Murder Ballads

Nick en zijn slechte zaadjes hebben best veel goede albums uitgebracht. Ik snap eigenlijk niet waarom ik dit toch niet veel draai.

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

Op dat rare polka-nummer na vond ik dit fantastisch!

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.

At times gorgeous, lovely collaborations, hilariously funny, and awesomely performed on one hand, at times a bit dragged out and a bit dated production wise. It’s a great album just not perfect.

Weird talking music, kinda neat tho but not good

Interesting narratives and theme, assuming many of these were covers, and the collaborations were surprising. Overall not my thing though.

Very difficult to get through this, I hated almost every minute of it. The concept is grotesque, and the repetition of it is like getting bludgeoned. I also hear the influence of Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits in a ways that makes me embarrassed for him.

I find the concept generally repellent, and the execution just seems like some kind of half assed inside joke. Put this on the stereo and I'd be out the door before the first song was over.

I can get why people could really like Nick Cave and the concept of this album is very... Nick Cave. I can appreciate it, but not exactly what I'd wanna listen to.

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

Another rainy day album that was nice to listen to in the background of working.

I remember hearing about Nick Cave for the first time in 2008 in college... for some reason he wasn’t a name that I grew up hearing but kept meaning to give him a listen. I’m happy I had an introduction now. I enjoyed this! It didn’t need to be as long as it is and I think that it should’ve ended before O’Malley’s Bar. There is no way that song needs to be 14 minutes long… silly lyrics and a woman with my name got killed. With that said, happy to have heard it and overall it was enjoyable. No complaints.

This is probably the weirdest album I have ever listened to. Very disturding.

Very interesting. Very dark. Very folky. Like a super dark version of the Corries. Some of it was good, some I was hoping it would end. Really liked Death is not the end.

After listening to the first song I immediately realised that Nick Cave wrote the Peaky Blinders theme tune and from that point on every song sounded like I was listening to the soundtrack. I probably should have listened to nick cave before this but here we are. Can't see myself putting this on ever again.

Not for me

One that I know surprisingly better than I realised. Nick Cave is polarising - some might say a bit Mr Marmite. Personally, I like him, but have to be in the mood - and this album seems to ooze autumnal / Halloween vibes, so perfect for this time of year.

Hieno! Aivan kuten suuri osa Nick Caven muustakin tuotannosta. Tämä lienee ainakin se suuri kaupallinen menestys. Toimii silti kokonaisuutena vaikka megahitin sisältääkin. 4/5

Tää oli mulle joskus eka Caven levy, joka aukesi kunnolla, mutta nykyään tuntuu vähän jääneen hänen muiden levyjensä varjoon. Biisi PJ:n kanssa toki upea.

Varsin nautinnollista synkistelyä maanantaihin. Jos Nick Cave olis syntyny tähän aikaan niin sillä varmaan olis True Crime-podcast. Onneks ehti alta pois!

Nick Cave has a super unique style and past albums I haven't been able to get into it, but this one has been different. This album has a sort of "Irish pub" feel where the songs are all catchy and singalong-able. That feeling that contrasts with the subject matter and makes for an interesting listen.

Enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I was going to when the first track kicked off

I love a bit nick cave. Interesting concept for an album but the end felt a bit corny. Fav Song: Stagger Lee Least fav song: Death is not the end Fav quote: "I'm a bad mother fucker, i'll crawl over 50 good pussies to get to one fat boys ass"

Interesting album theme, but not my thing.

Very nice! This was very dark, and many of the songs were story rich, which added another level of interest to the album. Nick Cave's gloomy, brooding voice, with melancholy piano and choppy guitar is my kind of thing.

Holy crap. How could an entire album of songs describing multiple murders be so entertaining? My first listen to Nick Cave, and I can see this is his forte. Sort of like Tom Waits in his genius, but gleefully darker. When Waits mourns it is with his whole heart and the remorse is terrible. When Cave mourns, as in the case of Mary Bellows in the song Kindness of Strangers, it’s almost matter of fact; the empathy of the mortician. A wild ride that makes you almost laugh at how grisly some of the songs are, with excellent guest appearances and fabulous performances by all the musicians. There may not be anything like this album.

Never listened to Nick Cave. After this, I'll need to check out more. For an album called Murder Ballads, there's a lot more musical variety than I expected. Where the Wild Roses Grow is gorgeous with the string arrangements and duet with Kylie Minogue. The other two traditional tracks (with adaptations) Stagger Lee and Henry Lee are also standouts. Death Is Not the End is a change of pace which makes a good closing track to what is an album far less bleak than expectations.

Meh!

interesting halloween music

Yeah pretty good

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.

Definitely an interesting album, found myself really getting into its tales.

mehhhhh

Naff I can't stand Nice Cave's voice, the only redeeming features of this album are the tracks where someone else sings. A few good cuts (ignoring the voice) but nothing special, won't listen again

This was very interesting but I'm not sure if it was good.

Rock experimental. Aburrido.

Some songs I enjoyed, but some tracks made up for that.

Brutal murder ballads. Nice storytelling but gruesome and difficult to sit through the visceral tales at times.

Man monologues over mediocre instrumentals

Literally the perfect mix of rock and country, could listen to this voice for hours

The title of this album is v accurate. I guess this is what I should have expected.

2/10. Stagger Lee was probably the worst Nick Cave song I've ever listened to, and that's saying something. Swearing in his dumbass wannabee-Tom-Waits voice for a whole song, and he just sounds like an edgy 12 year old, and that last statement goes for much of the album.

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

Not great but also not terrible. Very mediocre in my opinion. The vocals are my least favorite part. The lead singer sings most songs with a very low growl. Sure it can add to the whole Murder aspect, but it does get very stale, pretty quickly. Guitars, piano, drums, and overall production all work very well on the record and help make the record much more pleasant. Favorite Track: Henry Lee Least Favorite Track: Crow Jane

Listened to it twice so I must have enjoyed it. His voice reminds me of a pirate.

Excellent!

