For anyone that listens to the 5.1 versions, your input would be appreciated ... Dig Lazarus Dig was what i ran through today, Surrounded On Sundays - 5.1/quad reviews and summaries
Well this was a disturbingly short thread. I thought more folks would be interested than actually were, but we have a new album to discuss, if anyone is interested, and it's initial responses have been wide and extreme. Ghosteen Studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Released 4 October 2019 Recorded 2018–2019 Studio Woodshed (Malibu) NightBird (West Hollywood) Retreat (Brighton) Candy Bomber (Berlin) GenreAmbient[1] Length 68:10 Label Ghosteen Bad Seed Producer Nick Cave Warren Ellis Ghosteen is the seventeenth studio album by the Australian rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. It was released on 4 October 2019 on Ghosteen Ltd and is due to be released physically on 8 November 2019 on Bad Seed Ltd. Ghosteenis a double album—the band's first since Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus (2004)—and the final part of a trilogy of albums that includes Push the Sky Away (2013) and Skeleton Tree (2016). Ghosteen was recorded in various locations in the United States, England and Germany between 2018 and early 2019. Sessions were recorded at Woodshed Recording Studios in Malibu and NightBird Recording Studios in West Hollywood, California in the US; Retreat Studios in Brighton, England; and Candy Bomber Studio in Berlin, Germany.[2] By January 2019, Nick Cave said he and the Bad Seeds had "nearly finished a new record".[3] Ghosteen was subsequently mixed by Cave, Warren Ellis, Lance Powell and Andrew Dominik at Conway Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California.[2 Ghosteen is a double album containing 11 tracks, one of which is a spoken-word piece. The first part of the album features eight songs, which Nick Cave describes as "the children"; the second part of the album contains two longer songs and a spoken-word track, which he describes as "their parents". In summarising Ghosteen, Cave referred to the album both as "a migrating spirit"[4] and the final part of a trilogy of albums he and the Bad Seeds began with Push the Sky Away (2013).[5] Ghosteen has been described as an ambient album and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' "most minimalist … work to date", with the album's instrumentation featuring "little more than synths and piano" alongside Cave's vocals.[1] Cave began writing lyrics for the songs on Ghosteen in February 2017. Cave, who had "very deliberately" not written lyrics since the end of 2015, attributed a "new sort of lyrical confidence" to a process of "enforced shutdown", where he would "confine [him]self to barracks for a while". The lyrics were written at Cave's home in Brighton, a change from his usual "disciplined" routine of writing lyrics in a private office.[6] The album's lyrics have been described as "fantasy stories" that contain themes of "love, loss and letting go".[1] Ghosteen was released on 4 October 2019 on streaming services and as a digital download on Ghosteen Ltd.[1] Double CD and LP editions are due to be released a month later on 8 November[2] on Bad Seed Ltd, the band's own imprint.[7] Several album-listening events were held in 33 cities in Australia, Europe and the US on 3 October, alongside a worldwide YouTube stream featuring an animated lyric film directed by Tom Hingston.[8] The album was announced by Nick Cave in response to a fan question on his blog, The Red Hand Files, on 23 September. The title, track listing and brief descriptions of the album's songs were revealed;[4] a second follow-up post the same day included the album's cover art.[9] The lyrics to "Fireflies", Ghosteen's penultimate track, had previously been published in the first-ever issue of The Red Hand Files a year prior.[10] Writing for The Guardian, Alexis Petridis summarised that Ghosteen featured "the most beautiful songs [Cave] has ever recorded" and awarded it a full five-out-of-five-star rating. Petridis considered the album to be "an infinitely warmer, sweeter sibling" to Skeleton Tree, noting that "it continues and extends the weightless, drifting style of its two predecessors."[11] In another five-star review for NME, Elizabeth Aubrey said "if Skeleton Tree gave a glimpse into grief in its immediate aftermath, Ghosteen is a grief considered", drawing comparisons between Cave's lyrics and CS Lewis' A Grief Observed (1960), in that the album "feels like the trying-to-make-sense stage of grief, even when there's often no sense to be found." Aubrey praised Ghosteen as "a work of extraordinary, unsettling scope", calling it the Bad Seeds' most beautiful album "and also one of the most singularly devastating."[13] The Independent reviewer Helen Brown called Ghosteen "astonishing" in a five-out-of-five-star review, praising in particular Cave's vocals and lyrics and Warren Ellis' use of analogue synthesisers, which she described as "a warm cloud of ambient solace".[12] All personnel credits sourced from Ghosteen's press release.