Just around the time Nick Cave began to abandon the narrative, the narrative came for him. As he wrote 2013’s Push The Sky Away and 2016’s Skeleton Tree, the man who had previously spun memorable and deranged fables out of Elvis’ birth, Greek mythology, the darkest notes of the blues, and the perils of not having sex found himself no longer interested in telling stories. And then, the tragedy: Cave’s 15-year-old son, Arthur, died when he fell from a cliff in Brighton.
The story of Arthur’s death dominated the release of Skeleton Tree. The album was almost entirely written and partially recorded before the fall, but its drifting paranoia and swirling confusion make it feel like a document of the earliest, most chaotic days of mourning. In the years that followed, Cave found himself unable to compose. “Great trauma can rob us of this, the ability to be awed by things,” he wrote to a fan earlier this year, adding that his lyrical approach had since “shifted fundamentally”: “I found with some practice the imagination could propel itself beyond the personal into a state of wonder.”
The double album Ghosteen, then, is Nick Cave’s first transmission from a brand-new country. This is true in the literal sense—he and his wife, Susie, left Brighton for Los Angeles, where much of the album was recorded—and in what we might call the spiritual sense. Profound loss, as anyone who has suffered it knows, can fully upend a person’s understanding of themselves and the world. The horizons of possibility become radically altered; the sun, it turns out, doesn’t require nearly as much space to set.
What Cave sends us from this new place is remarkable. Ghosteen is both his most solitary recording since 2001’s No More Shall We Part and impossible to imagine without the contributions of The Bad Seeds. Long one of rock’s most versatile and visceral bands, here they’re tasked with wrapping swirls of atmospheric sound—braids of synth, vibraphones that echo from a mile away—around Cave’s elegant piano playing. He sounds simultaneously alone at the edge of the world and surrounded by benevolent spirits, a fittingly biblical cloud of witnesses who haven’t seen the power of God so much as they’ve moved through the fallout of their own atomic blasts; theirs is a communion of radiation.
So it’s a bit of a surprise that Ghosteen is also Cave’s most accessible album since The Boatman’s Call, the 1997 turn to classic songwriting that cemented his reputation as one of rock’s most finely tuned lyricists. Though he’s billed it as third in a stylistic trilogy that began with Push The Sky Away, the writing is straightforward, and, on the page, occasionally borders on the banal. “Peace will come, a peace will come in time,” he sings on the opening “Spinning Song,” while a couple of tracks later on “Waiting For You,” he turns the title around in the chorus—from here, “you” are a lover, from this angle, “you” are God. Cave has always been able to crack into an overworn phrase, freeing its essence to roam around his songs, and Ghosteen’s simplest lyrics often have the most devastating impact. “I’m just waiting for now, for peace to come,” he sings in the final moments of closer “Hollywood.” He sounds exhausted, humbled, close to restored but still steeling himself for disappointment.
That’s not the whole story. The territory of mourning can be immeasurably vast, big enough to contain both love in full flush and its object’s path of departure. Across Ghosteen, but particularly on the first album, large-heartedness and devastation prove inseparable, and The Bad Seeds build starry galaxies that expand with every sigh. “Bright Horses” walks this space slowly, taking in a place where in one moment, “horses are just horses and their manes aren’t full of fire, the fields are just fields, and there ain’t no Lord,” and in the next, the apparent sadness of the world is overcome by the persistent buoyancy of belief, regardless of its literal truth: “I can hear the horses prancing in the pastures of the Lord,” Cave sings as the light shifts and overtakes him. It’s notable that he doesn’t see the horses. It’s also notable that it doesn’t seem to matter.
In the brief lead-up to Ghosteen’s release, Cave wrote that “The songs on the first album are the children. The songs on the second album are their parents.” The first set’s songs are shorter, brighter, almost liturgical; they move as though they have a goal in mind, even if they aren’t sure what that goal is. The songs in the second set feel open-ended and more ambiguous, less sure of the future, but undoubtedly wise even as they reel between sorrow and joy. It’s tempting to think of them as songs of relative innocence and experience, with the gravitas of the latter presumably outweighing the former; “sometimes, a little faith can go a long way,” Cave sings early on. If these songs are the children, that means they carry a child’s gifts: sweetness and an eagerness to connect, but also naïveté. It is naïve, after all, to think there might be any good left in the story after you’ve encountered the worst of the Lord. But if they’re the children, Cave must think the future belongs to them.
57 Comments
after listening through once, i think ghosteen is definitely overall weaker than push the sky away, or skeleton tree, but goddam if sun forest is just devastating.
