Reviews (page 2 of 9)
Not much time for a review today! Enjoyed this one - lovely and Gothic
due to exceptional circumstances I'm having to 'vibe review' this based on previous listens in the past, so i might revise it at some point. 'Where the Wild Roses Grow' is fantastic, I can at least remember that.
My first Nick Cave pull. Very interesting, I’ll have to give it another listen, paying more attention to the lyrics. Or maybe I shouldn’t ;)
Thought this was the Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack at first.
Not as good as No More Shall We Part but pretty close.
this listen shortened my life span
There was a homeless guy who would get kicked out of the local shopping center for yelling at people with a guitar.. This reminds me of him. I'll give an extra star for that.
Nick Cave, you are a psycho crazy man. I will rarely be in the mood for this, but after a couple of whiskies, I imagine I may find myself in the proper time and place.
O'Malley's Bar was so bad and dragged on for so long, bringing this down from a 2 to a 1
I didn’t need to hear this before I died. It was “ok,” but tedious, especially the second to last 14-minute track. Whole album feels like a Tom Waits ripoff.
While not the greatest collection of songs by Nick, it does manage to be one of his better concept albums for that reason. The two duets are the highlight of the album. 8/10 [KEEP]
01) Song of Joy - 8,5 02) Stagger Lee - 8,5 03) Henry Lee - 10,0 04) Lovely Creature - 9,0 05) Where the Wild Roses Grow - 10,0 06) The Curse of Millhaven - 9,5 07) The Kindness of Strangers - 9,0 08) Crow Jane - 8,5 09) O'Malley's Bar - 8,0 10) Death Is Not the End - 9,0 TOTAL: 9,00 (90/100) Current ranking: 89/1021
The title of this album should’ve been “Murder Me Ball AIDS” because I would literally rather be killed with malice aforethought by testicular Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome than listen to this shit. Murder ballads are like sports. I know a lot people like them but I just don’t see what it is about them that people find appealing. I haven’t liked any of the murder ballads I’ve heard by artists whose music I actually enjoy, so there was no way I was going to like a whole album of them by Nick Cave. A third of the way through “O’Malley’s Bar,” I was moving my Wi-Fi router to what I hope is a better location for signal strength, and that caused my Alexa to lose its connection to the internet and stop playing music for ten minutes or so. That was my favorite part of this album.
I guess this record sets out what it says in the title. There's a couple of tracks that piqued my interest lyrically, though I couldn't really care for the vocals in any of the songs. I think the writing and storytelling was pretty good, albeit quite violent. Favourite Track(s): The Kindness of Strangers, Lovely Creature Least Favourite Track(s): The Curse Of Millhaven, O'Malley's Bar
Yikes another Nick Cave album on the list and its the same tired old schtick of talking slow and deep.
I mean… this album is just straight up not for me. I was hoping I’d get out of this list without ANOTHER Nick Cave album but no such luck. I just do not get the appeal of this guy. Deep voice?
non non
J'ai trouvé ça très cool, très différents de celui qu'on a déjà écouté de 2019, mais très sympa j'adore les synthé
This is a really carefully woven world of southern gothic. Musically it’s built on wiry guitar and sepulchral organ. The songs range from lush gothic romances to mad Grand Guignol like the curse of millhaven. The album is so carefully created it just pulls you in and makes you part of the darkening landscape
Too dark for me.
Pretty bleak, but still entertaining and darkly funny in places.
Pretty weird
Quite enjoyed sections of it can't believe it had Kylie on it. Liked the curse of millhaven a lot.
not my taste huhu
Song of Joy - 3.5/5 Stagger Lee - 4.5/5 Henry Lee - 4/5 Lovely Creature - 4/5 Where the Wild Roses Grow - 4.5/5 The Curse of Millhaven - 4/5 The Kindness of Strangers - 3.5/5 Crow Jane - 3.5/5 O'Malley's Bar - 4/5 Death is Not the End - 4/5 Well if you wanted an entire album about murder ballads, here's the album for you. Nick Cave is a great songwriter and storyteller where you feel enthralled by the depravity in each of the cases. There's some comedy injected here and there to remind you that this is not something to be worshiped and should be ridiculed. Thankfully they make it interesting because this would have been boring if they just played it straight. Overall: 4/5 Favorites: Stagger Lee, Where the Wild Roses Grow
In another context, like... an open mic or something, this would be something so bad you'd talk to your friends about it after. 'Remember that fucking weird guy who spoke those interminable songs about murder? Worst thing I've ever seen'. But here he is being revered. Don't get Nick Cave, never will.
This is the 4th album by this artist that I've had to review. Only one of the previous three was halfway decent, the other two were various shades of dogshit. The music is painful, the vocals are worse, there is nothing interesting here, nothing that I'd want to hear again. And I've still got the 'pleasure' of one more of their albums to come, based on the information on this site.
Ett speciellt album, lyssnade mycket på Death is not the end när en vän gick bort. Where the wild roses grow är en klassiker. Minns när den gick på MTV när jag var liten, den påverkade nog mig mycket! Det var fint att lyssna igenom igen!
Jag har lite svårt både att sätta ord och betyg på den här musikupplevelsen. Jag kan börja med att säga att den var unik, inte på ett sätt jag älskar men inte heller på ett sätt jag hatar. Det gick bra att lyssna på och var stundtals väldigt mysigt. Jag måste dock säga att jag mest hade det på i bakgrunden och därför inte hängde med i alla texter, som jag tror att hela syftet med albumet är. Jag vill också nämna att jag i mina bedömningar i första hand går på lyssningsupplevelsen ljudmässigt, eftersom jag värderar det högre än texterna. Med det sagt är Murder Ballads absolut lyssningsbart men samtidigt inte mitt favoritalbum. Jag vill testa lyssna på det igen någon dag och se om det upplevs bättre när jag följer med i texterna. Med det sagt blir det inte ett superhögt betyg idag. Mitt slutgiltiga betyg till albumet blir 6/10.