[2] Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Nick Cave – vocals, piano, synthesiser, backing vocals Warren Ellis – synthesiser, loops, flute, violin, piano, backing vocals Thomas Wydler – drums Martyn Casey – bass Jim Sclavunos – vibraphone, percussion George Vjestica – guitar Technical personnel Nick Cave – mixing Warren Ellis – mixing Lance Powell – mixing Andrew Dominik – mixing Part 1 1. "Spinning Song" 4:43 2. "Bright Horses" 4:52 3. "Waiting for You" 3:54 4. "Night Raid" 5:07 5. "Sun Forest" 6:46 6. "Galleon Ship" 4:14 7. "Ghosteen Speaks" 4:02 8. "Leviathan" 4:47 Total length: 38:25 Part 2 1. "Ghosteen" 12:10 2. "Fireflies" 3:23 3. "Hollywood" 14:12 Total length: 29:45 ------------------------------------------- I can't really say too much about this album as yet, but I see people talking about the album and figure here is as good a place as any to talk about it. The album certainly has an ambient feel about it, and folks that like Tangerine Dream and some of the seventies ambient/synth bands seem to be on board with it. Obviously the folks that prefer the more rocking out Cave are struggling with this album at this stage. The overall complaint at this stage, seems to be a perceived lack of structure in the tracks, which to some degree could very easily be seen as a misunderstanding of intent. I haven't been able to sit and listen to the whole album as yet, but from what I have heard, the album takes on board the Jesus Alone feel from Skeleton Tree. We have dense ambient soundscapes with Nick in a semi-spoken/recited, semi-sung vocal, where the emphasis is on the words rather than the melody. As we saw with Skeleton Tree and many of its detractors, that would be the very problem. I personally don't see it that way. I don't necessarily need hooks to enjoy an album, and I don't necessarily not need hooks. It really all depends on the album. This album, even from the little I have been able to sit down and listen to, has an emotive draw. This draw has nothing to do with Cave's loss of his son, though it is most certainly created by the aftermath of that. The emotive draw for me is in the intensity of the lyrics and their delivery. The backing track is somewhat creating the mood for the words to float on top of, again, giving emphasis to the words. It is an exploration, and most of the best art is, but most of the best art isn't recognised for decades after its maker has passed. The depth of feeling is palpable. The other side of that is, if one doesn't get into an album in that way, then it is just not going to click for them. At the time of Skeleton Tree, many folks said that the only reason anyone liked it was sympathy for Cave's loss, but that isn't even near true.... at least for all. I loved it before I knew of the tragedy, and I still love it today, nearly three years later. So I don't really buy into that particular perspective. This album has a certain sparse sound and feel, but that sparse sound is a little deceptive, because the backing tracks have a certain density, that for me at least is involving. Cave reciting his poems/lyrics also has a certain intensity for me. I think this is an album that isn't going to reveal itself on a first listen, and certainly not on a cursory listen. This album is made to step inside of, to focus on a specific mood, and the waves of intensity, which are there, even if they don't take the form of Blixa scratching the strings off his guitar. I will be getting a copy of this album, because I very much enjoy what I have heard so far, and look forward to a focused single run through listen. I will go through the songs on here also, but not immediately. What I would really like before I start posting tracks, is for folks to share their feelings and thoughts about the album. I think this is going to be an intense album from a listening perspective, and I personally think it will hold its intensity. Let us know what your heart and mind have to say about this album, and we'll hit the first track some time in the next couple of days. Cheers Mark
I haven’t truly fallen for a Cave album since Abattoir/Lyre, but I think I’m falling for this one. I’ve spent late last night and early this morning with Ghosteen, which has served the mood of the album well. The interplay of the arrangements and Cave’s vocals are masterful, as I’ve come to expect from the Bad Seeds/Ellis. I don’t have fully formed thoughts at this point, but I will say that Hollywood, the final track, was devastating enough that I simultaneously wanted to hug my kids tightly and crawl back into bed.
Can’t wait to hear this — I haven’t listened online because I want to reserve my first listen for when I can enjoy a physical copy on my real system. But I’m massively anticipating it.
Thank you for the great review ,the sentence"Ghosteen has been described as an ambient album and the mention of Tangerine Dream Makes me want to hear the album immediately,! I will buy the album at Sunday,until then I am going to listen to the songs on Youtube/
I will always give new Seeds albums a listen but I must confess, while I find them sonically interesting, the last few albums don't get a lot of replays from me. I really miss the lush, cinematic sound of the Mick Harvey Seeds and as others have stated, the last album to really bring that was the most excellent Orpheus double. I don't mean to imply that Nick should do anything but follow his muse, just that they have taken this minimalism thing to a point where I'd love to see them do something a little more fullbodied in future. It's hard not to want to hear a band as good as the Seeds at full blast. rather than just hearing Warren noodling on a synth. Having said that though I look forward to the new release.