It is possible that I’m missing something, but this album just doesn’t elicit anything in me. I can see why people might like it, but the vocal performance just feels off, like it doesn’t fit into the kind of songs being played. That unnerving dissonance is almost certainly intentional and might work for some people, but it is not for me. In addition, the storytelling lacks punch and feeling despite the subject matter chosen and the manner in which it is told. It is not the intimate yet relatable storytelling of someone like Leonard Cohen or Bob Dylan; the majority of the songs are fictional tales of romance, bravado, and violence that would feel more appropriate in a hip-hop or country context. The standout songs for this album are the two songs with features, Henry Lee and Where the Wild Roses Grow, and The Kindness of Strangers. The songs with features mellow out the tone and harsh vocal performances of Nick Cave with female vocals and compliment the mood of the album quite well. The Kindness of Strangers has a much more subdued performance by Nick Cave which might remind the listener of Johnny Cash at his best.

Perfect for October, dark/sad

very gruesome lyrics, very spooky, Halloween vibes, Murder Ballads for sure Liked the singer 7/10

Surprisingly good.

I have always been skeptical of Nick Cave for a pretty absurd reason, simply because he resembles someone I know that I am extremely skeptical of. But I have never doubted that I would enjoy his music. I was told this was maybe not the best entry point to him, but I absolutely loved this and am looking forward to more of his albums (assuming there are more) on this list.

to deppressing

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

Dog shit. Couldn't make it past the 5th track. No thanks

Couldn’t listen content made me uncomfortable

Disappointing and not good.

Exceptional. Sucks you into another darker world and holds you there.

Not a big of songs about murder

bloederig en grimmig. Te musicalachtig vind ik.

Wild rose is een goed nummer de rest was heel saai.

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

I enjoyed this. Heard the name - obz, but not actually heard the music before. I’m not sure what I was expecting, I guess something along these lines, Tom Waits/Leonard Cohen etc. and it’s not miles off. Sinister yet a sense of fun that kept me entertained to the end.

not my thing

cool

I love Nick Cave. We all love Nick Cave. But you have to be in the mood for Nick Cave. I was sadly not.

Meh.

Well it's a interesting album, glad I listen to it but doubtful I'll go back to it. I'll say a very interesting rendition of Stagger Lee that's for sure.

Boring and/or horrible songs. Showtunes without a show.

It's interesting. The song with Kylie Minogue is great. Not sure how to rate it.

I like Nick Cave, at times. And other times I don't. It is 100% dependant on mood for me, and I don't think I was really in the mood for this one, at least not this time around.

Underwhelming. It reminded me of Tarantino movie score, but forgettable. I've heard better ballads from the Avett Brothers. I didn't think the lyrics were all that spectacular either. If anything, they felt like parody of ballads. I audibly laughed at parts of O'Malley's Bar. This album stunk of a modern man trying to cosplay as an edgy, rugged cowboy. No real stand out songs from me... but I did think it was cool PJ Harvey was on some songs.

56/100: Every song on this album is basically a worse version of “Ballad of Hollis Brown” and the best song on the album, “Death Is Not The End,” is just a Bob Dylan cover anyway. In fact, if you ever wondered what you get when you cross Bob Dylan with Ted Bundy, well here’s your answer. I can’t think of a bigger red flag than someone getting in their car and blasting the song “Stagger Lee.” Reading the lyrics of these songs while listening along was a deeply uncomfortable experience. I guess that speaks to the power of Nick Cave’s writing and it could be argued that’s what makes this album good, but it’s also the reason I’m rating this album so poorly. I can handle and even appreciate a troubling story in a song when it’s written well and has a thought-provoking moral like Bob Dylan’s “Ballad of Hollis Brown,” but this album is not that. I mean what type of message is “The Kindness of Strangers?” The final line is “So mothers keep your girls at home / Don’t let them journey out alone / Tell them this world is full of danger.” This album feels like murder ballads for the sake of writing about murder, which is the most troubling part to me. I can never see a situation in which I would want to listen to this album again, and if anyone ever hears me or anyone else listening to this, please call the police or a therapist.

Always thought I want to like Nick Cave more than I actually do.

this is ass

Cold and dark. It sounds like Tom Waits but without the rough, reptilian energy. This one is smooth yet thick, like blood. It's a bit boring in some places, but overall, it's quite a ride.

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.

The concept is neat. The instrumentation is sparse, but it's not the main point: the lyrics, tied with Nick Cave's frightening baritone is. It's a solid album that (aside from all the murder) swaps up the music enough to stay interesting. Favorite tracks: "Where the Wild Roses Grow", "The Curse of Millhaven"

There is a fine line between sounding like you are trying too hard, and sounding like you just don't give a shit. I honestly don't know where the hell these guys landed with this one.

Another atmospheric story telling album from Nick Cave. The disturbing lyrics are matched by the jarring music and the grizzly subject matter makes it a difficult listen in places. There are about 4 or 5 songs on here that I really liked, and that have the hallmarks of classic Nick Cave tracks. The three with guest vocalists (Kylie Minogue, PJ Harvey and Shane MacGowan) are the stand out moments. The rest of the album didn't do much for me though and seemed almost unimaginative by Cave's standards. Also, stories of bloody murder don't offer much room for interpretation which limits the potential for getting more out of the album on repeat listens. As a result, I'm unlikely to return to this record. Rating: 3/5 Playlist track: Where the Wild Roses Grow Date listened: 05/08/22

Interesting. But feels slightly cliche in a way. But worth a listen

Well, this answers the question: What do serial killers listen to in the car on their way to your home?

Overall this was awful.

Irgendwo zwischen spannend und cringig.

J'étais content d'écouter un album de Nick Cave and the bad seeds après avoir eu Abattoir Blues. Ghostseen and boatman call mon laissé un peu perplexe, car vraiment weird.. Cependant, Murder Ballads remonte la coche encore. Peut-etre pas au niveau de abattoir blues quie st plus de mon style. J'ai bien aimé Hendry Lee avec PJ harvey et les chansons plus traditionnelle de l'album. 4.25

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.

Love a good murder ballad. Really love a whole record of them. I'm kind of so so on Nick Cave most of the time. Some of his stuff is great, some doesn't really impress. But I had a good time with this album.