I think it’s considerably stronger than Push the Sky Away (which has its moments but is, by my money, easily the weakest Cave affiliated album of the 2010s). Skeleton Tree probably gets my vote, but this record is so singular and gorgeous and weirdly affecting that I can definitely see it overtaking ST.FWIW, I definitely think Ghosteen is his tightest lyricism in a very long time. The way the record’s references and images and stories all intertwine and loop back into each other gives in the feel of a deftly planned novel.
I’m just here to defend Push the Sky Away. I think it’s an utterly gorgeous album and “Jubilee Street”, “Wide Lovely Eyes”, “Higgs Boson Blues” and the title song are some of his best work of the decade. the ending of “Jubilee Street” live, in particular… unbelievable
Great album. I love most of his stuff, and I’ve found hidden depths to many. And agreed with Jubilee Street, Wide Lovely Eyes, and Higgs Boson Blues. I think Cave is a artist worth many multiple listenings as it compliments and deepens the work. Love these latest three albums.
I need to give this album another listen, but I was underwhelmed on my first pass. For more than a few of the songs, it sounds like he’s reciting bad spoken word over his soundtrack music. It’s a little too formless and meandering for my tastes, but maybe it just hasn’t clicked for me.
That was my first thought, but the more I listen to it, the more it sinks in. It really is a beautiful album.
I felt that way for a track or two in the middle (Waiting for You and Night Raid specifically) but was blown away by everything else. The writing on Sun Forest and Bright Horses especially is unbelievably wonderful, and Hollywood might be the single strongest piece of poetry he’s ever recorded. After a few listens, even the more meandering or seemingly hokey songs have me completely enveloped.
I was really hoping he’d get back to a more traditional musicality, and move away a bit from the minimalism, but it looks like he’s somehow gotten even more minimal. Oh well, I’m sure I’ll pick this up, just like I do with all his music.
He’s done such a range of stuff through the years, though.
Most definitely, but from ‘08 onward(Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!) he has unarguably gotten more and more minimalist with each album.
Right, but as the article notes, he was doing minimalist piano-driven shit 20 years or more ago. He comes and goes, and will get back to the stuff you dig in time most likely.
Uh…I’ll add some helpful parentheticals?“I was really hoping he’d get back to (“back to” meaning explicitly the less minimal styles he’s delved into in the past) a more traditional musicality (on this particular album), and move away a bit from the minimalism (that he has almost exclusively dwelt in over the last decade), but it looks like he’s somehow gotten even more minimal (when it already seemed like he couldn’t get more minimal, and the natural course was to turn back toward his more filled out sounds). Oh well, I’m sure I’ll pick this up, just like I do with all his music (including “The Boatman’s Call,” which on a genre level is one of my least favorites of his, and which he released back when he was 40 and had 22 years of musical career to get to this current point…meaning if he follows the same route, the analog for Ghosteen will be released when he is 84).”(I’d say) Sorry for the dickish response (but I wouldn’t actually mean it because it was very satisfying to write)
I didnt read it
I know what you’re saying. And I haven’t yet gotten over my feeling that on Ghosteen the sound is more of a deliberate decision to sort of dwell in the same sonic ground that he and the band have already covered in more interesting ways on the last one (for some reason I always forget the name, even though I love the album) and to a lesser extent on Push the Sky Away.
Interested non-disciple asking: where does one start with Nick Cave? What is his consensus best album? I recall listening to Skeleton Tree and being unimpressed. But, I really am wanting to do a proper deep dive because, by all accounts, I should love Cave.
Like a lot of music, I think it depends on how old you were and what you were doing when you found him. For me, that was 1992, freshman year of college, and “Henry’s Dream,” which remains one of my favorite records of all time and a really great example of what he does so well – astounding composition and lyrics that repeatedly make you stop and marvel at what a wonderful writer he is. I would say that’s a good place to start. The follow up, 1994’s Let Love In is also great.
That was a great album and tour. I found the show I was at on youtube. It made me wish to be 19 again.
So I appreciate how this is going to sound, but I’d actually suggest starting with The Best of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds compilation. It’s from 1998 (Jesus, I’m old) so it doesn’t cover the last few (21!) years, but it’s it’s a great selection and it’s actually sequenced in a way that flows wonderfully as an instead of just lined up chronologically like most compilations.
I’m a long time Nick Cave fan (since the early – mid 90s) and have listened to pretty much all of his records, and I’d totally back this. That best of is genuinely an excellent cherry pick of the first 20 years of his career. I would listen to that, then go to the corresponding albums of the songs from the best of that resonate with you the most.