Korten på borden, jag är för trött för att ge detta album en värdig värdering. Min enda relation till detta album är att fadern min äger CD:n sedan släppet så undermedvetet har denna varit med som ett soundtrack i mina unga unga år. Men tyvärr får jag inte riktigt en nytändning vid dagens lyssning. MEN, kommer inte ge detta album lågt för jag vet att Nick Cave är en fantastisk författare o en lustig figur. För tillfället är min hjärna slem o känns i o för sig lite sömnigt likt Nick Caves vocals (på ett bra sätt, en bra sömnig) Kan detta varit min sämsta skriva recension hittills, ja kanske, men någon måste vara det. Hej hej
Hej igen allihopa!! Det är jag, Grabbensomintekollarpåexplosioner! Igår måste jag medge att det var en väldigt svag recension av mig, därför kommer jag idag skriva liiiiite mer!!! WHOOHOO!! Dagens album var Murder Ballads av Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, vilket är, som namnet hintar om, en samling mordballader. Denna typ av ballader var väldigt vanliga förr i tiden då de användes som en form av underhållning. Detta brukar kompletteras av någon slags blues. På det här albumet tar Nick Cave den idén och gör ett helt album av det. Varje låt är som en egen historia, och när man väl tar sig tiden att lyssna på vad han säger blir albumet genast betydligt bättre. Nick Cave har en förmåga att måla väldigt färgglada bilder, och tillsammans med hans mörka röst är det en perfekt match för detta album. Något som dock är negativt enligt mig är att om man zonar ut och slutar lyssna noga på texterna, så blir albumet genast ganska enformigt. Jag tror det är det negativa med Nick Caves röst. Som tur är finns The Bad Seeds, som gör att detta album har genuint superbra instrumentaler, även om det bara ska vara bakgrundsmusik till texterna. Jag tycker även att gästartisterna på detta album är en höjdpunkt. Först och främst vill jag bara prata om att Kylie Minogue är med på albumet..?!? För er som inte har superkoll är det hon som gjorde den kända poplåten ”Can't Get You Out of My Head”, alltså den som börjar ”laaa laaa laaaa la la la laa la la la”. Jag tycker att den parningen är helt absurd i teorin, men låten är definitivt albumets bästa. Hennes röst kompletterar Nick Caves röst och det blir en väldigt fin låt. Nick Cave blev faktiskt nominerad till en MTV Europe Music Award för bästa manliga artist med denna låt, en nominering han för övrigt tackade nej till för att han inte tror på priser inom musik (that’s my goat). Utöver det tycker jag faktiskt att höjdpunkterna centrerar mycket runt gästartisterna. Inte för att Nick Cave är dålig själv, utan för att den extra dimensionen en tjejröst lägger till är så uppfriskande. Jag älskar verkligen låten som PJ Harvey är med på. Nu i efterhand hade det varit otroligt om detta hade kunnat vara ett collab-album mellan dem två. De dejtade jo ändå, så det var inte så orealistiskt. Mina favoritlåtar var ”Stagger Lee”, ”Henry Lee” och ”Where the Wild Roses Grow”. Och som något jag nu säger nästan varje dag: jag önskar att jag hade mer tid att lyssna på albumet, speciellt här, då detta kräver mycket uppmärksamhet. Jag, Grabbensomintekollarpåexplosioner, ger detta album 8.5/10
Oh my god. I REALLY loved this album. It feels right up my alley! I’ll give this 4.5 stars, O’Malley’s Bar kinda took me out of the experience. Why is that song 14 minutes and so repetitive?? I was listening to this song and multiple times thought it was just on repeat, that song should NOT be that long it’s not even a fave of mine on the album I think because of how repetitive it is. 4.5 stars!
spooked/10
Nick Cave is so weird. I have never gotten into him. He’s always been on the periphery. Listened to his latest a few years back and felt like I rendered to dig into his discography to appreciate him. Well here I am on the 1089 journey! Funny, but I just reviewed Alice Cooper’s Billion Dollar Baby. Crazy how the juxtaposition is working, but there’s a lot of Cooperesque theatricality in Nick Cave. A lot of mad circus morbid horror. Nick is far more somber. And he pulls it off WAY better. Idk. I’m up for a bit of it. He definitely sticks to his theme. 4 Boolean: True
3, dark and weird
Rock, Ballads, 1996 -> 3
First time listening all the way through. Not bad.
It drags on and on. It's fine, musically, but very same-y.
Wow! First off PJ freaking Harvey?! That was great. Otherwise, like my son said, a good Halloween album. Hard to envision repeat listen’s outside of a very specific mood.
Good - though need to have a more detailed listen. One to come back too.
Har litt stygga på denne plata. Kan hende at det er for at alle norske genx-artister vil være som Nick Cave her (jeg ser spesielt på deg, Høyem), eller så kan det være at den er repeterende og litt kjedelig. Duettene med Minogue og Harvey bryter det opp.
Herlig! Min personlige favoritt av NC. Snill 5er.
Litt snill femmer her. Albumet er variert, smertefullt og deilig. Stagger Lee er en av de tøffeste teksten i rockehistorien.
Første halvdel er legendariske greier. Nesten en femmer i seg sjøl, men andre halvdel er såpass uinteressant at det blir et strengt poengtrekk.
I didn't like it at first but it grew on me. I liked how dramatic it sounded.
Not my vibe
After an early morning background listen, I'm not blown away. He's got a particular tone of voice which can suit the music pretty well, the idea of a glum ballad is just an interesting one for me. This is definitely for the people who enjoy a good poet singer-songwriter, and maybe people who seek out horrific stories. I'd be a lot more impressed if these were more original, instead being traditional pieces that Cave's working ontop of to prove his mission. It's the most emo record I've gotten so far on this albums generator. Legitimately. I have no need to listen to it again. 2.2/5
Argh, another Nick Cave album. I suspect this will be the same story as my other reviews: Nick Cave is more style than substance. I I don't know... maybe this would have worked better if someone _other_ than Nick Cave sang on all these songs? I'm just spitballing ideas here. Jeez, "O'Malley's Bar" is nearly unlistenable. Nick should be ashamed of this recording.
nope. do not like
Weird, gothic, dark and vulgar, but I kinda liked it. Nick Cave's typically offbeat vocal delivery is pretty unique and a change of pace from a lot of other things I listen to, and the man can certainly tell a story (even if these are all about ghastly murders). Stagger Lee and O'Malley's Bar are just so over the top violent that it's like the equivalent of a Tarantino movie like Kill Bill, where it's so grotesque that it becomes comical. Solid 3 for me.
Eh
The vocal delivery throughout this project was very unique and continuously drew me into each track. Overall, and interesting sound that didn't really catch me fully, but I was pleasantly amused throughout my listen.
Apparently they are 'exciting and innovative '. Really? I found them dreary and boring. The male singer makes little attempt to sing at all. They come from Australia. Please stay there...
What do you call this? Goth folk? I'm really not sure what to think about Nick Cave (other than dark and broody which describes every song of his that I've listened to). I had not heard of him before this list. One of the first albums the list gave me was Abattoir Blues. I really didn't like it. After I ended up liking Henry's Dream, I went back and upgraded Abattoir to "ok", but still don't like half of that album. So Murder Ballads is number 3. I shouldn't like this. The first comparison that pops into my head is Tom Waits, and I've hated every one of his albums that I have got so far. The music seems somewhat Cure like, which works well for me. The combination of incredible storytelling, Cave's voice, which works perfectly for this subject matter, and the goth-like music also fitting the subject matter perfectly makes this a great album. 4.5
i wish i understood Nick Cave. but i don't
Big fan of Nick Cave
Damn, I really dug this
Nah
Very cozy looking album cover tbh
This was pretty all right before the 14 minute long half way mark. Very tired of it after that. Too long for my delicate sensibilities and the absolute miss after miss this generator has proffered up this week. 2 of out 5 for me.