7/10/2022 - ALBUM #164 Today's Album: "Murder Ballads" by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Music is something that is supposed to elicit a reaction out of the listener and make them feel something. Happiness, excitement, sadness, and even tripping out are all common reactions in this regard. However, sometimes you come across a project that is intended to make you feel something you’ve never been made to feel before and in this album’s case, that feeling is dread. Now, you might hear me say that and think the experience was dreadful or that the music is overbearing, but by dread I’m talking about that combination of disgust and intrigue that you experience when witnessing something dark and gruesome. It’s almost like watching a car accident or a crime documentary and being unable to look away, and the ladder of which is very apt of this comparison as this album, “Murder Ballads” is exactly what it sounds like; 10 tracks depicting the murder of various people in various ways. Each of these stories feels like it explores murder from a different perspective and the product of that is a bunch of tracks that feel quite diverse in terms of their story, even if you know what’s going to happen at the end. For that reason, I really have to say the songwriting on this album very nearly approaches a state of perfection. The atmosphere of this album is also something that should be admired. The mellow bass and piano playing throughout the project provide a slow and melancholic backdrop and I think it really helps steer the attention to the fucked up imagery being created by the lyricism. I also give this album a lot of credit for breaking up some of the slower moments with more lively tracks like Lovely Creature and The Curse of Millhaven and I think it also does a good job implementing female vocalists into the mix on tracks like Henry Lee, Where the Wild Roses Grow, and Death Is Not The End to give the vocals more diversity. Now, with a description like that, how could I not be recommending this album to absolutely everyone? Well, a lot of the enjoyment to be gotten out of this record is up to whether or not you can handle dark imagery, dreary atmospheres, and deep vocals, and although I had a great time exploring this record and hearing these dark stories, I feel that it’s not something that warrants a ton of repeat listens. Additionally, despite everything working really well together as a cohesive piece, I don’t feel like many of the songs were able to stand out on their own or offer a solid tune in the face of the dense and often overloaded lyricism. This doesn’t necessarily mean that I think this album should have been presented any differently because I think for what it’s going for, it does a great job, but it does definitely lose some points for being generally inaccessible. Overall, this is a fantastic artistic piece with a dense and dreary atmosphere and really unique songwriting. Although it might not be immediately appealing to a general listener, I think it deserves to be experienced by anyone that can handle music with a bit of a narrative edge. Give this one a listen if you’re tough enough to handle some dark imagery and patient enough to sit through it all being told in a very laid back fashion. Highlights: Song of Joy, Henry Lee, Lovely Creature, Where the Wild Roses Grow, Death is Not the End Score: 7/10 Uniquely dark and twisted stories presented through some methodically-created atmospheric grooves.

Who goes out of their Way to listen to this moron. I did enjoy the fact that he knows he's ugly in the song's

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

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

Some fantastic tunes but some screechy, morbid, depressing stuff. Committed to the concept - for good or for bad. Conor - 3.75 Jane -2.5 Shannah - 2 Bill - 2 (2.6/5)

I know an album will find it's way into my heart when it has a combination of excellent vision and excellent execution. This album knows what it wanted to be, and achieved that idea flawlessly. Not to mention, the dark vintage Americana vibe that runs through this album's blood is always an appreciated aesthetic. This is a new favorite of mine for sure.

Finally, this is an album with some gristle and grit by Nick Cave that I can absolutely get behind.

4/5

Super album. Can't wait to see the great man again later this year.

Cool!

This is like type o negative meets Michael buble

Not my thing. I feel like this is music for refined north american alcohol drinkers, a sort of mix between folk, western, Leonard Cohen and Lee Hazlewood. Listening to this made me felt like I was in one of those road bars you see in American movies, with Harley Davidson bikes parked on the front, a billiard table, and animal horns hanging from the walls. It's not bad, it's just not my scene.

Excellent Nick Cave & Bad Seeds album - was slightly disappointed when it was released due to their impressive previous album, Let Love In. ...25+ years later, I still find Murder Ballads a bit too uneven for giving 5 stars - a solid 4.

All I can say after this, is: "Wat kon Seedorf nou gebeuren toen hij van elf meter schoot? Er is leven, er is leven na de dood."

Impending death has never sounded this hectic, manic, romantic; Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds offered ten songs of grisly demise in the ways that only they can, finding new routes towards these ironically called ballads and giving them new life. This is, also, perhaps the only album that contains the talents of Kylie Minogue and PJ Harvey either on the same or different track. The only way for this band to go after this is up and up they will go. Favorites: Stagger Lee, Henry Lee, Lovely Creatures, Where the Wild Roses Grow, The Curse of Millhaven, O'Malley's Bar, Death is Not the End.

Heel duister album, Ballads afgewisseld met af en toe iets steviger. En eindigend met een soort van positieve noot (al klinkt het licht ironisch) Topalbum wel

What a story ! It feels kind of like an audio book, but with songs. It was a nice experience.

Not sure when the right mood for this one is but it wasn't when I was listening

Doing an album of murder ballads is quintessentially Nick Cave, but I wouldn't say the album itself is quintessential Nick Cave - it's too inconsistent. Where The Wild Roses Grow is a delight, and Stagger Lee is fun, but trying to stretch that same formula out over 14 minutes on O'Malley's Bar is a bit gratuitous.

Listened to at some point 3.5/5 Favorite song: where the wild roses grow The concept of this album is so fun with each one being a ballad about a crime and the artists were all very talented but it’s a very specific creepy vibe

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.

PSA: I've loved, worshipped, and adored Nick Cave since I first heard The Birthday Party back in the early 80s. He can do no wrong for me. Every album is uniquely Nick, every album is magnificent, and this is one of his finest albums. Dark, brooding, expletive ridden, and hilariously funny. I often smile at the thought of the many people that bought the album because they liked Where The Wild Roses Grow. Oh to have seen their faces when Stagger Lee kicked in.

Wannabe Johnny Cash?

No

Usually can’t stand nick cave but this one was kind of fun

Best wel prima

Song Of Joy gets this off to a spooky start. Curse Of Millhaven is rad. Wild Rose is okay but not my favorite on the album. O'Malley's Bar is a long string of murderous delight.

Vissa sku kalla de ett album, personligen kallar jag det getat med såsen

Very close to giving this a five, It’s just so well executed all around. Even looking past the intriguingly morbid stories being sung (clearly being the focus), each song brings it’s own set of accompanying sounds, like organ, banging drums, strings, choirs, duets and more. A captivating listen

Älskar så gott som alla låtar och hur snuskigt, våldsamt och elaksinnad Cave är.... Crow Jane är kinda tråkig dock...

This is an awesome album. Is it gospel rock style? That's honestly the best I can describe it. Not gospel content, though. So much fun to listen to

2/5 too sobby

WE ARE SEEING NICK CAVE TODAY

A wonderful, incredibly dark and morbid album. Cave's late '80s to early 2000s run was pretty exceptional and, while this isn't my favourite in there, it's got some standout songs and a very defined style

Dis my jam. Although, I did. It realise how many of these had been parodied by Mark and Lard so could not take them all seriously. Still loved it though.

