus il avait l'air plate, j'ai juste écouté la première toune. Hey, en plus de ça, il était même pas dans la liste originale des 1001 albums, faque boycott bitch

So many of the reviews are praising the lyrics and I just don't get it. It's so fart smelly you could cut it like cheese. [Verse 1] Once there was a song, the song yearned to be sung It was a spinning song about the king of rock 'n' roll The king was first a young prince, the prince was the best With his black jelly hair he crashed onto a stage in Vegas [Verse 2] The king had a queen, the queen's hair was a stairway She tended the castle garden and in the garden planted a tree The garden tree was a stairway, it was 16 branches high On the top branch was a nest, sing the high cloudy nest In the nest there was a bird, the bird had a wing The wing had a feather, spin the feather and sing the wind [Verse 3] The king in time died, the queen's heart broke like a vow And the tree returned to the earth with the nest and the bird But the feather spun upward, upward and upward Spinning all the weather vanes And you're sitting at the kitchen table, listening to the radio I get it's about Elvis but is this really the tone that you set for a song about Elvis? The fuck?

It's a nice atmosphere, but the overall feel of the album is very angsty and slow. It broods a lot, which is a bit of nick cave, but it seems like it's constantly trying to be edgy, but only in the form of poetry. It's not hitting me in the right headspace today.

Quite a difficult listen. I've listened to it before and it's not something I'd really want to listen to again.

This is the first album after 1001. It's just not my thing. It's dark, moody, melancholy. Long. I guess it's some peoples' wheelhouses. I haven't understood it, yet.

I wanted to like this. Nick Cave typically has a style and attitude that is pretty interesting. This is really a curve ball, and it is the strangest sameyness with it's ambient lightweight almost non-existent music. Maybe there is something deeper in the lyrics that i'm missing, but the musical side of this album is pretty "one note" to me.

I thought I was going to like this more but wasn’t to my taste! I do like a few songs from our nick cave but nothing rlly stood out to me :(

I stopped listening after track 5 - couldn't get past listening to this from my mum's perspective and I don't like crying at my desk on a Thursday morning. Despite the obvious grief in this album, I can't give it higher than a 2/5 as this is simply not for me - my god I am so so so sad.

really enjoy this artist and like the dreamy tranquil vibe but could not get into this album... 4/10

I can't think of a situation in which I would enjoy listening to this, it doesn't sound bad but is just dull and doesn't really appeal to me. 5/10

3/10 - This is some of the weirdest things I have ever listened to. It is extremely chill Christian Rock that does not really go anywhere. So many of the songs dragged on and on and on it felt. There was no build up to anything. And a 12 minute and a 14 minute song for nothing is awful. All in all it was not enjoyable to listen to but in a completely different way when compared to most of the albums I have not liked so far.

Was pretty uninteresting, got pretty bored of it

I’m not a fan of post-Mick Harvey Bad Seeds.

Monotonous

I think I have found the album to listen to when you are having a hard time falling asleep.

Although I don't care for it, this fairytale album is the best of Nick Cave that I've heard so far. It's less self-serving and less performative than his other work. I keep asking myself, what occasion calls for this album?

I appreciate that music is art, but I can't imagine anyone thinking "ooooh ill listen to Ghosteen today" (and I listen to radiohead)

It's a beautifully sad album. I don't think I will ever want to listen to it again.

I do feel bad for the nature of the album however I still couldn’t figure out the greatness of it. I’ve definitely heard worse from him: this was the best album I’ve heard from him so I’ll give him that. Some songs I could listen to again but just not incredible.

More like spoken word poetry than music.

It's certainly a vibe. Just not my vibe.

A bit depressing, well produced

Every Radiohead album since OK Computer has been absolutely amazing. This isn't my favorite, but it's still in a class of its own. I think every single Radiohead album except Pablo Honey is a 10/10. I love Pablo Honey, but it's not in the same league as everything after it. In Rainbows has some of the cleanest, most satisfying production I've ever heard. The "In the Basement" live version of this album is so, so much better than the studio version.

2/29/24. Will see if I'm still keeping up with this on the next leap day in 2028! Unfortunately this album didn't resonate with me too well. I like the vocals and easy going nature, but was waiting for something to progress or change as I kept listening. Not terrible, but don't think it's my cup of tea.

I’m not with this one

I understand it's a grieving album, but that was really boring.

If he didn’t look so badass, people would mock him for this poetry slam claptrap.

The lyrics are way too "woo woo" for me. With each song, Nick Cave's alternative spirituality and mysticism went from bizarre ... to comical ... to annoying.

Relaxing, kinda moody, and extremely cringe

Felt like a spoken word album to me. Not usually my thing. I should probably sit and just read the lyrics to this one - prob enjoy it more.

Too dreary and depressing. Especially given the inspiration for it.

