Nick Cave has built a career on recording music with poetic and gothic style lyrics. In the past he has been able to separate himself from the music. This comes to a screeching halt on his sixteenth album with the Bad Seeds. Every word here sees him being raw, open, in pain at times and always vulnerable. With the effect of as if someone hit you with a sock filled with quarters. Wham! There is a sadness here that has never shown up in his music before. His voice epitomizes pain. When you remember that one of his twin sons fell to his death you begin to understand where all the sorrow comes from. Rather than be overwhelming it adds a dimension to the music that is striking. To amplify the heartbreaking composition of the lyrics the musical arrangement is rather sparse yet still beautiful in all it keyboards, acoustic guitars, bass and synthesizers. The album was constructed in tandem with a film entitled One More Time With Feeling. It really gives you a window into the making of the album and all the pain behind it. All in all this may be his best album yet.
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Skeleton Tree