"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.

Dark, brooding and overall fantastic.

I always want to like Nick Cave, but usually I can't find much to like. This one is alright though.

The depictions of violence in this album were legitimately emotionally distressing and I was not prepared for it.

I only vaguely knew of Nick Cave before listening, I had a hazy recollection of the duet he did with Kylie (on this cut). I wasn't looking forward to listening too much given the rather grisly concept of the album, and certainly this collection of songs channel a macabre, dark, grim essence. And yet, as much as it is quite a hard listen in places, I found this album oddly compelling; there are some really catchy tunes and Cave's growling vocals suit the subject matter perfectly. After listening, I found myself confused... had I enjoyed it? It certainly evoked feelings of disgust and yet also allure, and maybe that is the whole point of the album.

Pretty cool

10/10 it’s been a while since I heard a Nick Cave album, he has so an incredible sense of world building he really plays to his strengths and creates something phenomenal every time, one of the greatest artists I know and probably one of my new favorite albums

Seem like the algorithm picked up that I like the last Nick Cave album that came up (The Boatman's call). This too is good, although desolate as hell - but with a title like that what was I expecting? Hard times for Mr Cave with another of his sons recently having passed away. The man is already in a dark spot so can only think where this will take him

A long time fan, such a great concept and it's hard to imagine anyone pulling it off any better. Faves, all of them, but particularly on these listens, The Curse of Millhaven, O'Malley's Bar.

Boring.

Great storytelling and vocals, but kind of monotonous towards the end.

Parts of this were boring and parts were interesting but overall it was just an alright dark storytelling album. Henry lee was pretty good

Just fantastic storytelling. One of the great captivating voices

Exceptional. I obviously knew the duet with Kylie, but I loved pretty much all the other songs too. Not quite a concept album, but with a clear theme, and musically really interesting

AHH NO. no no no no no no. no. i wanted to rip everything and scream at this. everything about it made me absolutely angry. not one good thing came from listening to this. no.

do.not.like. awful. That's as creative as I can get. It seems unfair; there was clearly a great deal of effort and creativity given to the music - haunting. It's almost entirely his voice - awful, dry, in-your-face;literally impossible to get by. Hearing his lip smacks - this is the kind of thing that would have gotten me a failing mark in engineering school having left that garbage in the tracks. omg these lyrics. jfc. Might have been really interesting as an instrumental soundtrack. Lovely album cover tho 2/10 1 star

I had been a massive Nick Cave fan for nearly a decade leading up to this coming out. Murder Ballads marks a point where I started to lose interest in the Bad Seeds. For all the grime and murder than is sung about this album sounds as dangerous as the poser at the local shopping mall pretending to be a gangster. The days of the wild Birthday Party Nick Cave were long gone, replaced by a Nick more suited to parlour rooms and red wine. It is still a good album if what a little subdued and patchy in places

Yes! Wanted some Nick Cave on here. Very atmospheric and emotive singing, I enjoyed the collaborations with PJ Harvey and Kylie Minogue. The sombre tone wasn't what I wanted today, but the album is very good for the right mood.

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

Hey man Just remember that death is not the end. I really liked this one. It sometimes seems like gibberish, like old ass stories some dude would tell me while I'm sharing a pint with him in some fucking crusty pub. The backing vocals sort of forming this fucked up ghostly Choir. I don't know I liked it.

One of the worst albums I've ever had to sit through. Like a high school creative writing class set to mediocre music

Already listened to it

Couple of decent songs.

‘Where the wild roses grow’ worth a star on its own. Remainder probably get another couple. A scraped 3.

Decent album but overlong

Great album. I think on a single listen, I'd give this a 4. However, I suspect it'd grow on me with a few more listens even more, so I'm going to give it a 5/5.

Yeah I think I get Nick Cave now. "Ghosteen" was kinda dull but this is dark and captivating. Wonderfully textured atmospheres, dramatic vocalisations, theatrical lyrics, it's got it all. "Stagger Lee" is so fucking cool and disturbing and the culminating noise and screams at the end were haunting. Album really paints a vivid picture of tortured minds. Kylie Minogues feature on "Where the Wild Roses Grow" is beautiful. "The Curse of Millhaven" is a great catchy folk song about of murderous rampage.

I try to hold out on giving out fives, especially so soon to each other, but man, I love this album. Some insane compositions throughout. A

Holy shit. Am I becoming a NIck Cave fan? Yes I am. 4

Wacky but fun story-driven album Very unique

I think a single word to sum up this record is "weird". I really liked the music composition and arrangements. However, I raised my eyebrows a couple times during listening, due to eccentric lyrics (album title doesn't disappoint) as well as some of the sounds, especially unorthodox singing by Nick Cave. Album left me clueless whether I enjoyed it or not. Worth a listen, but I don't think I'll ever feel the need to come back to it.

Zdecydowanie nie zawiodłam się tytułem - pierwszy album od dłuższego czasu, który przesłuchałam uważnie zamiast tylko puścić w tle i generalnie takie 4.5/5, ale daję 5 za super teksty.

Dużo lepsze te ballady, niż Cohena. Słuchało się przyjemnie, opowieść wciągała i angażowała. Dobór wokalistek też nieprzypadkowy, dobrze zgrywają się z Nickiem i pasują do tych opowieści. Muzycznie - klasyka, lekki podkład, nie wysuwa się na pierwszy plan, a jedynie towarzyszy. Najciekawsze na płycie aranżacja "Death Is Not The End" Dylana i "Where The White Roses Grow".

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

Znałem. Nick Cave jest świetny, mega klimat, faktycznie album ma sens głównie liryczny i słuchanie go ot tak w tle nie pozwala w pełni doświadczyć jego jakości. Wokalistki pasują do utworów, w których są. Album mroczny, brutalny, nietypowy. Highlighty - Song of Joy (świetnie się tam rozwija akcja) i Death is Not The End

Not my favorite Cave record. Solid, for what it is, but there's a lot on it that I don't care if I ever hear again.

A R'n'R Bloodbath.