I won't say the music is bad. It's like a psychopathic Tom Waits. But I don't think the world is a better place with a bunch of demented murder ballads. I'll never listen to this again.
when i start signing to myself this is the kind of shit i'm saying.. hard to listen to but also a bit funny wait im kinda into it.. henry lee getting me
Nick Cave story telling at its best. He has this atmospheric sound to his records and not the best voice does spoken word and half singing or simply collaborates. My daughter hated this but I love Nick Cave you can just listen to him and he draws you near
In the long two years I've been doing this challenge I've waited for this album, finally! The Curse of Millhaven is one of my favourite songs ever. While there are about two songs I don't care for the rest are great. The middle section is the best run.
I really don't like this guy's music
creepy. the storytelling here is very impressive and entertaining however
A very long time I was driving around with my partner at the time exploring ghost towns and other abandoned homes. We came across this house in Saskatchewan that was one of those trashed and everything left behind ones. We were discussing, as we often did, what could have caused this abandoment. A quick internet search to see if we could see a local event (closed factory, etc) and we came across a very sad murder in the area. We thought we found a podcast that talked about it, but it was a song. A song about the family getting murdered complete with the background sound of a young child crying her eyes out. I remember wondering why the f that decision was made in production. I had similar questions on this album.
mmmm
Just not my vibe
Weird, violent, bloody, and so so good. This is peak Nick Cave. Love it.
An album that I have played with some regularity since it was released. All the songs are familiar and a wonderful listening experience. What he did for Kylie Minogue's career with Where the wild roses grow was phenomenal, as equally as good as the PJ Harvey collaboration. There are far too many notable songs to mention, but the curse of Millhaven into the kindness of Strangers is the standout. Death is not the End is a great cover 4.5 stars
Containing the hit "Where The Wild Roses Grow" and some more decent tunes. But especially because of the interesting and unusual concept and the composition more worth to be on this list than a few of the other Nick Cave- albums. Very much art. By the way: I was quite surprised how good PJ-Harvey can sing, because her own albums from this list contain more or less screaming. 3,5
Nick Cave coming in hot with more drunk uncle ruining karaoke night vibes. Just dreadful.
Enough with the damn Nick Cave already. The music is decent enough, but I can’t stand this cunt’s voice.
So it turns out if you need someone to sing some murder ballads, Nick Cave is the right guy for the job. Went into this with a bad attitude, due to two previous Nick Cave albums AND that dreck by The Birthday Party, but was pleasantly surprised at the storytelling and the music. Track one was tremendous. This one feels more of a must-listen than the others from Nick Cave and Co. Bonus points for tackling the Grateful Dead standard "Stagger Lee"!
Sounded a lot like tom waits gag. I prefer my murder ballads to be in rap form and performed by eminem. Add star for that sweet kylie minogue song and because its the band i looked up when watching peaky blinders
This is not for me. It's pretty distinctive so I'll give it an extra ⭐because it might be for you.
Loved that this is a storytelling album, made it all really fun. It’s also very unapologetic in its craziness. I just wish I liked the sound more.
Amazing album
Farewell happy feels.
loved the part when Mr. Cave says, "I'll crawl over fifty good pussies just to get to one fat boy's asshole"
Cool but idc
Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds with one of my favourite albums. Killer tracks and for me the sound of that period. 5/5
3.1
This, for me, is the best of Nick Cave. Great story telling, dark, moody, seedy and his voice works perfectly as this late night, bar side story teller. Outstanding.
79/100. Such a well written record, every song is interesting and demands your attention. Sounds dark and mysterious. It really is a violent thematic record. Goes through folklore, myths and so on regarding violence throughout the years. Really interesting topic to be honest. These really are murder ballads.
So far, my only experience with Nick Cave has been these albums where he sounds like Tom Waits-lite. Like, he's fine and all, but it doesn't give any great indication of why Cave is such a big deal in his own right?
Tomorrow I shall kill again, this time in Dungeness.
I've never heard anything like this before. Each track serves as part song and part short story. It's half album and half anthology. While all songs are ultimately about murder or death the changes in musical styles (rock, folk, country, & more) and settings keeps the project from ever becoming stale. Really impressive.
I felt like I was going to enjoy it more than I actually did
Hmm, how to describe? A curious mix of (outlaw) country, folk, with some blues (Stagger Lee, Crow Jane), and ballads. All wrapped up in a theatrical bombastic, production, with front and centre vocals and back-up singers. And a dark sound with lyrics dealing with death and murder (hence the title!) I can't decide if I like it... in places for sure! O'Malley's Bar is a bit too long isn't it. And in some places the humour is a bit too on the nose. Death is not the End reminds me of the Pogues, with the drawling male vocal delivery (post note: it actually was Shane McGowan!) Best track - Stagger Lee, Curse of Millhaven 3.5 stars - but how to round? I'll give it 4 for grabbing my attention!
0/10 listening to it felt like doing a plank if you wanna tell a story make a book dont make a shity song and make your voice deep it wont help the song
cool album art but this was a hard listen
The first song sucks, but overall it’s pretty good. I got into it towards the end.
Una locura
I don't really get into his voice, thinking it tries for drama purely for the baritone depths, eschewing naturalness and musicality. Dude, I want to yell, just sing! I love the murder ballad and enjoy the duets, but not enough to get behind this.
This guy is a marvel. I love everything I listen to. One point off for all the murder.
This was the only Nick Cave I actually owned. There are definitely some great tunes on here, but I think this is maybe the weakest of his albums we've heard on this list. It gets a bit same-y after a while. And his singing bothers me on this one, whereas I like his singing on all the other albums. I used to like this one more, but on today's listen, it really fell flat.
Fucking Cool
It is very possible that I'm in the wrong headspace for this but it feels hit and miss - and worse, ugly without purpose. Cave is clearly going for something Dylanesque here, but in his anxiety to avoid sounding too much like the Man himself - to sound louder, angrier, nastier - he overplays his hand. "Stagger Lee" in particular lacks any of the subtlety of the original, devolving into blind, pointless rage. And yeah, blues and folk traditions and all, but he seems to relish all the raping and strangling and calling women "bitches" a little *too* much. There are several really strong moments - "Where the Wild Roses Go" with Kylie Minogue chief among them - but I'm not following where Cave is going with all of this. Like, what's the purpose of all the misogyny and misanthropy and dick-worshipping self-abuse on "O'Malley's Bar"? If he's being ironic then I don't hear the irony, and someone as smart as Cave doesn't get to easily make the excuse of being misinterpreted. And if he wants the audience to know that he's got a filthy soul then mission accomplished.
One of the most revolting and sickening albums I’ve ever listened to.