When I worked at Eventbrite there was a small, but loud group of Nick Cave stans who were insufferable. Kind of ruined him for me. 2

The first song was actually pretty interesting. Building a mood, setting a scene for what's to come. It felt like a solid intro piece. But then the next song and the ones to come kept feeling like intros. I kept expecting something to build but it just never happened. So its a great album if you like intros but no body to any song.

Acoustic sad boy music. Did not care for, but respect for Nick Cave.

Leur 17ème album! Un de meilleurs albums de 2019 supposément. Pas pour moi. C'est soffffffft, c'est relax, ça traite de sujets triste (la mort de l'enfant du chanteur), ça vient pas me chercher. C'est astral tout ça.

Track 1: Kinda like the story telling but the beginning noise is kinda interesting and adds a different element to it. Track 2: very somber tone. Track 3: kinda follows the theme of the other songs. I liked the industrial drum start and had good instrumentation. Just very slow. Track 4: another similar song to the album getting the vibe. Track 5: another long slow song. I like the end of the song though when it changes vibes. Track 6: decent song. Track 7: seems like a religious song from the god of the album following a lot of lyrics about Jesus. Track 8: kinda a different song with background vocals. Not bad. Track 9: another long song that’s kinda a slow build. The vibe of this song matches everything else except the long building of the first lyric showing up. Track 10: reminds me of the first track with the vocals. Different vibe compared to some of the album. Track 11: I like the bass of this song. Overall: 4.2/10. I really didn’t like this album. It was very slow for me and I really couldn’t get into it. It also just isn’t really what I like to listening to.

Upon starting this album I had a feeling this would not be for me, at least not now. But it was ok and I was accepting it for the first few songs. By the time Night Raid came on I felt the album was spinning away upward from me and I started to look for an escape. The rest of the album was uncomfortable and I was impatient for it to end. That was the first album, I did not play the second part.

Very emotional and fitting for what he was going through while writing this. Overall not something I would want to listen to.

Very emotional with some good lyrical imagery. Unfortunately it doesn’t feel like there is enough variation between songs, which, combined with the tone and his voice, makes this really drag.

what the hell. i guess the concept was cool but jeez louise, i will never listen to it again. i will think about it though which i guess is the driving point? it felt very self indulgent and long and i necessary but it doesn’t mean that it isn’t good deep down somewhere…

Enjoyed the synths in the first tune, the vocals were painful. Starting to doubt the integrity of this list

2/5 - individually the elements are quite nice and pleasant to listen to, combined this is just some bloke talking over a nice piece of music, not my cuppa.

Sad old man recites poetry. Not how I want to spend my Friday.

As strange as all Nick Cave's music

Uskon Caven kärsimykseen, mutta hänet ja minut on ohjelmoitu niin eri tavoin, että jokin hänen äänenkäyttönsä vakavoituneessa ylidramaattisuudessa valitettavasti vain hiertää. Kun levyn äänimaisemia ajattelee kappaleina, niistä jää jäljelle A-osia ilman B-osia, tai sitten yksinkertaistuksia, jotka on valjastettu kattamaan 4-5 minuuttia (tai 14:12) hidastamalla ne äärimilleen. Tästä huolimatta musiikissa on kokonaisuudessaan jotain kiinnostavaa, jonka vuoksi sille on valmis antamaan mahdollisuuden. Syyllisyydentunne, joka leviää kuin tartuntatauti?

Can't take him seriously. None of the songs were enjoyable, more of a narrative album telling a story over soft backdrop.

meh

I am not sure what to make of this album. It's not very musical. I would call it spoken word art if I had to pick a way to categorize it. There are some places were singing occurs but a lot of it was a guy with a cool voices telling a story. No effort to rhyme. But good imagery from the "lyrics".

2/5 - I don't get it, from what I've read I should be grateful I don't. Some of the sounds are cool man, but they feel wasted on devastation. It gets two stars because some of the music is very cinematic. Fuck this guy's lyrics and voice. I had to skip the first song w/ 90 seconds left. Second song off to a shallow, just learned how to write a story start. I'm going to switch to a different band so I can come back and see if it's just me. Ok so i switched artists for a bit, came back because i hate quitting. Couldn't dig it. Went into some of this guy's older stuff. Dug some of it, but felt like there was just too much in a song. Came back to this album. Fucking boring man. I've had to listen to each song twice because his singing jsut gets me off track. It does not come across as genuine. *This is two albums from Nick Cave that I've gotten in just 12 days, and I gotta say, not impressed by those two. Kind of reenforces the idea that critics have their heads stuck up their own asses. So, i asked myself if maybe my ass is stuck up my own head. I went ahead and looked into some of this band's other works. Some of it is pretty good, albeit drawn out. A lot of it is just downright pretentious. I hope I get another recommendation much later down the road so I can be proved wrong. But for now, no this music is fucking pretentious.

I don’t care for the ambient synths with Cave’s voice. The subject matter is kind of harrowing.

I want to like Nick Cave but his albums are just too slow for my tastes.

2.5 not a fan of the "talking" but like the actual music.

