Murder Ballads

If you’re feeling depressed and want to wallow in it, this may be exactly what you need

I love the dark atmosphere but vocally this album just irritates me. Nick Cave is by far the weakest part of this album and it's such a problem that the really cool instrumentals are over shadowed by how terrible Nick Cave is. Vocally the best parts of the album are the ones done by the guest singers. This has the potential to be a good record but it is marred by the terrible vocal performance and the incredibly cheesy lyrics.

Dark and darker, as advertised. Edgar Allan Poe would be pleased. Difficult listen. Musically OK.

As much as I like the idea of Nick Cave, I've just never been into his music.

C'est insoutenable.

I'm not a fan of podcasts or rap music because one needs to focus and give one's undivided attention to the words and lyrics and when I listen to music I typically just want to relax and let my mind wander through the music. That being said, this album is basically poetry or narration set to music. There is some variety when PJ and Kylie appear as vocalists, but overall Nick Cave's morose and very dark delivery of his dialogue is a bit of a slog for me. Yes, the lyrics are well written but this is not something that I would seek out.

Don't know the appropriate time to listen to a full album of murder ballads 2

Quite a disastrous experience by listening to this album. When your best song is supposed to be with Kylie Minogue, you are not doing things right. And it still was pretty bad. The album was saved by "The Kindness of Strangers". Liked that track. The rest was mid to bad.

I just gave Dimery a heart attack by telling him "Nick Cave and Tom Waits are nowhere near as important to the history of recorded music as you think." I despise the premise of the album. I'm tired of listening to Nick Cave treat his albums like e-books. PJ Harvey and Kylie Minogue are the guest artists from my personal hell. The instrumentals...are actually kinda cool. They'll spare this album from the 1 I truly want to give it.

didn't listen to the whole thing, but i got the vibe. the vibe was weird.

Not a big Cave fan generally, but on this one he seems to lean into everything I like least about him, without any of the payoff.

It was fine. Not my type of music.

For masse Nick Cave

Disgusting album cover

Listened to about half of it Another dodgy guy Thought every song was grim and sounded like a halloween song Certainly not music to hype oneself up Not great

Jesus Christ…then I remembered it’s called Murder Ballads so it shouldn’t have come as such a surprise. But then I went back to be like, “Jesus…”

Sure but I don't get how I would listen to this on daily basis

For a second, based on the cover I thought this was an Iron Maiden album but was very dissapointed to know it was Nick Cave and his dirty bad seeds. This album cover is still killer, even if these songs almost all got skips from me. I'm sure I said it on his other albums on here, but he's in the same category as Tom Waits. I don't connect to his music at all.

Gee, what do I say here? I've actually been looking forward to this album because I've heard people sing its praises. It's an interesting concept, an album of murder ballads. But Nick Cave just doesn't hit the right spot for me. It's funny that PJ Harvey is featured because it made me think of her "Let England Shake" high concept album, where there was a strong message being delivered but the music was just boring. This music is a lot less boring than that album, but it's just goofy. I think Nick Cave belongs in a category with Tom Waits, under the label "troubadour." This is the kind of music that plays in that tavern in Shrek 2. Favorite tracks: Stagger Lee, Where the Wild Roses Grow. Album art: Honestly really cool, a painting of an isolated shack in the woods. Love the primary color scheme. 2.5/5

Ballads about murder, literally. Musically, the album is very boring. At some point I found myself skipping ahead or just reading the lyrics, because they are what makes the work artistically valuable for me. Should have been "Murder Poems".

The album sounds great and I like Nick cave but it’s like the saw movies

Good God this album was tough to finish. He just droned on and on and on and on and on and on!

In terms of listenability, I didn’t like like this album. The storytelling/poetry is good but I much prefer their other albums like Abbatoir Blues and The Boatman’s Call.

4/10 Last song was best

The Kylie Minogue feature is alright I guess

Aww, sweet! People getting murdered! I like the concept but the execution is far from interesting

There's a small handful of Nick Cave songs that I like but this album doesn't have many of them. Stagger Lee is probably my fav on this album.

As you'd expect from the title, this album is not full of sunshine and rainbows. It's desperate, dark, and, at times, downright deranged. I mean, the FBI or Interpol or somebody definitively has Nick Cave on a watch list, right? There was a hint of Jim Morrison at his self destructive best that stood out and the featured vocals were nice, but overall, I think this album was forgettable. Or at least I hope so.......