5 Bats subtotal, minus 1 Bat for a distasteful and flippant use of Stagger Lee.

I first encountered the term "murder ballad" when I was reading Wikipedia about Dwight Yoakam's album "Buenas Noches from a Lonely Room." There was a link to an entire article about them. I realized that I was familiar with them--just one of those things you don't really think about until you wonder why there are so many of these old murderous songs that are often beautiful sounding...like the title song from that Dwight Yoakam album. I also read that Nick Cave created this album as a home for "O'Malley's Bar," since on its own I think it would cause lots and lots of concern. (I was still concerned. It's a very concerning song.) But so now the album's title makes it very clear what to expect. Murder. And lots of it. Although, I'm not sure these all count as the sort of beautiful folk ballads that go with the second part of the title. Mind you, "Where the Wild Roses Grow" and "Henry Lee" are right there on point. Beautiful, but...oh! "Stagger Lee," however... not sure I could imagine an Appalachian waif of yore singing that one. But it's been a while since a song brought me so many jaw-dropping surprises after surprises. Whoa! Whoa! I haven't really been able to process this album yet. "The Curse of Millhaven" made me feel like I was hit by a Mack truck, driven by a 15-year-old. This was a trip to a very disturbing dark side. I don't know if I liked that, but it's definitely made an impact on me, and I can't say it wasn't absolutely fascinating. I don't think I'll forget this one soon.

I started to listen to this album as I crawled into bed last evening. It did a great job of lulling me to sleep, and from what I made out last night, I was not all that interested. Now, in the daylight, it has a curious appeal. I am not actually interested in the lyrical content of the murder ballads, but the over all auditory experience is kind of attractive.

Less a collection of songs and more a series of horror stories set to music. Upsetting and horrifying but beautifully mesmerizing. Lovely melodies belie their ugly lyrical content. The cover art is an eerie match to the tales inside. Unique and finely crafted. My only complaint is that O'Malley's Bar goes on and on and on. Death Is Not The End seems like it might be a nice ending to all the brutality but even its lyrics aren't particularly hopeful.

Listening to the first three songs of this was a real slog. I struggled with the vocals. I hated the lyrics. As each of these songs ended my desire to continue listening kept plummeting. “Lovely Creature” was the first song where things started looking a little better... and after that I already was familiar with “Where the Wild Roses Grow” which continued along this line. I didn’t hate this song, in no small part to the performance of Kylie Minogue. But it sounded much worse than I recall on this album. From then on it all heads rapidly south again. I’m sure someone might enjoy this as some kind of satirical joke or something, but my only joy was hearing it end.

Ok

Hmmm not sure what I was expecting but this wasn't it.

I really wanted to like this but could not get into it

Estilo peculiar. Del estilo de Leonard Cohen. Tipo cantautor sin mucho estilo añadido. Parecen historias contadas. Distinto de escuchar

Several terrible songs to be skipped. A couple decent ones though

couple of very good songs but the concept is a bit repetitious, and after the perfect Kylie song its downhill

Excellent storytelling, interesting features.

Some great tracks. Great lyrics as ever from Nick Cave. Some tracks reminded me of early Pogues - not a bad thing at all.

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.

Indeed, it's actually a collection of grisly, horrific, profane serenades like a vindictive villain. I get it, Nick Cave has a deep catalog of starkly vile dirges to back him up. That's all.

Muy interesante

During their hot streak.

Very good

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

Ummm.... music or spoken word? Either way not a fan

Understand why this album is titled “Murder Ballads” as I felt like murdering myself while listening. Then realized it was Nick Cave who probably should be murdered, and I felt better.

I actually really like a lot of modern "murder-folk" like Amigo The Devil, Tejon Street Corner Thieves, and the Bridge City Sinners. This feels like an interesting exploration of Grisly ballads long before that recent explosion in popularity. || Only a few songs really stuck out to me. Feels like a 3.5, but I'll round up.

Meh

Boring

Genre: Alternative Rock 3/5 Well, Nick Cave has certainly listened to some Tom Waits in his day. Having listened to the album Rain Dogs just a few weeks ago for this here project, this sounds like somewhat of a knockoff. The concept is fun and different, and I think the instrumentation and arrangements were all interesting, but it's almost a total ripoff of Tom Waits. Songs like Stagger Lee take the Tom Waits growls and drunken storytelling nearly note for note, and the only thing that changes is how many times Nick Cave says motherfucker. This album is fairly star-studded (features fellow Aussie Kylie Minogue), and it all sounds rather expensive and technical, and I'm sure it was a labor of love. But this thing, while sounding nothing quite like its contemporaries, reeks of its direct influences. If you like this, listen to Rain Dogs, and this will all sound like its weird twin brother.

3.5

Musically, this album is great to listen to, a throwback to Western-style compositions, transporting one's imagination to the Old West. Spoken word/story-telling is certainly captivating until the subject matter callously reminds the listener that this is not western music. However, where this album subjectively fails is in the literal storytelling. Explicit language, innuendo, etc., these things may further storytelling in other mediums, but here it feels more like an intentional means of cutting one's self off at the knees. Inserting explicit references for perceivably no real reason to tell a story that ultimately fails at telling anything is frustrating to experience. "Swagger Lee" being the first cringe-worthy song, we are treated to an incredible setting with an interesting set of characters, until all of that goes away with "Swagger Lee" being nothing short of a despicable villain. "O'Malley's Bar" doubles down on the poor story-telling topped with terrible singing, sort of asking the question if whether or not this is where Kanye West learned how to not hold a note. This album is incredibly disappointing in spite of its capability to be a good jam. All the makings and presentation of a great gift, lacking the substance of anything meaningful.

Is this music? I couldn't take it after 4 songs.

Love the fullness of his voice. Really enjoyed "Where the Wild Roses Grow". The rest of the album was good, but nothing special IMO. Liked, did not love. C+

Super cool eerieness to Nick's voice. Definitely will be listening to his other albums too

Some good stuff on this one. Interesting, unexpected. Felt kind of like a movie soundtrack, and I mean that in a good way. His voice kind of wore on me a bit after a handful of tracks -- not sure why; maybe because it kind of felt at times like a Leonard Cohen impression? the style of some of the songs added to that feel -- but it's well-written and very well performed.