This is an excellent album. Fellas seems quite perturb
Way too violent in the lyrics for my taste, but I like the instrumentals. Dark imagery throughout all of the ballads and some imaginative ways for folks to die. But all in all not a whole lot to appeal to me.
Violent, literary, theatrical. The songs themselves feel more like an anthology of gothic bedtime stories read on a cold winter night than actual songs—each one oozing with deplorable characters and colorful settings. While this is not Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds most substantial or introspective release, it remains good fun—an old and familiar companion I return to again and again.
Essay idea: Nick Cave is Johnny Cash...something about the way they both so thoughtfully explore the sacred AND the profane. Imagine dropping your kids off at band camp blasting this shit.
Truly one of the worst listening experiences of my life.
Très bon!
I like Nick Cave a lot but this one just wasn't for me. It's so dark and intense and very little to actually enjoy. Henry Lee with PJ Harvey was my favorite, but otherwise this was just fine. It's an interesting concept but in theory, not very fun to listen to.
I just can’t find it within myself to like him
An absolute beast of an album, and I mean that in a very good way. An album full of murder ballads is bound to be a fascinating listen, and this lives up to that expectation. It also sounds great & interesting musically. What a piece of work!
It sounded to me like what a pirate would sing if he was allowed to make an album. I did not enjoy this one
I really don't like this dude's voice at all
I really like his voice but good lord this was edgy. I know that's the point but I couldn't get past it. I do not want to know about how this guy had a boner as he killed people. Tyvm
I have really tried to like nick cave but I just don’t. 14 min shitty songs are a sign of Narcissism I swear to god.
Class album. Super moody and atmospheric with some killer basslines throughout.
Never listened to this guy, partially because he’s a fucking pussy and partially because I started this before I could. I always knew he was noteworthy though. Anyway, this album! It’s a bunch of ballads about murder. Which is really a nice concept frankly. A lot of these songs are really great, especially on the first half. “Song of Joy” is fantastic, “Where The Wild Roses Grow” is astonishing, “The Curse Of Millhaven” (which is probably my favorite, either that or “Song of Joy”) is incredible. Sadly it falls apart right at the end, with “O’Malley’s Bar” being an excellent example of how not to do a 14-minute song about a massacre, and “Death Is Not The End” really drives home how much Mr. Cave is ripping Michael Gira off, with a straight pull from “Blind” (which is overrated as shit anyway). I don’t know. This could’ve, and should’ve, been way better than it was. 6.9/10
Subject matter was just too macabre for me, but some of the songs were well crafted.
So freaking good. It's not serious. It's a moody cabaret record. Can't wait to spin it again
I'm currently in an electronic-pop mood right now so having another Nick Cave album in less than two weeks is pretty jarring to me. Felt unsettled by the intro, not because of the dark vibes but because of how wordy it is. It's giving Disney villain theme song but without the catchiness, just the storytelling. The duets are probably the most commercial sounding (2.5-3).
tétrico. No em gusto ni la voz ni las melodías
Elegant and gnarled and unnerving. One of his best albums.
An immersive dive into riveting and seductive storytelling from the dark side. “Stagger Lee” is spine-tingling in its graphic lyrics, hypnotic rolling bass line and pounding piano chords. But I’m not sure it’s any more harrowing than the massacre described casually in “O’Malley’s Bar.” Cave and his coterie of guest vocalists sell the material and the Bad Seeds give it appropriate weight. Not the kind of album you just throw on any old time.
I get how this is good but no, it was not for me. Something about the melodrama combined with the subject matter absolutely rubs me the wrong way. Forgive me, but the cheesiness of Old Crow Medical Show comes to mind.
When you hear these albums vs the newer Sad Old Mourning Dad records you realize what's been lost.
мне любовь к песне Henry Lee почти затмила разум, чисто за неё нужно 5 ставить. Но не люби я эту песню с подросткового возраста так нежно, то тут есть о чем подумать реально, половина песен просто ??? Другая половина это красивая. Ладно.
This would have been better as 10 songs about one murder rather than 10 random murders that all sound similar
I would rather do electro shock therapy, than listen to this.
Best Song: Stagger Lee I've mentioned once and will say it again, the author loves some Nick Cave. Of the Nick Cave albums, this is probably the best one (at least so far, I believe I have one more still). It is by no means perfect or even something I will listen to often but Stagger Lee is a great song and a standout that I put on my rotational playlist. 4/5.
Some of the songs are riveting, dark, without an iota of humour. I like those ones a lot. Some of them wallow cartoonishly in bloodlust – those ones are harder to take, but they all have so much craft in them that you can't help but walk away shaken and impressed. (I'm thinking of a comparison case like Warren Zevon with "Excitable Boy" – love Zevon, but the dismissive loucheness of the "he raped her and killed her" line is trivializing and off-putting, compared to Cave who grabs you by the jaw and makes you look into the heart of darkness.)
Interesting concept idea after reading about it. But, I’m reviewing based on music and ability to listen and enjoy.
Surprisingly enjoyable
Love the Kylie feature
#392/1001. Angry Nick Cave gives us songs about murder after giving us song of love a few years earlier. Some are classic Cave, others almost cliche Cave. But the duet with Kylie rules. Not my favourite Bad Seeds album though.
Heard it before. A fantastic album. Love that Kylie Minogue and PJ Harvey are there, they add something interesting to the songs they're on that Nick wouldn't have been able to do alone. Where the Wild Roses Grow is so cinematic I thought it's a song from some movie whenever I saw the music video on TV as a kid. 5/5
Nick Cave has been added to my 1* club. Not only should he not record music, the people who put him on this list shouldn’t interact with music in any way. They are war criminals.
The more I listen to Nick Cave, the more I like Nick Cave.
A 14-minute song? No. The songs featuring other artists were okay. 2.5
4.5
Naaa mate
cinematic, creepy, bold, creative, weird, dark, theatrical, provocative, macabre storytelling.
I really did not enjoy this. A few small moments that saved it from being a one star, but not by much. 2/5
This was a wild one and the most Nick Cave thing I’ve ever heard that I had no idea about
Awesome discovery!
***an ok album
Not for me. 1/5
Tää on just sitä Nick Cavea mitä sen aattelen olevan. Teatraalista, tarinallista, semmoista 1850 - 1950 hajuista rokkia. Vähän kuullostaa et jazzia olis kanssa mukana. Mää tavallaan tykkään tästä tyylistä ja pidän sitä siistinä, mutta sit kummiskaan nää kappaleet ei sillein ihmeemmin iske. O' Malley's Bar alko menee jo ihan vitsiksi. Parhaat: Where the Wild Roses Grow, Song Of Joy, Death Is Not the End
Only Nick Cave could release an album called "Murder Ballads" and have it be one of their funniest albums instead of one of their darkest. It is dark of course, with many fictional characters dying across these songs. The subtlest songs are the best, the ones where the story is open to interpretation: think the opener, "Where the Wild Roses Grow," and "The Kindness of Strangers." But much of this album is also overblown and knowingly goofy. On "Stagger Lee," it really works. On the overlong "O'Malley's Bar," it mostly doesn't, and the killings almost get boring by the end. I appreciate that this is an eclectic album, with some true ballads as well as rollicking rockers. But I wish there was a little more intrigue on some songs instead of protagonists who just walk around shooting everyone. That, plus a few weak songs, keep this just under a 4.
not my thing wouldn't say its the worst but man uff. every track remind of a some old school movies somehow
Shocking, violent, sometimes humorous, one of Cave’s best.