This was difficult to rate. I really like the idea of this. There are some cool songs: The Curse of Millhaven. But the lows were really low. In O’Malleys Bar, his vocal delivery is awful. Honestly that whole song is horrible. There are many moments throughout the album that I had a hard time taking seriously. Many times I felt like I could be listening to Tenacious D. Also, he has to edit out his creepy breathing. Perhaps that’s a choice, but it’s really jarring. I guess this is a 2. Idk

They weren't lying, this truly was an album full of ballads about murder. A little morbid and not my personal cup of tea but they sounded well made I cannot deny. Stand out songs: - Death Is Not the End

“I’m a bad mother fucker, don’t you know And I’ll crawl over fifty good pussies just to get to one fat boy’s asshole” Said Stagger Lee 2.5

musically middling, content too dark for my taste

Still not convinced by Nick Cave, perhaps i never will be...

Pari kivaa duettoa, joista toisessa jopa koukun tapainen. Mutta pelkäänpä pahoin, että Caven "kultin" jäsenet luulevat muidenkin näistä olevan huippukappaleita - ja kuoleman ja synkkyyden olevan syvyyttä.

dissapointing. it got worse as the album went on. most of the sounds were just there to support his dumb murder lyrics. song of joy when he doesn't sing is alright.

meh. weird album. not good

Too melancholy

Where the Wild Roses Grow

meh

Those were some really weird lyrics...

Literally what

Big ups to the always great and welcome PJ Harvey, who literally saves this album from a 1 rating. Just when you're ready to write this thing off, out comes Polly Jean to drown out whatever the hell Nick Cave is going for here. She's like Eddie Murphy showing up in that atrocious Dudley Moore movie called Best Defense for seemingly no reason.

No era el día para escucharlo. Es lo que tiene eso de comprometerse a escuchar un disco cada día. Por otro lado, si fuera realmente algo potente me habría despertado. Le voy a dar 2 estrellas y me lo apunto para volver a escucharlo. (lo siento Nick)

I don't know what it is about pervy, charismatic, tall, thin men, but I'm not a fan. Even if I was, this is not the strongest set of Cave songs. Too many dirges, too much meh.

Not good, Nick.

Didn't really vibe with this one. The vocals weren't that good in my opinion I get that there was supposed to be some profound meaning in these Murder Ballads but it was entirely lost on me The Curse of Millhaven was kind of fun 2/5

Very odd album. I didn't like it overall, but you cannot fault the commitment to a naff concept. Much of it was dreary and monotonous, however I didn't mind Where the Wild Roses Grow - nice to break things up. Red Right Hand is a good song, so I might be tempted to go and listen to some of his other work with the Bad Seeds, but I do feel there's no stylistic range.

Now, I like Nick Cave. A lot. But this? Not for me, just seems to be Nick shouting. Struggled to get through it! I’ll stick with his later stuff that got me into him, and sadly award this just the deuce. Shame really, I was looking forward to this one.

Te juro que no quiero darle tan mala nota pero lo termino haciendo porque es un album que no es para mí, no lo terminé de enteder. Ni por la composición ni su contenido, creo que con un poco de contexto antes hubiera mejorado mucho más su nota.

I feel like this album will really grow on me. I’ve heard of Nick Cave before but have never given any of his music a try but he’s definitely pique my interest. Lot of the songs go too long and the whole project is very rough around the edges but the good parts made the album a good listen throughout. The features especially were highlights to me. Worth a listen (and if you don’t like the first 10 minutes just skip it because it’ll be the same the rest of the way)

The first track is called Song of Joy, so I think, "Oh! That sounds hopeful and like maybe it'll be more upbeat than the usual dirges he sings!" Boy howdy I was wrong. The Stagger Lee adaptation is a travesty. There are three tolerable songs on this album, and they're only tolerable because they have other people carrying the load for him. I really just don't get the appeal for Nick Cave. Pretty much everything he's ever released makes me want to throw myself in front of a bus. Or (more probably) want to throw him in front of a bus.

Who did Nick Cave blow to be on this list 5 fucking times. Seriously? This is my 4th album of is and it's just as bland and dull as his others. Again this felt like the same song being repeated over and over again. Thank god I only have one more of this trash left. 2.5/5

Meh

mid, too aggressive for me

I feel like I should like this album more, but I guess it’s just not my thing

Came into this with high hopes and it has some really solid tracks, but felt quite overindulgent at times.

Just kinda listened without listening. Nothing grabbed my attention

If you look up "tryhard" in the Urban Dictionary, there's a picture of Nick Cave (probably). Best track: Where the Wild Roses Grow

Murder Ballads is the ninth album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. As the title suggests, the album contains songs about crimes of passion - in fact every song except one has lyrics about a death happening. This album received widespread critical acclaim and was the band's biggest commercial success to date. I found the songs to be decent, but the theme of murder/death did get old after a while. Not a bad album, instead it was a unique one that I'm glad I was able to listen to completely at least once.

Music for people who regret their Nightmare Before Christmas tattoo.