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

A pretty good album, but I didn't love it or hate it. Very ballad-y, very murder-y, so it delivered on its premise. I guess I just didn't expect the premise to be so...literal. I'm not complaining, I was just surprised that every single song was a murder ballad. I like a dark concept though. Every track on here was SO hit or miss in terms of how enjoyable it was. Fave track was Where the Wild Roses Grow, just because it was so beautiful. Overall a very weird album. Definitely deserves to be on this list, though I have to admit I wouldn't listen to it start-to-finish again. Just some select faves.

Favorite track was Where the Wild Roses Grow

This album was alright, not my favourite but it was interesting for sure.

4.5 - It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call this record an artistic triumph. Cave’s voice is a deep croon that’s equally capable of frothing with rage, brooding with regret and choking with desperation. What an unmatched voice. Some songs unfold as poetic eulogies (“Where the Wild Roses Grow”) and others like dramatizations of grizzly crime scenes (“O’Malley’s Bar”). The instrumental backing adds subtle depth and amazing atmosphere. In particular, “O’Malley’s Bar” feels like you’re actually listening to the killer in the act. Great contributions by PJ Harvey and others to boot!

Not my vibe

Yeah I don’t fucking get it. The instrumentation is pretty decent but his voice is almost purposefully boring. What lonely bastard picked this list?

For the most part utterly depressing, but I did find myself getting into it more as the album went on. Especially like the Curse of Millhaven and O'Malley's Bar, "And with an ashtray as big as a fucking really big brick I split his skull in half" is a phenomenal lyric

Rating: 9/10 Best songs: Stagger Lee, Henry Lee, Lovely creature, Where the wild roses grow

Iconic

a little loud

Couldn't finish the album, Nick was just getting on my nerves. I apologize.Tried to like Nick Cave before but i just couldn't and i think i have to deal with it , i never will.

This was...something. Its definitely interesting but im not sure I'll ever go out of my way to listen to it again.

What a weird concept. Songs were fine, but just so out of left field I don't think I particularly want to listen to it again.

realmente nao posso dar uma nota pra um tipo de projeto em que nao casa minimamente com o que considero bom. gosto é gosto

Dark, stories set to music. Not really a bop or a vibe as the kid say

A good album this with some great songs, not least "Where The Wild Roses Grow" with the , then, unlikely pairing with disco/pop "Diva" Kylie Minogue. "Stagger Lee" "The Curse of Millhaven" and "Death Is Not the End" great stuff and rightfully here in my opinion!

p788, 1996, 5 stars Nick Cave :) all the favourites: Stagger Lee, Henry Lee, Curse of Milhaven, O'Malley's Bar

Wow

This is one of the weirdest things I've listened to in years.

Inimitable.

I didn't like this upon release, but it's really grown on me over the years

Dark folky madness. Cool concept but also a bit one-trick-pony-ish.

I already adore this wonderful silly album. Stagger Lee deserves awards just for its ridiculous use of the word motherfucker. It's hilarious. Henry Lee with PJ Harvey and Wild Roses with Kylie are both darker and moodier - and have a nice balance - Cave is murderer in one and victim in the other. Curse of Millhaven and O Mallets Bar are the highlights for me. Gloriously dark silliness. The latter is 15 minutes long bat feels like three. And Death is not the End is like Band Aid but not for idiots. Perfect perfect perfect.

Heavy heavy album. Nick is such an incredible story teller, maybe the best in rock history. His talent for putting real meat on the bones of the characters that inhabit his tales of murder and mayhem is sans pareil. And the accompaniment and arrangements of the Bad Seeds enhance the drama. 4 🌟

cool concept, executed fairly well

dope! genau likas ally

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.

one of the weirder albums to add to this list 1.5

I just don’t get him ! 1*

Fantastic of course and probably more consistent than some other albums.

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.

Exactly what it says on the tin. And it's fucking incredible. I'll admit that when I first listened, I accidentally had it on shuffle so it went from tracks 1->2->6 and I had quite the whiplash when I had to go back to track 3, the weakest track on the album, when track 6 is one of the strongest. I had to make sure that didn't cloud my judgement of the album as a whole, and thankfully most everything else on here is incredibly strong. All about murder, of course. Probably the best song on the album, which I really didn't expect, was a full fifteen minute long track called O'Malley's Bar, it doesn't develop much musically from front to back but the lyrical story and sheer strength of the music already there keeps you hooked all the way through. It's incredible. Great fucking songs on here, even if the album isn't consistent all the way through.

7/10

Cool lyrics telling vivid stories, awesome style

So conflicted. I feel like I should love, love, love this with the darkness and mood, but did not connect.

weird. And weird in a bad way.

Got interesting towards the middle but I wasn't a fan really

6/10

Really not a big fan of this style of music. Reminds me of Tom Waitts.

Note to self, try this one again. It was nasty and interesting. A little on the fence about its artistic merit, but it's definitely appropriate for this kind of list.

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

3.5 - CD gave me a chuckle so we will round up today :)

A near perfect album. An dark atmosphere of terrible tales told around a camp fire. At turns viscious, funny, sad and beautiful. Definitely worth a listen.

Great music and lyrics but super depressing..

Dark and theatrical.

Story

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

Not my kind of music at all, but songwriting is excellent

I like the idea of this album and had a good time listening to it. The songwriting style gets a little repetitive, but overall a good listen. I don’t think it’s something I’d put on frequently though, it’s just a little too out there for me to listen to much.

This one is somewhat weird and also rather a mixed bag. Sort of sounds like bad guy songs from Disney cartoon movies. The quality also widely varies. For most of the album I wanted to round this up to a 4 from a 3.5. But O'Malley's Bar went on for way too long and then the last song Death Is Not The End was horrible. The album was at least quite interesting and had some very good parts. So this could have been a really good one. But it is what it is.

Extremely uncomfortable but also very good. I am torn. Might go back to this. 3 for now

Nick Cave is like if a vampire was telling you about his day. Had a hard time getting through this, even though I actually enjoyed pretty much every track. Took me nearly three days! Don't know why. Nick Cave will always make me think of Wings of Desire/Himmel Uber Berlin.