These seeds sure were bad
Unfortunately not my cup of tea
Not exactly the vibe for morning coffee, but there were a few songs I enjoyed on my commute. Wish "Red Right Hand" was on this one.
Absolutely fascinating album. While the music itself was technically probably similar to quite a few things, I was still left with the impression that I've never heard anything quite like this. Loved it.
Woah! I really liked this one. It kind of petered out by the end, but the first half is super strong.
Absolutely brilliant. Every song a perfectly crafted piece of awesomeness
I got through the first two songs, then bailed on this one. I like a few of Nick Cave's songs, but I just couldn't stand this at all. He just really doesn't nail that "talking stories along with a musical track" thing the way Leonard Cohen does.
Nick Cave is a great artist and I love a lot of his music. I hadn't heard a lot of these songs but now I have a bunch of them added to playlists to come back to. That being said its definitely music that I can only listen to if I am in the right mood from the start. But when that time comes again there is nothing better.
liked it, cool concept but a bit freaky/psyched me out
Nick Cave is in an infinite battle to out Nick Cave himself.
No lo disfruté para nada, en serio intenté escucharlo bien, pero no pude
That guy should stick to singing in the shower.
All good, clean fun. Coulda been a classic, but some of the slower songs are a bit underwhelming. I prefer the bloodier ones.
Nick Cave and his band make genuinely great music, and it's always hard to give them a low score, even if it doesn't always completely resonate or keep me riveted the entire time. I wanted this album to be something I liked more, but I think an entire album of Murder Ballads is worse than an album with only a few and then other songs that can better show different emotions, as they even accent and give more power to the Murder Ballads. Therefore, I'd personally maybe give this a 3.5, even, but I have to round up to 4 stars, at least for this scale. I will say that the colaborations, particularly the song with Kylie Minogue, PJ Harvey, and Shane MacGowan.
Interesting voice - quite like the melancholy - decent album - a solid 4
Not his best
Another artist where I just don't understand the obsession held by the book's editor. Cave is a very good poet but I don't think the music is that extraordinary, certainly not sufficiently to be featured SIX times. I'm proud of the fact that I have got through almost 900 albums without skipping a track but the 15 minute dirge of 'O'Malley's Bar' really, really tested my resolve.
Wanted to to kill me. It didn’t.
Nick Cave assembles a very spooky set of songs here. Effectively conveying the horror of murder. Definitely the right guy to make an album like this. The guest appearances were really appreciated and added to all the songs. Especially liked hearing Shane MacGowan on the closer. Favorites were Henry Lee, Where The Wild Roses Grow, The Curse Of Millhaven, O’Malley’s Bar, and Death Is Not The End.
cool
Not really a fan of Nick Cave, he's all theater. Duets are better, but that's because those singers are better. It might just be me, but it sounds like he's singing out of tune and mostly spoken word, not really my thing. Its like he's trying hard to be Tom Waits, but just the songs, sonic qualities, etc just aren't at that same level.
Now I'm unsure if I've listened to the whole thing before. Definitely the stand outs are Kylie and PJ Harvey.
This album is certainly interesting, and the stories make for an entertaining listen. The whole murder-ballad concept is unique, and there are moments where it feels more like a collection of dark short stories than a traditional album. The problem for me is that, taken as a whole, it's more strange than enjoyable. There’s nothing bad or wrong about it, and I can appreciate what it’s trying to do, but I just can't imagine a situation where I'd think, "Oh yeah, let's put on Murder Ballads." More than anything, this album reinforced the idea that I'm probably just not much of a Nick Cave fan. I respect it more than I actually enjoy it.
ugh please stop
Everyone who might or might not be following me will know that regardless Nick Cave albums are going to get 5 stars. This one deserves more, but since we can only give 5 it is going to get 5.
interesting
Hey list man, I know you have a thing for Nick, but it doesn't matter how many times (1 is too many) you put him on here, he does not get any better.
This guy deserves more than one spot on the list because…? Might I recommend So Runs the World Away by Josh Ritter?
Hated the first 4 songs. Then it got a little better. Had to skip a song with weird moaning in it - O'Malley's Bar. Death is not the End was nice. 3.5 stars.
Wore this record out when it came out. One of my favourite album when I want to go to the dark side.
Ballads-only is boring
This album was very good. Still not used to his music and way of singing, but it's so influential, and this album has some great collaborations, most notably with PJ Harvey and Kylie Minogue. Would listen to it again.
Its like a Leonard Cohen thing. Not for me. Not interesting to me at all.
So cool
I'm probably broken. By no means perfect, but I found some strange comfort in this record which sort of feels like a direct sequel to Henry's Dream. My only real complaint is the vulgarity. Not that it's there, that's to be expected, but in how it is used. It's slightly juvenile.
Quite jarring on first listen, especially without context and when youre unsure what to expect. Second time round when I realised what the concept of a murder ballad is I found it quite amusing. It's weird and vulgar, and I probably won't listen to it again, but it's also kinda good? Light 3 for me
I’ve heard this before and I own it. I’ve always been fascinated with murder ballads; it’s so distinctively american that one of the most popular music genres of the early recording era was about killing your lover. I also love Nick Cave though I get tired of his gloomy piano ballads. This is maybe the last bad seeds album until dig Lazarus dig that isn’t mostly gloomy piano ballads, but there are many gloomy piano ballads here. The interpretations of stagger Lee and Henry Lee are great (especially with pj Harvey’s vocals on Henry Lee) and O’Malleys bar is disgustingly beautiful and somehow doesn’t drag on even though it’s like 15 minutes long. The overall gloom is a bit much which is why I’m not giving it a 5, but it’s a great album.
This was the first Nick Cave album that I ever listened to, and for a long time it was my favorite - both of his and in general. As I have gotten older, my tolerance for this sort of thing has waned considerably. It's still pretty solid, if you like that sort of thing, though.