Another album from the underwhelming Nick Cave. To give credit where it's due, this one has an interesting theme running throughout, although executed rather haphazardly. He really sounds like a tryhard here. Two very generous bloody knives for you Nick. 🔪🔪

yeah, not my favorite. Kinda interesting stories and vocals but not really my thing.

I like some of their stuff but was really not into this. It all kinda ran together.

The album's true to its title, but it's that one-note focus that makes this record a tiresome listen. I'm especially not fond of the guest singers who seem to spring up on every other track. All that being said, Nick Cave's a captivating performer and poet, a talented visionary. I'm a big fan. (And 'Stagger Lee' is really fun).

is this album any good? that would be an ecumenical matter. actually, pretty sure they would say this was pish. giving it an extra star for annoying the church.

Long ago, I knew someone who yakked on and on about his love for Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. That someone was a horrible person, and I mostly found this to be a horrible album, so a few things have at least fallen into place. This might have earned a 3 if the producer had deleted all of Cave's vocal tracks... it's no coincidence that the most listenable songs are when he's joined by female guest vocalists, who bring some much needed balance. I can just about get why Nick Cave is regarded as some sort of creative genius, but it's just no fun to listen to.

Yeah, no. A star for Where the Wild Roses Grow otherwise I'm out.

Again, not a fan. However, I think if I was exposed to NC&TBS more, I might learn to like them. For now, meh.

Mjah, het duet met Kylie is uiteraard prachtig. Maar verder is het me toch iets teveel dronkemans gelal

Geen prettige plaat. Nummers lijken op andere nummers en ik vind z'n stem hier vervelend.

Murder ballads sound cool, but I dreaded listening to more Nick Cave after the execrable Ghosteen. I find his "quirkiness" irritating, and I had to skip the Wild Rose song because it was on the CD that my abusive former workplace used to play on repeat.

Weird talking music, kinda neat tho but not good

I do not like this style of music. His voice is annoying, the "spoken word" style of music doesn't hit me. The songwriting seems like its trying to be deep but I cannot take it seriously

Not for me

Interesting album theme, but not my thing.

I just couldn't get into this one. I got the theme. The instrumentals kept to the theme and were complex enough to be worthy of praise. Maybe I just wasn't in a dark, murdery type places. If I am, I know where to go.

Rock experimental. Aburrido.

Well, Nick Cave, you did it! You took Bone Machine and made it worse! The day we are rid of his albums on this list will be in the top 10 happiest days of my life. 3/10

Ik vind dit een saai album. Stem van de zanger staat me ook niet aan. **

Disappointing and not good.

Not a big of songs about murder

bloederig en grimmig. Te musicalachtig vind ik.

Best cool, maar voelt meer als een luisterboek. Niet echt voor mij

Meh.

I'm sure that musically, it has some merit, but I didn't enjoy this at all. Really was a "WTF did I just listen too" moment for me.

Overall this was awful.

Guest singers are great. Weird style for me but it feels like one of those albums that shock you at first and then you learn how to appreciate...not sure if it's worth more than 2-3 stars for me right now.

What a weird album. Some of the songs were entertaining. I had never heard of Nick Caves before. He sounded like Leonard Cohen a little bit. There is a 15 minute song on this album and that is completely unnecessary. I don't see myself listening to any of the songs again.

Just found it all a bit boring, not much to it.

Someone had to make an album like this, I guess.

This is like type o negative meets Michael buble

Really odd and dark storytelling that was quite colorful. I wouldn’t really listen to this for the music itself. It was really just more of a narrative with a score.

Overall, not my style. Interesting concept overall, crimes of passion. Not a huge fan of the sort of talking over a rhythm section. There were a couple songs I liked: Where the Wild Roses Grow, The Curse of Millhaven.

2/5 too sobby

"Stagger Lee" was pretty good. Otherwise, not worth listening to. On the bright side, this was the fourth Nick Cave album I had to listen to on this list so I think that's the last one.

Boring.

No album title in this collection more accurately reflects its contents. While Kylie’s presence offers a nice break from the mostly tedious vocals, this is mostly gloomy and turgid (but one should have expected that). 2.5 > 2

Couple of decent songs.

Where the wild roses grow - fiu fiu fiu extra. Reszta poniżej przeciętnej, każda piosenka w formie ballady z historią która potrafiła się dłużyć. Niektórych utworów nie mogłem do końca przesłuchać bo zaczął wyć jak w Stagger Lee. 2.5/5

I bet this album is very polarizing. I didn't particularly like it. It wanted to be moody and depressing but I just found it boring. I don't care for the rambling stories for lyrics.

Don’t mind his voice but not my thing otherwise.

There is just a ridiculous amount of Nick Cave on this list. This is another okay, slightly overly pretentious outing of his work..

