Ghosteen — Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Why review this album?

This is another relatively random selection to get exposure to new music. That being said, ‘Ghosteen’ seems to be nearly unanimously loved by critics and has made its way onto many a ‘Top Albums of the 2010’s’ list. I’m familiar with some other Nick Cave songs but apparently this one is a bit more electronic and, quite honestly, is supposed to be depressing as this album was created after the tragic death of Nick’s teenage son. Hopefully I join the multitudes of appreciative fans!

Disc 1

Spinning Song

Filtered synths kick us off, immediately immersing you in a somber atmosphere. Nick Cave’s amazing voice reads what is essentially prose about a ‘spinning song’ and a fable about a tree and a king and a queen. (Sorry, if you can’t tell, I’m not big into lyrics…) Gosh, this is a crazy sad song.

7 out of 10

Bright Horses

The piano and strings in this song make this sound like a cinematic score and Nick Cave is reading a voice over. ‘Bright Horses’ is sonically and tonically rich, not quite a ballad but a cathartic outpouring from his soul. I think I would definitely revisit this song if I was feeling sad.

8 out of 10

Waiting for You

More of the same. I don’t mean this in a bad way necessarily; the piano accompanies the raw, tortured, voice of Nick Cave singing about waiting for, who I presume to be, his son. But I don’t have new words to describe the song. This is powerful stuff.

8 out of 10

Night Raid

Same as above but with background vocals and a synth that sounds like a bell. I like this one more than the others but not enough to bump it up to a 9.

8 out of 10

Sun Forest

‘Sun Forest’ starts as an ambient track, with the typical minimalist instrumentation associated with the genre. A piano is introduced at 2:00, heralding in the second act of the song. Nick Cave continues his reading of prose but what’s different here is the song grows around him. The lyrics are self-reverential and dark. (‘And it isn’t any fun, no it isn’t any fun / To be standing alone with nowhere to be / With a man mad with grief and on either side a thief’) This song is a masterpiece.

9 out of 10

Galleon Ship

The instrumentals are very basic and bare here. I wish that the song would evoke the feeling of sailing a bit better. But I can’t help but appreciate how well-put-together this tune is. Different thematic elements of sailing are present (e.g. backing vocals sounding somewhat like a shanty for a second) but the rest is not there.

7 out of 10

Ghosteen Speaks

I think the context behind the song is important; Nick Cave is singing about his son being with him but you can tell that he is also trying to convince himself of his presence. But on its own, I’m not sure the song holds up.

Sidenote: I think this song is interesting to ponder considering that Spotify and music streaming in general has conditioned me to evaluate songs on their ability to survive/thrive when summoned randomly in a playlist as opposed to as an element of a cohesive album. This shifting of thought is a major driver for these reviews!

7 out of 10

Leviathan

A much more percussion heavy (or is it really the absence of melodic instruments) song, ‘Leviathan’ continues the theme of vocal prose and depressing content. I think it’s definitely one of the weaker songs on the first disc.

6 out of 10

Disc 2

Ghosteen

Already, I know I’m in store for a doozy: run time on this song is 12:11. So far, it’s been mostly instrumentals in the same vein as the rest of the album. Truthfully, I now find myself missing Nick Cave’s lyrics to ground me in the mood he is creating.

Okay, there the lyrics are (around 4:00 in). Also, the song is probably the most upbeat of all the tracks on the album. It’s definitely still a sad one but perhaps more optimistic?

For a 12 plus minute song, I wish there were more thematic shifts or acts within the song…

7 out of 10

Fireflies

Whoa, these lyrics are trippy and almost cosmic in scope. ‘We are photons released from a dying star / We are fireflies a child has trapped in a jar’ I think Nick has come to terms with his child’s death in this song but there is minimal musical content here.

6 out of 10

Hollywood

I hate to say it but I’m just getting bored with the album at this point. Ending with a 14 minute track of exactly more of the same is really losing me. I am no longer engaged with this album.

6 out of 10

Summary