If you love the Gorgeous song Three Seasons in Wyoming by Nick Cave & Warren Ellis (Amazing movie) then you will fall in love in this album, when I listened to Three Seasons in Wyoming I was amazed from the music style and from the atmosphere. I don't have words to describe the Beauty of the album Ghosteen and how touching the vocals and the music. Nick Cave and the bad Seeds ability to create such a different styles during their discography,intense and powerful and also soft and beautiful shows how much creativity they have,I love all the different styles. I can't wait until I get the cd
Too early for a real review so just a few lines. I went thru' the complete album a couple of times since it was first streamed yesterday and this is obviously something special. Ghosteen received rave reviews from critics while fans' opinions seem to be more divided. Yes,it may sound more like a Cave/Ellis only collaboration than a new Cave/Bad Seeds album but the ambient soundscapes are just mesmerizing and fascinating. And Nick's voice is terrific,he even sings certain parts in a kind of semi-falsetto here. It all seems so intimate and personal that at times the listener feels like an intruder. My favorite so far is Hollywood. A 14 minute surrealistic fever dream. Best listened to at night and with headphones,of course. Just a shame we have to wait until November for something physical.
I definitely agree. It seems also to some degree that a track by track isn't the best way of approaching this, even though it is the only realistic way of doing it on here. I am going to go through the tracks, but I am not going to rush into it.
"My favorite so far is Hollywood. A 14 minute surrealistic fever dream. Best listened to at night and with headphones,of course." My favorite track too Hollywood provides endless beauty! Listening with headphones it's really the best way to enjoy from the music. I am so glad this is an album in the style of Three Seasons in Wyoming,I hoped for this but I didn't thought it will happen,such an amazing surprise I love all Nick Cave and the bad seeds music styles,from the first album! The album Cover is Beyond amazing!! I had a surprise when I was late to work just because I went to the store to buy the cd and I found out that there is no cd yet.
Spinning Song A synth/pad smoothly swells up, and we get some chords play against it. Cave's vocal comes in so very smooth and clear. Cave references Elvis in the opening lines, Elvis being one of Cave's idols. The feel here it great, and the expressive lyrics and delivery work really well. We get a gentle rise in density as the keyboard plays chords against the pad and the vocal. The song moves gently into an outchorus of sorts with Cave singing sweetly, and then he surprises somewhat with a really sweet falsetto leading us to the end of the song, which itself ends rather smoothly. One of the first things I noticed about this album, was that the production is a lot more smooth than Skeleton Tree. Skeleton Tree had its own sound and that sound was like an ambient/alternative kind of sound. It still had its rough edges. It isn't a criticism, because I love the album, but it has a slightly unfinished sound and feel about it, which I find to be one of its charms. This album so far seems very smooth and well produced, leaving the alt kind of edginess away. I think with this album that actually helps with the feel of the overall journey. Anyway I think in context this is an excellent opener to the album and sets the tone for this emotive journey. Lyrics Once there was a song, the song yearned to be sung It was a spinning song about the king of rock 'n' roll The king was first a young prince, the prince was the best With his black jelly hair he crashed onto a stage in Vegas The king had a queen, the queen's hair was a stairway She tended the castle garden and in the garden planted a tree The garden tree was a stairway, it was 16 branches high On the top branch was a nest, sing the high cloudy nest In the nest there was a bird, the bird had a wing The wing had a feather, spin the feather and sing the wind The king in time died, the queen's heart broke like a vow And the tree returned to the earth with the nest and the bird But the feather spun upward, upward and upward Spinning all the weather vanes And you're sitting at the kitchen table, listening to the radio And I love you, and I love you, and I love you, and I love you And I love you, and I love you, and I love you Peace will come, a peace will come, a peace will come in time A time will come, a time will come, a time will come for us Peace will come, a peace will come, a peace will come in time A time will come, a time will come, a time will come for us "Spinning Song" as written by Nicholas Cave Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Bright Horses We start with a really nice sounding piano, it is joined by some subtle string/synth? accompaniment, and then we get a sweet vocalisation, and Cave then comes in with the vocal. There is a smoothness in these arrangements and mixes that I think gives the songs a nice emphasis. The use of backing vocals here is beautifully arranged, and the intertwining melodies and the beautiful subtle arrangement set this song off wonderfully. The dynamic swell in the middle creeps back to the piano and vocal and slowly the strings come back in as the song gently comes to rest. I find this track particularly beautiful musically. Lyrics The bright horses have broken free from the fields They are horses of love, their manes full of fire They are parting the cities, those bright burning horses And everyone is hiding, and no one makes a sound And I'm by your side and I'm holding your hand Bright horses of wonder springing from your burning hand And everyone has a heart and it's calling for something We're all so sick and tired of seeing things as they are Horses are just horses and their manes aren't full of fire The fields are just fields, and there ain't no Lord And everyone is hidden, and everyone is cruel And there's no shortage of tyrants, and no shortage of fools And the little white shape dancing at the end of the hall Is just a wish that time can't dissolve at all Oh, oh, oh Oh, oh, oh, well, this world is plain to see It don't mean we can't believe in something, and anyway My baby's coming back now on the next train I can hear the whistle blowing, I can hear the mighty roar I can hear the horses prancing in the pastures of the Lord Oh the train is coming, and I'm standing here to see And it's bringing my baby right back to me Well there are some things too hard to explain But my baby's coming home now, on the 5:30 train "Bright Horses" as written by Nicholas Cave Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd. This is a really interesting lyric, as the implications seem to be a compare and contrast of the world as it is, balanced against the biblical description of the return of Christ. The horses of love with manes full of fire. So essentially Cave is still painting with some of the same tools he has always liked to use, in spite of some suggesting he has completely abolished his original stylings.