Meh

Boring

Je peux vraiment comprendre l'attrait de cet artiste, mais pour moi on dirait une version plus rock alternative et moins bonne de Leonard Cohen. Des bonnes tounes par-ci par-là mais plusieurs dont j'avais hâte qu'elles finissent

Just kinda cringey. It’s art but lacks a campfire quality that might make it sound like a western tale. There are a few Nick Cave moments I love, but none of them are here. The best part was PJ Harvey.

From reading the other reviews, seems like there are deeper meanings to each song, but musically I just don’t enjoy it, so I can’t get into it.

weird. And weird in a bad way.

Other than the gimmick of comprising an album full of songs about murder and death, this is a pretty boring album

Hard to listen to! If I didn’t know who Nick Cave was I’d have thought this was a spoof album.

Dark and bluesy but not inspiring

I'm convinced that Nick Cave could have been a theatrical performer. Otherwise, there's not much to this album that I enjoyed other than "Where the Wild Roses Grow". Maybe that's more because of Kylie?

Didn’t enjoy

Un disco muy interesante y siniestro. Es una cosa rara que seguramente jamás habría escuchado de no ser por esta lista, y aunque está bien ejecutado y producido, dudo mucho volver a escuchar por gusto. Por cierto, este está como que en la misma línea del disco de Berlin, justo antes de este.

Points for originality but not for me

“The Curse of Millhaven” was catchy I’ll give them that but I’m NOT listening to a 14 min song that is that mediocre. 2.7

I dont think I get nick cave. probably didnt give it a fair shot

a good album for halloween and nothing else

kringel

- i understand the praise that it receives but its just not for me x - waiting for the kylie minogue feature PLS - 2/5 for me - likes: stagger lee, where the wild roses grow, the kindness of strangers - dislikes: the curse of millhaven (not the motown hoedown i cant)

No sabía que había un género de música que se hace horrible a propósito. Ahora lo sé.

Imagine unironically being Australian. Embarrassing

Exactly what it said it would be.

I hate it. I couldn't finish listening to it. I think he's interesting but it's not for me.

it all got a bit samey to the end of this. i really wanted to like it, but it just isn't grinderman. nigel, come back, i really want to know what you've got to say about this.

Liked Where the Wild Roses Grow and The Curse of Millhaven. Something different and interesting, if not unsettling as hell. Album cover is also pretty cool, one of my favorites so far

5

Not my cup of tea

Yeah I did not enjoy this and there were filthy lyrics in there. I know it is about murder but it was scary music and not enjoyable. I know it is controversial to not like Nick Cave, and I feel like everyone has always just expected me to. But I said it, I'm not a Nick Cave fan. Its out there. Leave me alone

Sonically very interesting. It’s moody and dark but still lush and bright in spots. I dig it but it’s not my favorite so far. It’s kind of same-y for me. I can’t quite describe it. Shoutout to Kylie.

Some fun parts in this, but it wasn’t really my jam. The “la da da da das” and “la da da da dees” got on my nerves lol

I understand it’s relevance in music and can appreciate that, but this is definitely not an easy listen for me.

I don't get it...

Conceptually interesting but completely nondynamic

Just OK.

It's a clever concept but I just can't get into the dark, violent lyrics

Liked the Kylie song the best. Couldn’t get into - lots of creepy stories short on tunes. Sorry.

Not for me.

Melodramatic, and not in a fun, satisfying, or endearing way. The delivery, while not exactly convincing, is fine. The playing is also generally decent. Hasn't exactly turned me off of Mr. Cave, but it doesn't bode well that this is one of his more popular projects. The worst parts of horrorcore, indie-rocked.

I can appreciate the concept but I personally did not enjoy it. The lyrics were almost too good at describing the gruesome deaths in the songs. I also wasn't a huge fan of his singing voice. There were some nice moments like Where the Wild Roses Grow but otherwise I found it off-putting.

tétrico. No em gusto ni la voz ni las melodías

Interesting concept idea after reading about it. But, I’m reviewing based on music and ability to listen and enjoy.

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.

Not for me. 1/5

These seeds sure were bad

Unfortunately not my cup of tea

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.

That guy should stick to singing in the shower.

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.

Its like a Leonard Cohen thing. Not for me. Not interesting to me at all.

Weird and cringe

I couldn’t finish it

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

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

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

Hate

please don’t make me listen to this shit ass band e ever again

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.

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.

Couldn’t get through it, just not my thing.

I really do not like Nick Cave.

Why do people like this?

No

tão ruim que não escutei completo.

A parade of theatrical gloom where every song sounds like it was recorded in a candlelit dungeon for ghosts who love overacting. It’s less “haunting storytelling” and more “sir, please stop narrating murders at me in a baritone.”