ну это не смешно уже, братцы!.. Да, понятно, что это самый коммерчески успешный альбом Ника Кейва, за счет того что он, видимо, поёбывал Кайли Миноуг и заманил её спеть сингл вместе. Но ёбаный рот, сюда-то это пихать зачем? Человек, который послушает этот альбом, охуеет и к творчеству Кейва, вероятно, больше не притронется, решив, что это какой-то ебанутый реднек со сказками уровня Короля и Шута. Ну окей, послушали. В целом, настроение похоже и на другие альбомы Кейва, но из-за того, что он тут перепевает какие-то старые народные песни про ковбоев и чертей, а там обычно куча текста - музыка отходит на второй план. В итоге мы получаем просто невыносимо затянутые номера Stagger Lee и O'Malley's Bar. Последний - это пиздец просто, он идёт почти 15 минут, и там буквально нихуя не происходит, один и тот же квадрат по кругу (простите за каламбур) и заунывное нытьё Кейва. История, конечно, интересная (нет), но всему предел же должен быть, мы тут не Русское Поле Экспериментов собрались слушать. Касательно остальных песен - ну так-сяк, есть милые балладки, фит с Миноуг мне не сильно зашёл, на фоне общего мрачняка он сладенький какой-то. Как и кавер на Дилана - чето это чересчур уже. Некоторые песни порадовали атмосферой, схожей с таковой у Lake of Tears (на наиболее мифичных песнях), но я в любой день лучше LoT и послушаю. Да и вообще сам Кейв говорит, что сочинил этого 15-минутного мутанта и не мог придумать, куда его вставить, поэтому написал целый альбом, чтобы ему было не одиноко. Ну так оно и звучит, написали чтоб было просто. Я хуй знает, господа, зачем этот проходняк было сюда проталкивать (мне напомнить, сколько охуенных альбомов не попали сюда даже в редакциях двадцатых годов?), ну пусть будет 6/10 за атмосферу и фиток с Пиджи Харви. Лучшие песни: Henry Lee, Lovely Creature, Stagger Lee (при всей затянутости песни я всё равно кекаю каждый раз, когда Кейв кричит "YOU BETTER GET DOWN ON YOUR KNEES AND SUCK MY DICK") Не очень интересное: O'Malley's Bar, Death Is Not the End

невыносимый говор у этого реднека просто фу

Dear Nick Seed, Stop adding yourself to this album list. Sincerely, Disappointed Jon

Mostly found this overwrought. Certainly interesting, but I can’t matinees sitting down and choosing to listen through this for pleasure.

This is really not my thing. It felt like the ramblings of a half stoned old man in some seedy bar. If that's your cup of tea you'll love it, but to me it was boring, depressing and badly sung.

Spooky, raw, indebted to history

Dark, dark tracks - in case the title doesn't give it away. Songs focused of death and murder and the vocals and music fits all of these songs perfectly. Best Tracks: Stagger Lee; The Curse of Millhaven; O'Malley's Bar

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?

I guess you have to give him credit for sticking to a theme and carrying it all the way through. Definitely story-time song in the Nick Cave style about death. They range in gratuitousness, but are generally consistent and though the last song is probably weaker than the rest, they keep a steady balance through the album. if you're in the mood... this will do it.

Jedan dosta dobar zimski album. Puno albuma gospodin Nick i njegova škvadra imaju ispod svog pojasa za koje bi se reklo da su fantastični, ovaj nije toliko baš, ali je jako dobar. Dakle nije mi u top 5, ali svejedno zaslužuje veliki rejting.

Hah hah, this album is gloriously deranged! I've long been a huge fan of it. Fave track - "The Curse of Milhaven", I mean, c'mon, almost every verse has a laugh out loud funny line. On this listen through, "Lovely Creature" really stood out to me, too...

Didn’t enjoy

A pesar de que obviamente el estilo y género de canciones es muy conocido no tenía conocimiento de que se les llamara formalmente "murder ballads." La única vez que había escuchado el término pensé, sin darle mayor importancia, que había sido inventado para una presentación de los Tiger Lillies (que recomiendo ampliamente); todo esto no viene mucho al caso pero se me hace curioso que en todos estos años nunca me tope con el término formal. Al leer sobre el disco y el concepto pensé de entrada que iban a ser covers de canciones folclóricas clásicas del género y, aunque si vi que hay un par me pareció muy interesante que la mayoría son composición suya o al menos de creación moderna. A Nick Cave realmente llegué a conocerlo por la conexión de constantes colaboraciones con Blixa Bargeld (quien hizo quizá de las canciones más interesantes musicalmente en el disco a mi parecer - Lovely Creature, y quien debería estar en esta lista y lo más probable no esté btw) y se me hace un proyecto que varia mucho en sus discos pero siempre ofrece algo musicalmente interesante. En este caso también ofrecen a mi parecer algo líricamente macabro y delicioso con una cuenta de víctimas que si no me equivoco es como de más de 50 al menos si sumamos los muertitos de todas las canciones. Hace sin duda honra a su nombre, me agradó mucho y aunque siempre he pensado que Nick Cave suena a alguien imitando la voz de Leonar Cohen (que no digo que lo haga pero a eso suena) en este caso queda muy bien para el mood del proyecto. Las colaboraciones ya sean con PJ Harvey o Kylie o etc bien a secas, aunque buenas las canciones ni siquiera se me hacen las mejores del disco. Todo un disco que aunque al parecer surgió entre capricho/reto/broma terminó con algo tremendamente cohesivo de calidad, muy distinto y único.

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.

4.5| que buen disco, noto mucho Leonard Cohen en su tesitura pero nada que moleste. La manera de contar las historias y de igual manera que el disco pasado de Lou Reed muy gris y macabro por hablar de muertes, me gustó mucho

En general el concepto del disco me gustó mucho y creo que valdría la pena dedicarle una oída a profundidad a las letras. Mi único (gran) pero, es que la voz de Nick Cave (especialmente combindada con lo largo de algunas canciones) me llega a fastidiar bastante.

Automatic 4 stars for Where the Wild Roses Grow

NSFW awesome

This does nothing for me.

I didn't try to listen to this too hard. Maybe there's something there, but I couldn't find it on one pass... and frankly spent a lot of time listening to my favorite dental hygienist, Jane Weaver this weekend.

I still think would best, for most of these albums, to go into listening to new music with an open mind and not reading details and reviews in advance. (Not that I'm following that guidance very well.) "Murder Ballads" is not one of those occasions. It's good to know what you're getting into with this one. Are you in the mood to hear ten dark and haunting (both in lyrics and instrumentation) stories of murder? Halfway through the first song I realized - "oh, murder ballads!" I've heard the term before but didn't connect it at first. The dark and twisted cousin of sea shanties? I've never listened to a whole album of murder ballads. And I won't again. Felt a bit like wandering lost in cobblestoned back-alleys of a late 1800s city with poor sanitation, not knowing what horror will await you around the next corner. It's interesting and different, but it's a no from me, dawg. (And that was before "O'Malley's Bar" kept going, and going, and going, with weird grunts and moans...)