@Ernold perhaps you would like to share your thoughts about these tracks and lyrics as we run through them.
@Marc 74 @hutlock @wolfram @Spun @Front 242 Addict @Holerbot6000 @JMAC @Alfie Noakes @dlemaudit @craigobau @crazy eights @Danderpet @cgw @Mr. Siegal @SlimLee Just a heads up, in case anyone wants to put their ideas down regarding these songs. Cheers guys
Hi Mark, I listened to the Ghosteen stream several times but I would like to wait with more detailled reviews until I have the whole thing on CD or Vinyl. But that's just me. Maybe some others want to chime in and share their opinions on Ghosteen or the other albums.
That's cool mate. I am just impatient to have a decent listen. Definitely looking forward to the proper release
I don't completely understand why the CD will provide a different listening experience to the hi res FLAC files or even a stream, but I can sort of understand that point about the vinyl. Am I missing something? Anyway... I think Bright Horses is devastating. There's a subtle lullaby quality to the music, and there are some very powerful and moving images in the lyrics. The coda is gorgeous, both in composition and execution. The final promise: "my baby's coming home now on the 5:30 train"... with those keyboard chords swelling underneath, well, to me it's stunning. One aspect of this that's particularly effective for me is the switch from horses with manes full of fire, and evocations of the Lord, to something as everyday and relatable as the arrival of a train. Beautiful.
Well yes Mark, I totally agree with you that this album is very much in keeping with Nick’s work. Biblical allusions and visions, love and redemption are all pretty frequent themes in his songs. The sentiment I felt on first listen to this LP is the overarching theme of love. “Bright Horses” is really a stunner of song. I feel the first verse represents a vision or wish with perhaps the horses of the apocalypse changed to bearers of love, in a more generalized sense a desire to dream of remarkable things. The second verse here we are back in cold reality with that last enigmatic line making me think of something more personal, a childlike phantom or glimmer of something lost perhaps. The final verse where in spite of the world’s problems and “things too hard to explain”, at least there is love here on earth coming back on the train. He loves his trains, they’re so southern gothic. I guess it feels like while we yearn for better things let us remember what is good and there in front of us.
Waiting For You We start with some somewhat industrial percussion and then move smoothly into a really nice piano, that is accentuated by a nice piano. Personally I have always liked Nick's piano songs. He manages to create an intimacy that really works for me, and this is no exception. We get a really nice melodic vocal. Even in spite of the track being another slower song, I am not feeling like this drags. I think there is a certain intensity from my perspective, that lifts this beyond just being a slow song. Beautifully executed. All through the night we drove and the wind caught her hair And we parked on the beach in the cool evening air Well, sometimes it's better not to say anything at all Your body is an anchor, never asked to be free Just want to stay in the business of making you happy Well I'm just waiting for you Waiting for you, waiting for you Waiting for you, waiting for you Waiting for you A priest runs through the chapel, all the calendars are turning A Jesus freak on the street says He is returning Well sometimes a little bit of faith can go a long, long way Your soul is my anchor, never asked to be freed Well sleep now, sleep now, take as long as you need 'Cause I'm just waiting for you Waiting for you, waiting for you Waiting for you, waiting for you Waiting for you To return To return To return Songwriters: Nicholas Cave Waiting for You lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
I like a lot the way you review the songs (the same for all the other Nick Cave albums ),in your reviews there is lots of emotion and also details regarding the songs,how the song built ,about the sounds ,the instruments and the atmosphere . For me all the songs are parts of a full Dream,each one of them has so much beauty and emotion,it's hard to describe in words. Sometimes you wish that an artist that you love will create an album with a specific style and atmosphere,and sometimes you get what you wish for,for me I got Even beyond what I wanted, not just half album, but an full album in this Gorgeous style.