Still dont fully understand what I just listened to.

I like really really didn't like this.

rambling shite

im tired of men with deep voices speaking over music like how is this top 1001. 0.5/10.

DNF

An absolutely monotonous album to listen to. Sounds like the ramblings of a drunk man at a bar. Random Kylie Minogue feature couldn't save this

Trash

No thanks

Review premier degre: l'exercice est cool, mais c'est chiant de fou et je kiffe pas trop les description de violence tres longues et en revanche quand on decrit sa femme par le sorrow de ses breast, man hater maybe. wow wow wow, 2 tracks in, encore des supers descriptions de femmes et une imitation de meuf conne.... nan mais stop les insultes et les menaces de viol, c'est qui ce gars la ??? Je fais que lire les paroles a partir de la, parce que visiblement ils voulaient ecrire un livre. bon c'est des bandeurs d'ameriques coloniales "so mothers keep you girls at home" horrible, dommage qu'il n'y ait pas 0 etoiles, c'est nul

I found Nick Cave so overrated. I just want him to shut up

Here I am, finally giving this album the 1 star without making it all the way through. What a bunch of violent garbage, I tried listening with my dad who likes a different Nick Cave album and after 2 songs he said "nope", put on a Sonny Clark album, and we couldn't have been happier.

144/1001 First listen. I bought Nick Cave’s best of CD years ago based solely on Red right hand. There wasn’t one other song near as good as that. There wasn’t even one other song that was good. The rough pre internet days. The music is okay on this album but this is not good singing. At times it’s just awful. I just don’t get it. I say no thank you to Nick Cave. 2/10

Failed the 3 strikes and you’re out test. Couldn’t make it all the way through the first 3 tracks without hating someone or something. What the fuck is wrong with 90s bands, all they do is hate, and worship death and dysfunction. Music to suicide by.

Could not get through it. I am baffled by all the Nick Cave albums on this list. I had to turn this off before the end of the second song.

1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (said threateningly)

Tf is this lol

Pretty dark music (melodically- and lyrically-wise) and sometimes it feels like the singer's rhythm is a little off. I think I might like it a bit better (find it tolerable even) if he had better rhythm and better notes (sometimes he feels like he's not completely right with his notes). I'm just imagining the kind of person who would write/sing these songs... and it's kinda hard to enjoy his voice after thinking about that. Seems like a bad version of Ballad of Hollis Brown. If you want ballads, listen to Bob Dylan. It's like nasty, serial killer Ted Bundy mixed with Bob Dylan. Did not like this at all. I got through half of it and figured it was enough

This isn't my kind of thing at all, either musically or lyrically

This project is making me question if I actually like music

what is the obsession with this band?! 3 albums in the overall list. please stop

no

I hated this. Could not even finish

Don't like this genre. So, bullshit

He's a conservative now and I don't like to listen to him anymore :(

Ever wanted to listen to a disappointing musical with bad lyrics an and even worse vocals from the kids who didn’t get to be in the community theater play? Well … have I got an album for you!

You can tell when someone swears a lot because they’re compensating for lack of substance. The whole album was this.

The only bad seed is the sperm that wriggled its way into Mrs. Cave and gave life to this talentless phuck

The seeds are bad alright

I...don't...get it. I don't think I'm going to get it. This is my second Nick Cave album in the project...and it's not getting better.

"Jonathan Ross went to Minnesota, and shot Renee Good".

I know I’m supposed to like this, but I hated it. Graphic for the sake of being graphic. Little to no subtlety or meaning. Ponderous musically. The duet with Kylie Minogue was a high point.

Look, if you have a 14 minute track, it cannot be incredibly flat throughout. The whole album feels edgy in a way that isn't good. "Kindness from strangers" seemed sort of promising until it added the weird crying effects. Kylie Minogue is the best part of this but even "Where the wild roses grow" is rough. Before this I think I've only ever heard "Red Right Hand" and the song from Shrek 2. Those are good, so like... Why is this here??

I genuinely don’t know how people can listen to this without cringing

Not for me. A miserable listen

fuckin sucks dude

Eh, if you like it you like it. Me not so much.

i hate this kind of thing i could not get through it

What the helly

dark, creepy, bad

Not a fan, just more weird stuff.

Gross, exhausting, and unnecessary. It’s not even clever. Can’t believe he also made a record I loved.

As a fan of traditional murder ballads, I was perplexed and appalled. WTF!? Go to your local bar and support the real thing. It will change you.

His ninth album. Rock. This is what happens when you give a horny Jeff Dahmer some MDMA and access to a music studio with musicians in it. By the end of the album you envy the murdered and having your corpse fucked seems like a more enjoyable option than having to listen to this.

