• Record Label: Mute
  • Release Date: Sep 22, 2009
Metascore
82

Universal acclaim - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 10
  2. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. Mojo
    100
    The two CDs move forward with an eerie dread and romantic wonder; violin, piano, bass, celeste, cello creating an alternate wordless narrative to normal Cave blather. [Oct 2009, p.115]
  2. Filter
    92
    While disc two rounds out the duo's footprint upon several documentaries, what makes Cave and Ellis' scores unique is their doppelganger ability to stand alone without the films, while the films largely lean upon these audible landscapes as a means of storytelling. [Fall 2009, p.91]
  3. A compilation of soundtrack pieces shouldn't work on paper, but these evocative tracks stand up well after being separated from their original context.
  4. 80
    Alongside collaborator Warren Ellis [Nick Cave has] mastered the subdued, unobtrusive yet sinister piano ripple and the occasional unsettling rumble, gilding them with rare, understated vocals.
  5. In the hands of many other artists, White Lunar would be a career-high achievement. It’s testament to Cave and Ellis’ ongoing relevance that it can be released with relatively minimal fanfare--presumably with the knowledge that it’s merely the tip of a mighty, mighty iceberg.
  6. The sounds themselves are cinematic in scope, making for a rewarding listening experience and a very fine album overall.
  7. This doesn't eclipse their non-soundtrack work by any stretch of the imagination, and it occasionally lapses into texture that longs for its visual component, but by and large it's an involving listen that telegraphs a sense of emotional and geographic space. It's good to have it all in one place.

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