This album is a hoot! Super theatrical, great storytelling, decent musicianship. I'd keep it around for kitsch value, but probably wouldn't do much "pleasure" listening. The Kylie Minogue duet is clearly an outlier as the most accessible song on the album, but I also dug some of the earthier, more raw tracks too.

This might be my least favorite of the way too many Nick Cave albums on this list. Telling that the song I liked best was a Dylan cover sung by vocalists I like more than Nick Cave.

Utter shite…

Great but not Nick’s best

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

Good but not my favourite Nick Cave album.

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

a good album for halloween and nothing else

Oli siinä biisejä ainakin

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)

Non tutto quello che fa mi piace, ma comunque trovo Nick Cave un personaggio interessante. In quest'album la sensazione è la stessa: è interessante ma non tutto quello che ho ascoltato mi è piaciuto. La cosa che non mi spiego è come, nonostante sia spesso incompatibile con i miei gusti, riesca a non farmi schifo e anzi, rimanga ad ascoltarlo. Tranne Where the Wild Roses Grow che ho trovato troppo banale e al secondo ascolto ho skippato. Tra il 2 e il 3. Ma 2 mi sembra troppo poco.

Cinquenta e três. Pobre Sylvia. Nunca lhe encontraram o corpo. Esqueceram-se de procurar no lago. MotA: Stagger Lee "Have mercy on me, sir Allow me to impose on you / I have no place to stay And my bones are cold right through"

Not my cup of tea, but very well made for what it is. Last two songs, though a tad repetitive, are the highlights for me. “Death Is Not The End” is a perfect darkly optimistic finish in both concept and execution for this mostly bleak album

This album is astonishingly bad. Surely it’s satire.

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

What the hell is this album, I did not like this album at all, way to weird for me 1/5

Exactly as the title suggests. Super vivid stories told in each song. It was definitely something different, I don’t know if I would listen again

Dark

This just gives me Edgar Allan Poe vibes and I don't know how to explain it but I love it. It has some questionable lyrivs, but well, the album is called Murder Ballads for a reason

not this...

Stagger Lee: non so perché mi ricorda un po' i Modest Mouse più moderni nonostante i contenuti espliciti. Lovely Creature: pure questo c'ha il basso un po' Modest Mouse. Cioè chiaramente so i Modest Mouse che hanno il basso Nick Cave & Bad Seeds. In conclusione: sono le due di notte e io aspettavo Nick Cave al varco. Non lo avevo mai ascoltato veramente prima di oggi e devo dire di essere rimasto davvero stupito. Questo album mi ha totalmente sorpreso, ha chiaramente ispirato molta della musica che mi piace. La prima metà dell'album per me è da 5, l'interpretazione di Kylie Minogue è fantastica come pure PJ Harvey fa la sua figura. La seconda parte per me è più da 4, nonostante O'Malley's bar sia comunque un gran pezzo è un po' eccessivo. La cover di Dylan nel finale è un tocco da maestro. Per me sto album è un 4.75 ma non posso dargli 4 e quindi, finalmente, dò il mio primo 5 ad un album che non avevo mai ascoltato (ma il primo morale è Stevie). Sicuramente lo riascolterò e approfondirò anche il vecchio Nick.

nick cave królem jest

Był okej

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds open their "Murder Ballads" album with a deep-voiced Nick on "Song of Joy" - a spookish tall tale about a lady named Joy... or possibly about the mere concept of joy itself. Nick's storytelling is brooding and gothy, and I'm here for it! And after 4 minutes of this 6+ song... I can trust this album will be a horror movie for the ears. "Stagger Lee" is another story-telly song about a "bad mother fucker called Stagger Lee" and the bartender does not care. It's campy and fun! And devilishly spooky! "Henry Lee" is the next track on the album and it opens with guest vocals from PJ Harvey (I saw her open for U2 once when I was 11!). Another melancholy tale with accompanying piano and bass AND a pleasantly catching "la la la la" from the duet. The next track, "Lovely Creature" has a build up of tension that is carried throughout, with backing vocals from an unfeatured lady (and more "la la las") that I can only describe as "spooky consistent". "Where the Wild Roses Grow" features vocals by Kylie Minogue (she is the wild rose!) and is another spooky tall tale pop-ish goth song with piano and string arrangements that would make Ben Moody blush. "The Curse of Millhaven" comes in hot and has a head-boppy percussion with an accordion, and it's very fun! Reminds me a lot of My Chemical Romance (Mama comes to mind)... "even God's children they have to die". "The Kindness of Strangers" is yet another murder tale, about a woman named Mary who is tied to her bed with a bullet in her head. This track features an upbeat piano rhythm with guitar and drums. It's easy listening! This track also features a crying woman, which isn't very easy listening, but it is fantastic story telling. The next track, "Crow Jane," continues Nick's storytelling of murder and guns. This song features more piano and even more bass and drums. It's slow paced and has me tapping my foot and bopping my head. "O'Malley's Bar" is the penultimate track on this album, and at 14:28, it's by far the longest song (it's nearly 4 songs worth of song!). Nick does some adlibbing over some piano plucks while singing about a killing spree and how it makes his dick feel, for which I have the utmost respect. My personal favorite line from this track: "And with an ashtray as big as a fucking really big brick I split his skull in half His blood spilled across the bar Like a steaming scarlet brook" After that truly horrific tale of O'Malley's bar, the album comes to a close with "Death Is Not the End" (featuring Anita Lane, Shane MacGowan, PJ Harvey, and Kylie Minogue) - a cover of Bob Dylan - and it's a truly wonderful closer. "Just remember, that death is not the end." A haunting, yet comforting message for the pale, pasty, gothic audience Nick and his friends are surely targeting. Overall I really enjoyed this album. It's weird, it's disturbing, it's haunting. It is simply wonderful! Favorite track: The Curse of Millhaven Honorable mention: O'Malley's Bar

yaasss lawd, yes!!

liked the sound, a little bluesy and seemed similar to some Johnny Cash I have heard before. Overall, unexpected surprise.

Imagine unironically being Australian. Embarrassing

Exactly what it said it would be.

Loved this! Lots of great tracks