Why are there 5 Nick Cave albums on this list? This band is not that important. This is easily the worst of them too. Nah.

I dunno dude. I think I just really don't like Nick Cave very much. Starts and ends with the worst songs on the album. Feels pretentious throughout. The music is OK and there are moments of potential, but most of it just doesn't work for me. "The Kindness of Strangers" isn't terrible I guess. On the other hand, "O'Malley's Bar" makes me wish Nick Cave would write a murder ballad about me. Following that up with "Death is not the End" feels like they're taunting me. At least this one wasn't a double album.

Music to want to end it all to.

The music itself isn't bad but I HATE his voice. Also the last thing I ever want to listen to is a bunch of songs about mainly women being murdered! I understand that the murder ballad is an important part of the history of folk music but that doesn't make this album any more enjoyable for me! I disliked every second of it. The last song is the ONLY redeeming one. He even ruined Kylie Minogue for me :(

It grabbed my attention but not in a good way.

this is narration not music

Dark, somewhat pointless unless going for a faux scary vibe.

ass

I have no idea what this is supposed to be or who it's for. It sounds like noise more than music. I feel like an old man yelling at clouds listening to this. All the songs are very different but all sound exactly the same.

This is fucking weird. All the lyrics are just bizarre. Plus, this guy ruins any chance of any of these songs sounding good with his vocals... Whatever "I killed this guy and my dick got hard" concept he was trying to push here, it didn't work.

Best Track - "Where The Wild Roses Grow"

Gross. Nick Cave can stop trying to prove how weird and cool he is any time.

This was the worst yet. I hate this band.

How many Nick Cave albums are too many Nick Cave albums? This is the 4th or 5th that I’ve gotten overall, the second in as many weeks. Honestly, I’m gonna say that 2 Nick Cave albums is already too many. The first one was an interesting listen, but after that his music is overly dark, melodramatic, and self-important. A bunch of story songs about murder? Come on.

I'm not comfortable with the thing that is Nick Cave, except for The Boatman's Call, which I'll come back to. Generally he's working very, very hard at the performance that is Nick Cave. This contrivance as played out here is the very definition of turgid. Blimey how did the band stay awake through this. Even getting our Kylie involved feels a bit off, get your self obsessed mitts off her Cave! I don't like it. Now The Boatman's on the other hand is very good and I think it is because he applied his limited repertoire to something real; breaking up with PJ Harvey. Let me tell you as someone of no discernible talent, if I'd conned PJ into letting me into her life and she dropped me, I'd reckon even I'd make a smashingly good album of heartbreak...

What a dumb fucking album

Oh no...I'm not sure who this style of singing is for.

This is silly. Vincent Price singing silly songs.

Bob Dylan lite. In other words, oafish writing stretched over unintetesting music.

This type of music is more just story telling or a poem over a chord progression. I'm not huge on vocals so this is pretty boring to me. kind of feel sorry for the bad seeds. "Play these 4 chords for 134 bars while I monologue". The only nick cave song that i like is that one from peaky blinder

I knew 6 seconds into this album that I would hate it. It’s not my thing. I don’t care for theatrical songs. This could be musical theater music. It’s well done if you like that sort of thing.

I’ve seen a graph online that puts music on a spectrum from “Dracula music” to “circus music”. Nick Cave is the most Dracula music. And not in a fun or campy way. I didn’t want him singing an hour of murder songs. Ugh.

That was weird. Some songs I disliked such as “Song of Joy” and “Stagger Lee”. Others were just disturbing “O’Malley’s Bar”. I didn’t take note like “Where the Wild Roses Grow” and Henry Lee so I’m thinking like Nick’s guest singers better than I like Nick Cave!

The obsession with Nick Cave has got to end. We get it, the author loves Nick Cave and wants everyone to hear his bland boring albums and music. Not happening for me. 3 songs in and I was done. 1/5

I don’t know how I feel about this. It feels really all over the place. If you like theatercore music with some experimental elements then this is for you. I don’t even know what to make of it.

Worst album I’ve got so far.

boring, and depressing. -100/10 i would give it a 0 if I could

at first, I was like "why is this guy's voice so familiar??" and then I remembered his most famous song Red Right Hand. the name "Murder Ballads" is 100% accurate for this album. weird how incredibly accurate it is. this album is most songs that I feel like are a great example of toxic masculinity. in a hating women way bit also in a like look at how cool I am way. which means I rate this very low. shout out to a toxic bi-icon in Stagger Lee. I wish I liked it more.

