Nick Cave : Classic or Dud ?

Looks like the usual crew

GHOSTEEN – THE NEW ALBUM
24 SEPTEMBER 2019

Ghosteen, the new two part album from Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, will be released globally on all digital platforms on Friday 4 October.

Vinyl and CD will be released on Friday 8 November, pre-order now here.

Ghosteen will premiere in full on YouTube at 10pm BST on Thursday 3 October and at listening events worldwide, more information here. This will be the first chance to listen to the new album.

Track Listing:

Part One
1 Spinning Song
2 Bright Horses
3 Waiting for You
4 Night Raid
5 Sun Forest
6 Galleon Ship
7 Ghosteen Speaks
8 Leviathan

Part Two
1 Ghosteen
2 Fireflies
3 Hollywood

The album was recorded in 2018 and early 2019 at Woodshed in Malibu, Nightbird in Los Angeles, Retreat in Brighton and Candybomber in Berlin. It was mixed by Nick Cave, Warren Ellis, Lance Powell and Andrew Dominik at Conway in Los Angeles.

Nick Cave – vocals, piano, synthesizer, backing vocal
Warren Ellis – synthesizer, loops, flute, violin, piano, backing vocals
Thomas Wydler – drums
Martyn Casey – bass
Jim Sclavunos – vibraphone, percussion
George Vjestica – guitar

track times for the curious

https://music.apple.com/gb/album/1479214340

Mixed by Andrew Dominik? the film director?

apparently!

half of his filmography is Cave collabs so presumably yes

xpost

Yeah I knew their other relationship but that's interesting, I wonder if there is any film element or if it relates to the spoken bit.
I checked out from the Bad Seeds when the Harvey / Bargeld era transitioned to the Ellis era but I might give this a listen.

Just wanting to say again that the Cave/Ellis soundtrack to the Mars TV series is really, really lovely.

MASSIVE dud

fuiud Australians

OH I DISAGREE

xp the mercy seat is waiting, friend

seems like another one informed by his grief for his son

https://pitchfork.com/news/watch-nick-cave-cover-daniel-johnstons-devil-town/

Just wanting to say again that the Cave/Ellis soundtrack to the Mars TV series is really, really lovely.

― Tsar Bombadil (James Morrison), Wednesday, 25 September 2019 01:29 (fourteen hours ago) link

Yeah this was great

Saw the three-hour Q&A last night, and it’s definitely worth seeing if you can.

The questions kind of fell between Tony Robbins (questions from people grieving and dealing with addiction) to Kevin Smith (what song would you play if playing one song would save the planet? A: “Babe, I’m on Fire” continuously).

Cave on solo piano was as intense as a Bad Seeds show in its energy, and the public intimacy and vulnerability of the whole thing (more from the women than the men, in their questions) made for a really memorable night.

hype ting, global premiere on youtube happening now

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwlU_wsT20Q

oh damn good looking out

ghosteen is a hell of a title considering his recent family life

So far...is this Nick's "New Jersey"?

Sounds pretty, wonder if he's done ever rocking out again.

natural progression from the past couple of records. lovely microkorg work. typically gaudy and perfectly cliched, lyrically.

so far it sounds like the NMSWP to Skeleton Tree's Boatman's Call, if that makes any sense. more ornate and elaborate extension of the same general vibe

Sounds pretty, wonder if he's done ever rocking out again.

fwiw he has said to expect a third Grinderman album

Sounds pretty, wonder if he's done ever rocking out again.

― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, October 3, 2019 2:14 PM (nine minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

did the last two records "rock out"

I don't think so? But he did play a couple of rocking hits on tour, iirc, which seemed kind of weird and obvious compared to the quieter introspective stranger new stuff.

It would be pretty funny if Grinderman 3 turned out to be another album of synthy drumless ballads

I liked his last couple of albums a lot, but they made more of an impression in the context of the documentary and concert film, respectfully, then they did on my stereo.

Push the Sky Away certainly had moments of rocking out (the ends of "Jubilee Street" and "Higgs Boson Blues")

I love the last two records but part didn't grab me much, I'm however willing to believe this sounds way better in a non-streaming on Youtube format

"Part 1" I meant to say

ah, that was all too samey for me. i nearly fell asleep.

This mostly sounds like Nick Cave reading out poetry over a noodly Cave/Ellis soundtrack.

It sounds a lot like Skeleton Tree but it's missing something.

there's some very pretty bits on this and i think i would really like it if it was only for a few tracks in the context of a more varied album but it's too much all at once. i felt the same way about skeleton tree and never got into it the way i did push the sky away, which is one of my favourites of his.

ok the second disc rules, the longer songs allow for much more movement and progression so they end up more engaging overall

Worthy but tedious album. A real slog to get through. I'm sure the Guardian will love it and Nick's new legion of hipster fans and edgy moms will be all over it, but I miss the Bad Seeds as a band and the excitement and energy from their old albums.

I'm sure the Guardian will love it

Bingo:

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/oct/04/nick-cave-and-the-bad-seeds-ghosteen-review-the-most-beautiful-songs-he-has-ever-recorded

i loved skeleton tree and y’all are being real nerds about this

Nick's new legion of hipster fans and edgy moms will be all over it

Hipster fans and edgy moms how? Haven't heard the new one yet, but why do you think this is the case?

dnftt

the good bits on this are really so good that i already regret being vaguely dismissive of it earlier when i was halfway through it

I had already pre-ordered it so I think I might hold off on listening to it again until I have the physical copy in a month or so, but on first blush it wasn't really for me, certainly the obvious next step after Skeleton Tree, but not as engaging

The bit I heard there was some (relatively) high-register singing. Was that Nick, or Ellis, or someone else?

I couldn't really tell, feels like it wasn't always Nick or Warren

I don't know that anyone is gonna write a better Nick Cave song than Elena Setien this year:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43rYIsnoPug

at the end of "Hollywood" i'm pretty sure it's Cave who sings for a while in a higher register

tried cutting it down to five tracks because i found the first disc to be a bit too meandering and found it to be completely transcendent like this:

Ghosteen
Bright Horses
Night Raid
Galleon Ship
Hollywood

Idk about y'all but I'm crying to every single beautiful and devastating song on this album

this was a lovely listen

I must say I never dreamed I would hear a Yamaha DX7 bell on a Nick Cave album ("Night Raid"). I don't begrudge him wanting to make beautiful music to mourn his son but I feel uncomfortable listening to it.

certainly the obvious next step after Skeleton Tree, but not as engaging

― chr1sb3singer, Friday, October 4, 2019 9:08 AM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

so if I found Skeleton Tree difficult and dull, I'm going to find this one borderline unlistenable, yes?