This is one sad guy. I can hear the beauty in this album but god damn is it a bummer to listen to. Maybe (hopefully not) someday I'll be more depressed and this will resonate with me better. Song going on my "1001 Songs" Playlist: Waiting for You Songs Going On My "1001 Albums Savelist" Playlist: None

"Bright Horses" was very enjoyable. "Ghosteen Speaks" was haunting and heartbreaking, but also one that I liked. The rest of it was an ethereal fever dream that would fit in well with some sappy montage from an arthouse film. It meandered. And I didn't really vibe with his vocals not really matching what was going on musically. I'll give it an extra star for simply not sucking.

A bit too melancholic for me

I recognize the talent but it's like sleepy time music

2.5 just not the biggest fan outside of the song they did for the dumb and dumber soundtrack

Over. Rated

The grief in this record is palatable and it is a complete mood sponge - a black hole of darkness that is very understandable - but maybe because I’ve never been emotionally where Nick Cave has been during the time of writing this album - it just completely overwhelms me with unhappiness that i don’t want to listen to it again- it doesn’t help that it’s long and very sparse - which although helps convey with Nick Cave wants to - but it’s not for me.

dark and brooding, but slow and plodding. electronic music with nick cave rambling nonsensically about who knows what? and when he hits a line that he thinks gets through, he repeats that line. tis a shame that i didn’t care much for this album, as i quite liked the last album that i listened to by them, 1997’s The Boatman’s Call.

Giving this 2 stars solely for the musicality and instrumental arrangement. But Nick Caves vocals are such a drag. I don't get the appeal.

Completely not my vibe.

Nick Cave is already overrepresented on this list, we don't need his sprawling 17th album as well.

I'm sorry your son died, but I don't want to listen to this.

I love Nick Cave, but this was just too sonorous for me.

This is sweeping and moving, beautiful orchestration throughout, but a challenging listen. Definitely need to be in like a meditative mood to play it through. Is the album cover a Thomas Kincaid painting? Also, how is this the same guy from The Birthday Party? He got range to say the least lol

too slow - not for me

This was a real downer at my Halloween party. Hey Nick... Boo! 👻👻

4/10 not for me

Epic, poetic and very boring. Was this just the same song for an hour?

Dark. Deep. Not for me

Super dark album. Not what I normally would want to listen to.

mesma coisa, som bem instrumentado, mas vocal chato

Ник Кейв продолжает вгонять в депрессию, но хотя бы вокал его теперь заставляют подтягивать. не моё

Eh

Heard it before?: No Enjoy it?: I will say the vocals and ambience were top notch but not for me in general Favourite song: didn’t have one

I genuinely don't know what I just listened to. The one thing I do know though, I did not enjoy it.

Maybe in the right mood and setting I would have been more receptive to this. I can appreciate the music but it was a bit of chore to listen to.

This is a sad, sad record. If you are in the mood to be sad listen to this record. If you aren’t already sad, you will become sad. It is beautifully sad, but sadly, it’s too much sad for me to want to listen to again.

Sparse. I didn't skip any tracks but i'm never going to listen to this again.

It's pretty and haunting. And I can't see ever listening to this again.

I feel sad

Not my cuppa tea.

This was ok, kinda sad boi, picked up at the end

Really just not my thing.

Had this come out when I was a teenager I would have been all over this playing it over and over. But I am not a kid and this is just fairly depressing for me, a good album but not for me.

I think we have gotten a Nick Cave album before and I'd venture to say I wasn't a fan. This one broke me because the album cover is one of the coolest so far of this entire list. But that's what you get by judging an album by its cover. I skipped most of the songs and found it very quiet and in some ways boring. If I wanted to hear some guy quietly wailing into the abyss I'd re listen to a Cohen album.

Ambiente. Insoportablemente aburrido.

Disappointed. The previous Nick Cave album was fsbulous, but this was a damp squib.

As a fan on the slower stuff, this put me to sleep. I’d call this spoken poetry with some pretty piano and modulation in the background. Not something you’d play at a party, or on a road trip for risk of falling asleep at the wheel, or a friendly gathering for similar reasons, or even a funeral for that matter. Perhaps I could listen to this while I take an afternoon nap, but I’m not eager to.

To me this has very strong theater nerd or art school vibes. Doesn't mean it's bad, 'cause it's not. Does mean that I don't like it. I don't have the patience for this kind of music. And it's long too. Favorite song: Waiting for you

i am legitimately sorry that your son died, Nick Cave. truly a terrible tragedy. there are some beautiful, ethereal and haunting moods on this album. it's the meandering, pretentiously lyricized singing that ruins most of it for me.

I didn't find my experience listening to this to be very musical

only listened to like first three songs, but i got kinda bored. might of been because i was driving home from work and was tired idk haha. but i feel like there are more essential albums in nick caves discography

Não curti nem o pouco o vocalista, não me relacionei com as letras, sinceramente foi um dos álbuns mais difícil de ouvir.

I just don't see the big deal