Not a big fan

I hate how this album sounds

Ugh! This is terrible. Like someone trying to imitate Tom Waites’ dark burlesque sound — poorly. I don’t want to hear how “…all god’s children must die...” repeated for 5 minutes. This is a 1.

this was decidedly not for me. not the worst album on this list, but it sure was long and plodding and difficult. nick cave sounds like he's going for tom waits or leonard cohen vocals and it's honestly miserable. the only halfway-decent songs were the ones where a guest vocalist took over the singing duties for most of it. also i really didn't need multiple songs mentioning how long and hard the singer's dick was. but thanks anyway nick. 1.5 stars. favorites: henry lee, where the wild roses grow

Far too self indulgent. Nick cave needs to try take a break. Some nice stuff musically but I don't want to hear it again.

sad white drunk man "sings" about things

I never heard of a murder genre! Didn’t care for it. Couldn’t finish it.

No. I dont like his voice and the dark macabre vibe is something I am uninterested in. It is storytelling.

Bleak folky country cabaret murder ballads sung by a bargain-bin Tom Waits? This was destined to be polarizing and I was filtered out. I respect a cohesive theme and vivid storytelling, but this is not for me at all. I don’t like true crime or horror so this was a hard sell from the beginning. There’s probably a way into this type of material that could’ve won me over, but this is not it. It’s the voice, the goofiness, and the conspicuous number of female victims. It feels like he’s fetishizing violence against women. Where the Wild Roses Grow is particularly disturbing. Nick Cave said he wrote the song with Kylie Minogue in mind, because he was obsessed with her. So he wrote a duet about murdering her? But maybe it’s a good thing he did, because Kylie and PJ Harvey’s guest vocals were the best part of this album. I guess O’Malley’s Bar is this album’s litmus test. 14 minutes of a drunk-sounding man raving over Halloween music? I will pass. You can’t like everything, and I don’t like this.

Dette vil jeg mene er lidt et album for folk, der leder efter en god historie, nærmere end en musikalsk oplevelse. Fortællingerne er i sig selv gode, men størstedelen af albummet minder mere om en digtoplæsning end musik. 2/10

I just cant with this guy. Second Nick Cave album on this list. Just sounds so so miserable to me. Bleh.

Heavy, dark.

Who is this music for?

No thanks

No thanks

It sounded like parody music

I did not enjoy having a guy who sounds like a cartoon frog sing me the blues about fat boy’s assholes. I actually thought parts of the instrumentals were cool, so maybe Nick Cave IS the Bad Seed

Thought I’d like it more

Zero interest.

This sucks. It's like some theatrical weirdo telling ghost stories around a campfire. Lame, fake spooky, pretentious, unmusical. Next!

Do not want

Haunting and depressing. Reminds me of spoken word poetry, but not very tuneful or rhythmic. Rather strange and random. Too long. Not my thing.

This was not my cup of tea at all. The songs were so unnecessarily long and felt like the song form of a man rambling on and on. The only song I remotely liked was the rose one with Kylie Minogue. I couldn’t wait for the album to be over.

This album sounds like something you would hear in a musical about rabid moles with lung cancer. It's musically incoherent and unnecessarily convoluted. It really seems like the music was an after thought to the stories being told through the monotone vocals. I cannot express how painful this album was to listen to. I actually couldn't finish. This was the first album recommended to me that I could not listen to all the way.

boring

Genuinely hated this. Nothing artistically redeeming - just gross.

If I never have to hear another Nick Cave album again then I’d die a happy man. Apt name for the album because that’s what listening to this is driving me to do.

absolute slog. tom waits without a fraction of the sauce crying sound effect over one of the songs really sold it

Did not finish

This one was WEIRD. It was giving Forgetting Sarah Marshall's Rock of Love Vampire Musical vibes but not as good unfortunately. I just don't like his voice so it's a hard sell for me. I was somehow able to manage getting all the way through this. It was absolute trash in my opinion.

Not my taste

Oh so moody oh so atmospheric oh so crap. I honestly don't understand how someone can enjoy this

Music isn't good, vocals are trash, the lyrics aren't good (though they do exactly what the album title says), and it's the height of pretentiousness.

Absolutely hated it

I don’t understand how this album made this list. The musicianship was ok, but I’m pretty sure he was off pitch more than once. His “singing” is terrible. This is definitely not my kind of music.

Rock opera albums are like the musical episodes of sitcoms. Novel, but annoying and wear out quickly.

Not my cup of tea

I couldn't make it through the first song of the album - it was too slow and dreary for me. This is really not my kind of music.