I like Nick Cave so I enjoyed a lot of the songs on this album. Def one I will revisit
evil evil stories
Liked certain somg but not a huge fan of it in it’s entirety Standout: stagger lee and wild rose
Weird and cringe
I couldn’t finish it
Really enjoyed 'Stagger Lee'
Yikes. So far the most hit or miss album I had. I had high hopes for this; I always appreciate an artist that tours as relentlessly and as thoroughly as Nick Cave seems to, it's like I have the opportunity to see him every year or so relatively close by and that's saying something considering I live in an area that's typically very dry in terms of popular western touring musicians. That being said, this really did not impress. While I did enjoy some songs such as Curse of Millhaven and the duet songs with PJ Harvey and Kylie Minogue, the other ones really did take me away from this. Take O'Malley's Bar: a more than 14 minute song which seems forced the entire way through, not to mention the gibberish at the end of it which I don't consider to be very cool for a group's 9th album (more if you count previous bands) and a man that was near enough 40 years old when this album came out. Not an album I'd consider necessary for this list considering how many other entries this group has, especially and hopefully if any are better than this one.
Pretty good. Didn't care for the cover of Stagger Lee.
Even as a long-time Nick Cave fan, I will readily admit this collection has *far* too many of his albums, but if it helps any this is probably his best, and could easily be the only Nick Cave album you really need to hear before you die. That's no guarantee that everyone, or anyone for that matter, might enjoy his brand of gothic gospel--admittedly more bluesy on this atypical album, I suppose--but this album packs it all in, and it's a fun one to revisit. I've always enjoyed nearly all of the tracks on the long disc, but if I had to choose, my favorites are the opening pair "Song for Joy" and "Stagger Lee" (the latter with a great video), "The curse of Millhaven" and "Crow Jane"; I also enjoyed the weird sort of tangents in the Kylie Minogue duet of "Where the wild roses grow" (not a great video, though, and kind of weird that this album represents her only appearance in the entire collection), and the Dylan cover ensemble "Death is not the end". Funny to read, too, that he and PJ Harvey were partners at the time of the album; what a strange pair they must have made, with Harvey playing dulcimers and Cave screaming "All God's children gotta die". (Speaking of which, check out the excellent Cave-written/-scored film "The Proposition" for some serious murder-ballad vibes.)
Stagger Lee was great, the rest was okay, except for The Kindness of Strangers which bordered on bad taste.
Not really "my cup of tea". The subject matter was a little off putting.
Another Nick Cave. But this Nick Cave is Mr. Angry-Eyes Nick Cave. He still sounds like Leonard Cohen to me but this album is the better of the three on this list so far(Abattoir Blues & Boatman). I don’t know if three is necessary, but I will probably repeat this sentiment for the fourth. Come on, we know there will be another. I will say that this album had some big differences. This had more collaborations, culminated with the song-a-long Death Is Not The End, which was weird. Stagger Lee felt like he had been possessed by Gary Allen Coe (known for his country and shock value profanity). This album was more upbeat which once again made it feel like Leonard Cohen. Song of Joy started strong and just felt long after a while. I think my key track was Henry Lee with PJ Harvey, adding a nice contrast between their voices. I won’t come back here but I didn’t hate it. 2/5 with the PJ and Kylie .5 extra credit each….
Random thoughts: * This is what a Quentin Tarantino musical would sound like. * I didn't quite follow the story but I could really tell this was trying to pull it altogether. I might be inclined to go back and figure this one out. * The guest musicians, Kylie and PJ, definitely added a bunch to this record. * O'Malley's Bar was the peak and of the story and Death is Not the End was a pleasant denouement. * I probably won't pick this one up again but this was interesting enough.
Qualla
Another amazing album I'd been stupidly dismissive of in the past, this goes hard. Saw him live about 15 years ago and it was mindblowing, that was when I realised I'd made a huge mistake in not listening to more Nick Cave before.
Unique and poetic more of a statement than music
As much as I like the concept and all the fine work on this album, I must confess that it really didn’t grab me. It’s nice. Was hoping for something more.
The way this started I thought this would be a mix of Tom Waits and Elvis Costello -- but actually, it's really good! I particularly enjoyed the features from other vocalists, they really enhanced the existing sound. Honestly, it's a surprise it took until the 686th roll of the dice to get these guys, seeing as they have five whole albums on this thing.
Amazing
Enjoyable but they have better albums
Mmmmmm so good
the atmospheric-est
Kind of nuts. I've listened to this a bit before. This time it struck me how strange the whole thing is. Obviously the lyrics are insane and intense.. But I guess they're deliberately focused on the extreme and depraved. The vocal delivery is really something else. Even the instrumentation is a really strange mix of folky and theatrical and a tiny bit rocky. It's all just very intense. It kind of works I guess. I couldn't listen through it every day.
Brutal, graphic lyrics and mediocre vocals that overpower any musicality. For someone who had a coffee table book "Encyclopedia of Serial Killers", not impressed. Zero stars
This album excels when the track has a guest vocalist. Nick Cave vocal style really doesn’t appeal to me save where it is contrasting with PJ Harvey or Kylie, even if these tracks just make me think of the Shirehorse’s versions (long live Mark and Lard). Other than these ‘The Curse of Millhaven’ at least offers some life, but does kind of feel like they’ve just sped ‘Henry Lee’ up. ‘The Kindness of Strangers’ isn’t too bad.
My only knowledge of this album was the duet with Kylie Minogue, which I like. That track is very much the vibe of this record - moody, atmospheric, and largely enjoyable. “Stagger Lee” was certainly something from a lyrical perspective, while “Henry Lee” is, quite surprisingly given PJ Harvey’s voice, a weaker version of “Where the Wild Roses Grow” - the standout track of the album for me, along with the juxtaposing “Lovely Creature”. The second half of the album isn’t as good as the first, making it feel even longer than it is - and the first half was already long enough.
I think Nick Cave may be starting to join my ever growing list of 'objectively terrible singers who I weirdly don't care can't sing for reasons I can't quite define'. I get why people wouldn't enjoy this, but I kinda did (apart from the Dylan cover, which I thought was an abomination). There is a slight issue for me though. Mark Reilly, ex-bassist of The Fall, and Mark Radcliffe (of BBC Radio fame) had a parody band in the 90's called The Shirehorses who "covered" two tracks on this album. On hearing Henry Lee, I was instantly stuck with the lyrics to Franny Lee in my head - and so instead of the brooding lyrics of death I was mentally singing a song about the relegation of Man City football team in the 90s: "Going down, going down little Franny Lee, Down to division three, With only one lad who isn't half bad And that's little Georgi Kinkladze" Away from that, I obviously loved Kylie's appearance on Where The Wild Roses Grow which was a surprisingly big hit in the UK. Lovely Creature is great and I really enjoyed The Curse of Millhaven (despite some of the worst examples of Nick's singing and it basically being an upbeat Henry Lee). I liked this better than the previous Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds album, I think because I enjoyed the story telling, but not enough for an extra star, so: 3/5
In your face lyrics of poor relationships and a ballad voice didn't resonate with me. Didn't start well when stagger lee played and he was yelling about what he was looking for
I'm so tired of being forced to listen to this guy by this list
5 - AVERAGE
4.5
1. joy - 1 2. lee - 1 3. henry - 2 4. creature - 1 5. rozez - 2 6. curze - 1 7. ztrangerz - 1 8. jane - 1 9. bar - 1 10. death - 1
A good album, I liked Where The Wild Roses Grow the most.