For the newer stuff, I think it’s been patchier, but I think I’d go for Push the Sky Away and Grinderman, though I do have a soft spot for the Lyre of Orpheus.
Just like Blur’s Greatest Hits, I think it’s a fantastic compilation that has just as strong of a personality and flow as any of their records. I remember the liner notes on this one being good, too.
I thought the recent ‘Best of’, Lovely Creatures was really good and gives an overview right up to Skeleton Tree. I know ‘Best of’ collections get flack, but when a band or artist has a massive discography, they can really help you find which era is for you.
I don’t think there is any real consensus on his best album. Ask ten fans and you’ll get ten different answers. I will always recommend The Good Son first, because it contains, in my opinion, his two finest songs: “The Ship Song” and “Lucy.” After that one, I’d say try out Tender Prey, Your Funeral… My Trial and The Boatman’s Call. If you don’t like any of that, then Cave probably isn’t for you.
I’m as a big a Nick Cave fan as there is and, apart from Tender Prey, I don’t listen to any of those very often. I prefer the albums with more guitar and less piano.
If someone doesn’t like those suggestions, he/she should check out Dig Lazarus Dig!, Live Seeds, and the Grinderman albums, maybe even Abattoir Blues, before deciding Nick Cave isn’t for them.
This totally proves my point! I’m just the opposite as I prefer the more piano based albums, unless we’re talking about The Birthday Party, which might be a little more of a challenging listen for some.
Yeah, I probably didn’t phrase that as best I could. I completely agree with everything you said, except that Nick Cave might not be for someone who doesn’t like those albums.
Ah! Loved seeing someone else say that about “Lucy.” Seems like I’ve been screaming it from the rooftops for ages, to no avail. I remember hollering for it once in between songs when Nick & the Bad Seeds came through Chicago on The Good Son tour, to which Nick replied, “No, we’re not gonna do that one.” Lucy truly is one of the most stunning pieces of music in any genre, IMO.
In their early years they put out my favorite covers collection any band has done, Kicking Against the Pricks.
Skeleton Tree is an oddball album and a marked shift towards something different than what he spent the previous 30 years doing. Or maybe, more accurately, Push The Sky Away was that shift and Skeleton Tree was the something different. I can’t say that I listen to half the songs on Skeleton Tree very often, and I’m a huge Nick Cave fan.
If I was telling someone where to start, I’d say Let Love In or Murder Ballads. And if the songwriting and vibe grabs you, then check out his more paired down albums like Boatman’s Call or No More Shall We Part. If you’re still into his music after that, take a full dive in.
Personally, I have never been able to get into the very old stuff (pre-Let Love In), but that is mostly due to the production and Nick Cave not fully trusting and having confidence in his singing voice. The writing is great, so I listen to live versions of a number of the songs.
To me the earliest Bad Seeds stuff is fascinating. Weird experiments in pairing rootsy blues with the feisty experimentalism of The Birthday Party.
I don’t think there is any one definitive best album or best place to start. His work is more varied than you might expect, so at some level it depends on which strand best suits your tastes.
I think the live album “Live Seeds” gives you a decent window into the first chunk of his career. If I had to pick three studio albums I would go with Tender Prey, Let Love In, and The Boatman’s Call. If you don’t like any of those he’s probably not for you.
I listened to Boatman’s Call and loved it. Aside from the opening track, ‘Brompton Oratory’ really floored me.
That’s great. Brompton Oratory is a really beautiful one. Into My Arms is widely (and rightly) considered one of his best, and Lime Tree Arbour is a personal favorite from that record.
The following album, No More Shall We Part, is in a somewhat similar vein but with more expansive instrumentation and vocals. It gets a bit overshadowed by Boatman’s Call, but is also an excellent album top-to-bottom.
Try the DVD “God Is In The House”. That’ll do it if you can’t see him live.
I always recommend Live Seeds. It’s a live album, but gives a good overview of his first 10 years. And some of the recordings are better than the studio versions.
Well he’s been making records since the 70’s. Google Boys Next Door, The Birthday Party, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Die Haut, and Grinderman. Though, up until Tender Prey it’s not accessible for a lot of people but it’s brilliant. The song that sold me was Shivers by the Boys Next Door.
Shivers. This song sent 15 year old me over the moon. It links to the video. I was a huge INXS fan back when and one day reading through music mags I came upon an article about Michael Hutchence filming a movie. That movie was Dogs in Space. I found the sound in 1987. I loved the song and found a few other Nick Cave items before hand.