Nah broh

Ugh

Not my style.

fuck Nick cave

Ol Nick and I didn’t get off on the right foot. I’m hoping this gets me a little closer to discovering the man as the rest of the virgins of RYM have. The album cover is cool! Oh boy. Drunk Vegas Elvis is back. The lyrics are good! Everything else? From the dial tone backing track to the theatrical Disney villain delivery, I’m not in love. Oh Nick. Just let me like you. The true crime in this song is the lip smacking. Is this growing on me? It’s not terrible. Kind of enthralling in its odd way. The PJ Harvey vocals are a nice touch. The song started really strong but kind of faded. Don’t groan like that Nicholas. Mr. Cave, if you will. I won’t, but someone may. This song sucks. The blowing wind is just kind of too loud. Actually, the blowing wind isn’t the only thing blowing here. Haha. Nice. Kylie Minogue? No, don’t autocorrect to Kylie Minotaur. Why is she not performing a club slaydown??? Anyway. She is whispering a boring pseudo murder ballad next to cosplay Whole Foods Elvis. Next. Oh god. Punk moment. Followed by Polka. This is absolutely a Disney song. I can see millennials rallying around a Facebook post featuring this song superimposed over an animated character from their childhood. “Erm sir, you have just won le internet for today. Epic win.” I for one, do not think this is an “epic win” at all. It sounds like a truck commercial run through a Yosemite Sam AI song generator. Bad news all around. Alright. Slowing down a bit. Kind of shocking lyrically but it works here. I just. Ugh. I cannot handle his vocals. It elicits a high degree of cringe. Richard SLAY??? Oh. Slade. Boring. The background instruments bring to mind U2, which is an insult of the highest order. To say the woman crying was an UPGRADE to the sweeping 50s prom riff should tell you how I’m feeling about this. Oh my god. Cool standup bass? Jazz cymbal splashes? Aaaaand there’s the piano and vocals. This is blues for people who hate blues, jazz and indeed, themselves. Well. Two songs to go. Fitting we stop at a bar. That is normally where you’d see a bad Elvis impersonator. Yes. I’ve been to the Elvis well a few times, but you have to forgive me, this album doesn’t provide much in the way of left turns. Of course it’s 15 minutes. Sweet Jesus this is nothing. Oh good. Can you imagine sitting in the studio while this moron gyrates and mumbles over the close to this thing? Shut up. The ensemble track. Here we go. We are the world. We are the hipsters. Note. I do like Shane McGowan. Otherwise, this sounds like happy birthday sung to you in hell. We all should hope death is the end. Be honest. Is it because he looks weird? Is it his skull shape and the fact he wears suits? He’s not good. This is not good. Once again, the genius public have determined profundity based on appearance and personality rather than on musical output. Great job everybody. Each ballad here was indeed murdered, and their murderer? The eccentric weirdo who has pulled the proverbial wool over the eyes of millions of music dorks worldwide. Congrats Nick. You’ve produced another dead rabbit from your very tall hat and convinced the public it was an allegory for something rather than incompetence. No magic to found here. Just the bloated corpse of intrigue, bleeding out upon the tiles of mediocrity. 0.5-1 HIGHLIGHTS: Stagger Lee?

Hated it

Was ein Fiebertraum von einem Album, hat mich null überzeugt

WHY is there so much Nick Cave albums on here?!? He's absolute TRASH! STOP already

I absolutely hated this. Stagger Lee might be my least favorite song that I've ever heard. I hope I never have to listen to this album ever again.

Awful lyrics. Had to turn it off midway through second song. Not sure how this could be enjoyable.

Jesus Christ come on. Not even half way through and this is my third Nick Cave album. Can no one else hear what I'm hearing??

First thought "sounds like a Disney villain song" and thought maybe things wouldn't continue down a dark path (I didn't read the album title, just pulled it up on Spotify to listen during my commute). I gave up after track 3. I don't need to listen to songs about murder when I can read the news.

Terrible

Can he hold a note? No. Was there a single track that I actually enjoyed? No. Did you know that the worst one of all is nearly 15 minutes long? Did you want to slit your wrists? No? Well, you do now.

I’m guessing Nick and his seeds are fans of Tom Waits. While there a couple of interesting songs - I’m not really impressed. I would’t listen again.

There’s only one good song of nick cave and it’s not on this album

I don't get it. I know Cave is well regarded, but I don't get it. Bad Seeds indeed.

Why???

Not for me.

It’s like a fcked up musical which never wants to end.

Shitty Aussie Tom Waits with a worse backing band,

Interesting concept but I couldn't listen to these dirges.

Disney villain music. Not for me.

I played the first few chords of this with my 7 year old in the bar. She disapproved, as do I.

These songs were not available in Spotify :(

Goodness this was unpleasant to listen to. I get what the group is going for, basically telling storybook-like tales centered around murder in the form of song, but it became too grating at points. Nick Cave's monotone and low vocal style didn't really help with that either. The songs with guest vocalists were tolerable at best. Perhaps Mr. Cave is better suited for narrating crime fiction audiobooks.