Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Skeleton Tree

Albumdata

Artist Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Album Skeleton Tree
Year of release 2016

Rating

Review

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Skeleton Tree (digitalspy.com)

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Skeleton Tree

Is there any way to listen to this album and not think of that dreadful event one year ago?

On July 14th 2015 Cave’s 15 year old son Arthur died after falling off a cliff in his home town of Brighton. Near the end of the beautiful film/documentary 20,000 Days On Earth we see Cave with Arthur and twin-brother Earl, as they watch the movie Scarface together. That was a nice bonus to the movie as the private Cave showed a bit of his family life.

There is no way to listen to this album and not think of that dreadful event one year ago.

This album was released one week ago on September 9th 2016. I contemplated going out to see the film One More Time With Feeling, which could be seen on September 8th and 11th in movie theaters, also in Holland, but I didn’t. From what I gather the film itself is an enormous emotional event. Like a dark cloud, the inevitable sorrow hangs like a dark cloud over the movie; losing a child is every parent’s nightmare.

I’ll just use the album. And it’s a knock-out: it’s a beautiful silent making album. This is by no means an easy album. You can feel the hurt, or is that just because I know the circumstances? Would I feel the same about the album, had I not known about the tragedy? Yes, I would. Listen to Girl In Amber, MagnetoI Need You or Distant Sky; it’s almost unbearable, but heartbreakingly beautiful. If there’s one (more) thing you want to do this year, that’s going to have impact: listen to this intimate, moving, sad, warm, in short, stunning album!

Let us go now, my darling companion.
Set out for the distant skies.
See the sun.
See it rising.
Rising in your eyes.

 

Compliments/remarks? Yes, please!