5.5/10
Instant favorite songs in there
Dark, intense, poetic.
Tämän hommasin levyn ilmestyttyä, eli löytyy omasta levyhyllystä. 90-luvun loppuun saakka tuli kuunneltua jonkin verran. Levyn paras biisi on Kylie Minoque duetto ja tykkäsin (ja yllätyin) että levyn viimeisellä biisillä laulaa muiden lisäksi The Poguesin Shane MacGowan.
Seriously, what's Nick Cave's deal? Awesome storytelling, great musicality, compelling voice. But why hell is it all so disturbing? And no, the closing song does not give this listener a glimmer of hope, if that's what he was going for. I could go anywhere from 2 to 4 with him, depending on mood.
The lyric are poetic the themes are dark.
Dislike
Not for me, sad, creepy…not my my thing
3.5
Sounds like Bob Dylan if he had schizophrenia and lived on the streets spouting non sense
I was like "why are all these songs about killing people?" Then I reread the album title.
I listened to this album in a few different sessions: on my drive to go get lunch, as I sat eating my disappointing chicken, as I drove home, and as I sat in my car int he apartment complex parking lot. Somehow, even though the album is literally named Murder Ballads, I was still caught off-guard by just how murder-y this album was. I was immediately struck by its gothic and dark tone, sounding like a Dark Souls boss fight with its near-orchestral sense of scope and tone; Nick Cave's dark and gravelly voice mixes with the spooky piano keys to complete the incredibly foreboding vibe. Cave's knack for character writing and unsettling storytelling is immensely captivating, especially when he sings over instrumentals that sound like a country rock hellscape. Apparently, murder ballads are actually a recognized subgenre of classic folk music; I have heard similar songs before, but I never realized that they were an entire scene unto themselves before this album. These arrangements sound like traditional blues rock with sweeping orchestration and howling winds, which mix with background vocals like a ghost choir; in the best way possible, Murder Ballads feels like I'm wandering around an R-rated Haunted Mansion or sitting around a Tombstone saloon. Even if some of these songs aren't my favorite things in the world, I still respect Nick Cave for realizing this highly violent concept at its furthest possible extent; when he pulls it off, he absolutely kills it. Highlights: Song of Joy, Henry Lee, Lovely Creature, The Curse of Millhaven, Crow Jane, O'Malley's Bar, Death Is Not the End
Hate
To those who don’t acknowledge or won’t accept their inner demons, or that Nick Cave is a bad MoFo, go to Hell. Five stars in this life and no matter where I end up afterwards.
please don’t make me listen to this shit ass band e ever again
Не фанатею от пения в стиле Том Уэйтса, за девушек на фитах округлил в большую сторону
Впечатлил меньше, чем госпел-рок их двойного альбома, но все равно круто
Какие же на этом альбоме ебейшие фиты. Две песни с PJ Harvey, великая песня с Кайли. Ну и финальный кавер с самым красивым мужчиной Шейном Макгоэном. Крутой альбом.
Ну норм, понравилось больше чем прошлый их альбом в этом челлендже - во многом из-за женщин и 14минутной песни, но все еще далеко до их любимых мною записей
Как же приятно слушать Ника Кейва
интересная подборка, причем и музыка и вокал приятный, 4
Very interesting.
Weird album full of murder ballads like the title suggests. Very enthralling though.
6/10
Nick Cave is one of those artists I’ve always meant to check out but never really have. I enjoyed this a lot.
Oh nee Nick Grot komt je halen
Een mooi album vol met vette ballads. Niet mijn fave van Nicko maar wel gewoon goed album
Peak Nick Cave. Een conceptalbum waarvan de titel niet duidelijker had kunnen zijn dat dit. Murder Ballads kent 10 murder ballads. Zijn ze alle 10 perfect? Misschien niet. Maar ik zou avonden lang kunnen luisteren naar de lugubere verhalen van een deranged Australiër die na zes drankjes op de avond onaangekondigd losbarst in proza.
The Kylie Minogue duet was nice, but it's my second Nick Cave album and I'm already wondering why he has so many albums on this list.
5 stars for the duets. Heads into 'cheesy' territory quite often but we'll let 90s Nick Cave get away with that.
4- Stars (10/15)
Cave's darkly humorous "Murder Ballads" is a theatrical exploration of death, violence, and folklore. Cave masterfully weaves storytelling with creative musical elements.
Nick Cave is so bad-ass and I loved this album, listened to it twice. Five stars.
I was a bit undecided on this one. It definitely kept my attention, but I probably wouldn't rush to listen to it again. I actually thought I'd like it more than I did. Nick Cave is clearly talented, but I don't think his vocal style is really for me. The album's concept is clever, and I don't have any issue with the idea of a collection of murder ballads. In fact, I think the storytelling is one of the stronger part of the album. When it works, it's genuinely engaging, although there were a few moments where it came across as a bit too theatrical or even a little cringey. The highlights were easily the duets. "Henry Lee" was probably my favourite track—Nick Cave and PJ Harvey's voices work really well together. I've also got a soft spot for Kylie, so "Where the Wild Roses Grow" was another standout. Honestly, I wish there were more duets because they were the best part of the album for me. "Stagger Lee" was... bizarre. I'm still not quite sure how I feel about it lyrically. I was reading some other reviews afterwards, and someone described Nick Cave as sounding like a Disney villain, which genuinely made me laugh—I can kind of see what they meant. Overall, I can appreciate the ambition and the storytelling, even if the album itself didn't fully click with me. It'll be interesting to see how I get on with his other albums. This one just wasn't for me.
Es steht drauf was drin ist.
Welp that sure was a whole album of Murder Ballads. Best track is the Bob Dylan cover at the end. Second best are the two duets. Idk I feel like I should have liked the campy over-the-topness of this more than I did but it couldn’t shake a feeling of self-importance that made it hard to actually enjoy.
A little creepy, almost sinister, with a bit of levity on top.
I listened to a lot of Nick Cave before and after this album, but never this one. It was fine, but for me unhinged Cave is the best Cave and there wasn't quite enough of that.
Oh great, another one. There’s millions of artists out there yet Nick Cave is on this list again. Somehow or someone thinks he is a better artist than even the Beatles. I highly disagree. This is still just poor poetry over top of half assed music . I’m disappointed that I’ve been forced to listen to Nick Cave more than twice. He and his albums are not that good
5/10 Catchy at best a little cringe at worst.