Start with The Birthday Party and get an idea of his roots, his raw power. Then jump into Your Funeral, My Trial. At that point, you’ll be so enamored that you’ll find the rest of the path on your own.
You could start with songs instead of albums. Red Right Hand, Black Hair, Into My Arms, From Her to Eternity, Do You Love Me?, and The Ballad Of Robert Moore And Betty Coltrane are his most brilliant in my opinion. You can stream those easily online.
If your interest is piqued, Let Love In contains several great tunes.
My favourites are The Good Son, The Boatman’s Call and Skeleton Tree, but I agree with whoever recommended the ‘98 best of – his best pre-2000 songs are all on there. That said, right now I think Ghosteen is his best ever; it’s absolutely perfect.
No more shall we part is, for me, an exquisite album and can’t be equalled: my favourite work of art. Boatman’s Call is more sparse but beautiful, you get into my arms on that and Are you the one and people ain’t no good. I love the more quiet ballad side of NC-after 1998. Many others prefer the harder rock side, pre 1998. The phases are often referred to as Old Testament and New Testament.
Thank you to all who provided a response! I’ve listened to The Boatman’s Call, which I really dug, especially ‘Brompton Oratory’ which, of the Cave songs I’ve listened to so far, is my absolute favorite.
Speaking as a casual Nick Cave fan; I’d suggest you sit down and watch the documentary “One More Time with Feeling”, and you might find a new appreciation for Skeleton Tree.I actually have no idea why it made such a difference for me; maybe the seeing the rawness behind the recording changed the music for me.
Thanks!
I don’t know that there’s a clear frontrunner, but I think Let Love In has a good balance: one of his most famous songs (“Red Right Hand” from the X-Files), some of his most terrifying songs, as well as his softest, and the bookending 2 parter of “Do You Love Me?” is worth the price of admission on its own. I think it would give you a good feel as to whether his catalog merits further exploration for you, and where you should go next
Tender Prey, then No More Shall We Part
Let Love In. I don’t know about consensus favorite, but it has his most consistent writing and captures his whole range of styles. Boatman’s Call and Lyre of Orpheus are both good, but they’re less eclectic and (for my money) spottier. Murder Ballads has some of his best songs, but it drags.
Get a suitcase full of heroin and methamphetamines, steal every album and listen to them all in order as loudly as possible without stopping or sleeping. Do it again and turn it up. Set your house on fire and dance with the flames, laughing maniacally. Then tea.
The Boatman’s Call.If you buy one and only one album by him that’s the one. If you like it then start exploring albums that are chronologically adjacent to it.
Murder Ballads
The Lyre Of Orpheus and Abattoir Blues (IMHO). Odd in that they were two separate albums that were released together, there is something you might know if you are a Harry Potter fan…
Let Love In, probably – also listen to Tabula Rasa by Einstürzende Neubauten, which gives you a musical anchor for a lot of the Bad Seeds’ more esoteric contributions (their guitarist is that band’s front man).
I would say Dig Lazarus Dig!!! is far more accessible than Ghosteen. It definitely is The Bad Seeds’ most hook-friendly album. That said, there is so much great stuff going on in Ghosteen, sort of a spiritual sequel to Skeleton Tree.
I would see what is on YouTube that you like. Greatest hits up to 98 is the right way, but I think albums like No More Shall We Part and Dig, Lazarus Dig offer something more / different.Favourite track if you want more off a rock out Babe I’m on fire from Nocturama
The first time I listened to this album it was on in the background. I forget how much time I’ve spent with his music, but know I still like it. Listening, at some point I found the lyrics to be almost parody. Like he was trying to be Leonard Cohen or something. But I listened again and again. Then, on the forth listen the album literally knocked me on my ass. This is powerful shit.
This album feels like a good example why it’s kind of unfortunate that almost all writing about albums comes out as quickly as possible, when they are “news.” I think I’ll be getting to know this one, and won’t have any idea what to say about it, for a good long time.
Wonderful review. I think someone ought to mention just how great Cave’s actual singing in this is; ever since Dig the man’s voice has truly become an instrument that he seems to be taking care of. Also…I think this is the first time in a long time that I feel Nick is leading the band and not letting the Warren Ellis influence saturate everything. I like The Dirty Three and adore a handful of his and Cave’s scores/soundtracks but what completely worked on Push The Sky Away (the soundscapes, the loops, etc.) derailed Skeleton Tree, in my opinion. So I went into Ghosteen pretty skeptical and came away completely elated.
I wonder if AV Club is gonna go back and change this review to a C+ because nick cave just spoke out against woke culture.