Décidément, Robert Dimery aime beaucoup Nick Drake. Et toi qui a décidé d'écouter les 1089 albums, tu vas en écouter jusqu'à-ce que tu aimes aussi, mécréant ! C'est donc le troisième que j'écoute et je dois admettre que même si j'aime pas trop cet artiste, il a une carrière plutôt intéressante, puisque chacun des trois albums étaient totalement différents les uns des autres. Si j'ai bien compris, celui-ci est l'un des plus représentatifs de sa carrière. C'est un album plutôt glauque, qui traite de meurtres en tout genre, souvent assez sordides. Je dois admettre que l'atmosphère sinistre de l'album marche très très bien et chaque chanson est plutôt variée. J'hésite encore entre un 3 et un 4, je suppose que je déciderai ça demain quand je pourrai mettre ma note.
10 horror driven bed time stories delivered by everyone's favourite evil uncle.
If you like this stuff, I guess it's great. It was probably a real shot in the arm in the mid 90s when everyone wanted to be Soundgarden or TLC but that's not the only thing going on here. There's also this stripped down sound and overwrought writing and singing that might tickle your brain but it's just too much. Too much. It just wears on you. By the time PJ Harvey showed up (on the THIRD TRACK) I was like, oh god some relief. And it's an hour of that wearing on you. I don't think I enjoyed my time here at all. I said elsewhere that Nick Cave never did it for me: too theater kid, something I narrowly escaped. This was the first album I tried way back when during my attempt to Give Him a Chance. Still don't care for it. Not sure if this album is good and I just don't like it or it's annoying and I'm justified, but the middle third basically saves it from relegation. Would've made a good EP, probably.
3/5 Paar gut, paar nicht so Best: Where the wild Roses grow
A strong 3 stars. Goth and bizarre. 👍
I love Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, and there’s some of their discography that should be here but this isn’t the one for me. Still a good album, still some standouts. But not my favourite, and not a must listen.
2.5 Idk man there’s just too many Nick Cave albums on this list. Idk if this is actually the worst one, I’m just tired of getting Nick Cave albums. We get it, guy who made this list, you like Nick Cave. Is there an argument for one or two Nick Cave albums? Absolutely! He IS important to music, and is well respected. Do all his albums, plus albums that he appears on, plus albums where people cover his work, plus albums he produced, plus multiple albums by the people in his band, do all THOSE also have to be on this list? It gets a bit silly, doesn’t it? The songs with the ladies are the best ones.
nick cave is a right wing asshole. a right wing asshole who makes incredible music.
This is perfect. Can't put my attention away. -0,4 for the grunting in O'Malleys Bar, wtf
I love Nick Cave. His imagery and characters are always so vivid. I would hate to be inside his mind.
I'm sorry, but I just can't take Nick Cave seriously. I was impressed with the really low note he sang at the end of "The Kindness of Strangers" though.
Heavy handed storytelling performed by a community theatre performer that takes themselves way too seriously. I really like some Nick Cave songs but wow this was a chore
Very good and very disturbing
Väldigt bra texter. Musiken lät välgjord och konstnärlig, dock kändes den för mycket "samma" i många av låtarna. Svårt album att viba men den stark verkshöjd.
I'm trying to get what Nick Cave is putting down as this is my third album from him and am still put off. My take on this one is he is intentionally making the juxtaposition of the clean rock band sound and his unstable off putting vocals represent the murders in the stories. I think he himself is the discordant nature that upsets the rhythm of life (the music) and that is kind of interesting from an artistic point of view but I still don't like listening to it very much. I'm glad to have heard it cause it informs me on music in the future but I would not go back to re-listen without external reasons. The instrumentation is solid and I would rate it higher without the singing but I'm also just not a "Ballad" kind of guy.
Couldn’t get through it, just not my thing.
I really do not like Nick Cave.
Really really good. The songs felt so tense and nervous. Great energy throughout this album.
As a long-time Nick cave lover, it pains me to give this but a four. However, I don't quite like it as much as some of his other albums. For me, Cave has evolved quite a lot from his Birthday arty days (too much for me), to the Good Son (etc.) days (sweet spot for me) to almost too goody-goody style - still quality but just not the Cave I signed up for. This album undeniably has great song-writing and the duets work - of course PJ is always good IMO, but even Kylie Minogue doesn't bother me and that's saying something. Not sure about all the lalala-ing. Cost him a point.
Surprisingly fun. Really enjoyed Stagger Lee, and I was shocked that O'Malley's Bar was almost 15 minutes long - it kept me engaged.
nick cave - muss man mehr sagen? dūsteres thema.
Nick Cave liefert! Was für ein grossartiges Album.
Too musical theatre for me unforch
Why do people like this?
I love the guy but the music is just mostly not listenable.
I tend to cut Nick Cave a lot of slack but this is intolerably grim.
Honestly just weird? It just skates past a 1 rating because it isn't unlistenable, but just not my cup of tea. I also take pause about someone who can find so many ways to sing about killing women but ok
No
I’m pretty sure no album needs more than one gruesome murder ballad. Two tops. Didn’t mind the melodies and quite enjoyed Nick’s inimitable voice, but every time I focused on the lyrics someone was getting their head stoved in with a rock or suffocated with a plastic bag. The Kylie duet is great though. Mixed thoughts on this.
7/10
It took a couple of songs for this to grow on me, but grow on me it did! Loved the storytelling throughout the album.
Better than Coldplay
tão ruim que não escutei completo.
Maybe a bit giallo and over the top at times (especially some of the later tracks), but material like this is sure in Cave’s wheelhouse. Not the best 80’s-era Bad Seeds record (that would prob be either Let Love In or The Boatman’s Call), but prob in the top five.
This is the only Cave-album I own, but after having listened to all his 5 albums on this project, it might actually be my least favourite. Of course, the duets might be some of the best songs in his catalogue, but many of them are too repetitive and go on for too long. Decent album but far from his best
Ziemlich düster das Ganze. Nicht jeder Song überzeugt, einige, insbesondere die Duette sind einfach genial.
I’ve listened to a fair bit of Nick Cave at this point, but I find his music to be like a really strong drink: I can only enjoy it in small quantities and very specific settings. I liked the production on “Stagger Lee” (which, strangely, reminded me of Sublime) and the closing “Death Is Not The End,” although it’s worth noting that these were two of the few non-originals on the album. Sometimes dark and morose subject matter can be a medium for entertainment or deep meditations, but in this case I found myself wondering at the writer’s inspiration. Overall it was a hard one for me to get through.
What a cool album and a gruesome rendition of the classic "Stagger Lee" (or Stack O Lee) Other notable tracks include "Where the Wild Roses Grow" and "Crow Jane" Maybe someday I'll look into the story behind all of the tracks. I'm sure I'll re-listen to this album long before that day.
This is so good. Stagger Lee is one of his best tracks. He manages to make the guest appearances fit in so well (even Kylie)
FINE....I GET IT....I LOVE THIS MUSIC AND I MISSED OUT FOR SO MANY YEARS!!!! Seriously, I think I have bought at least 3 albums from them(none of the albums that have been on this list). and they are all great. Murder Ballads does seem to be a perfect storm for Cave's aesthetic and sound here.