Ghosteen
by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
  • Record Label: Ghosteen
  • Release Date: Oct 4, 2019
User Score
8.6

Universal acclaim- based on 284 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 245 out of 284
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 284
  3. Negative: 20 out of 284
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  1. fredphoesh
    Oct 10, 2019
    10
    Stunning masterpiece. It's all been said here by almost every one of the reviewers - beautiful portrayal of loss and hope.
  2. dailydead
    Oct 5, 2019
    10
    Poignant, Astonishing, Mesmerizing, Hypnotic Masterpiece that evokes more than emotions.
  3. Jannis94
    Oct 5, 2019
    10
    Hauntingly beautiful, full of hope but also grief.
    The first album is consisted of dissonant landscapes, high-picthed voices and raw lyrics but there is always hope and belief in the back with a glimmer of faith.
    The second album is the grief of the parents looking for peace of mind and a reason to all this. Even if you prefer the more rocky Nick Cave, I think you will still manage to    Hauntingly beautiful, full of hope but also grief.
    The first album is consisted of dissonant landscapes, high-picthed voices and raw lyrics but there is always hope and belief in the back with a glimmer of faith.
    The second album is the grief of the parents looking for peace of mind and a reason to all this.

    Even if you prefer the more rocky Nick Cave, I think you will still manage to appreciate this album.

    A masterpiece (yet again)    … Expand
  4. matthewmirliani
    Oct 11, 2019
    10
    I don’t think I’ve listened to an album quite like Ghosteen before. It’s an epic masterpiece of peace and mourning - packaged in a marvelous mix of New Age orchestrations and gloomy synth ballads lifted from a Tears for Fears record. It sounds both religious and mystic - images of Medieval cathedrals and enchanted forests come to mind when one becomes lost in this hypnotic opera. GhosteenI don’t think I’ve listened to an album quite like Ghosteen before. It’s an epic masterpiece of peace and mourning - packaged in a marvelous mix of New Age orchestrations and gloomy synth ballads lifted from a Tears for Fears record. It sounds both religious and mystic - images of Medieval cathedrals and enchanted forests come to mind when one becomes lost in this hypnotic opera. Ghosteen is a soothing sonic journey that stirs both the heart and the imagination.… Expand
  5. ChocolateRoad
    Oct 5, 2019
    10
    Just like its predecessor, this is an otherworldly experience. A work of art of overwhelming depth. I am sorry that Nick Cave had to experience the intense grief that he so beautifully talks about on this record, but he can be proud of the music he and his band have crafted. Show-stopping and deeply moving from start to finish.
  6. Strangely
    Nov 21, 2019
    10
    The album carries a huge weight of grief and lays it out before the listener. It’s an astounding and brave achievement, the sparse arrangements perfectly compliment Nicks hymnal baritone prise. As a parent it moved me hugely and makes me humbled by how powerful love can be, we still cannot conquer death but love endures. It seems to exist in a private place that breaks your heart yetThe album carries a huge weight of grief and lays it out before the listener. It’s an astounding and brave achievement, the sparse arrangements perfectly compliment Nicks hymnal baritone prise. As a parent it moved me hugely and makes me humbled by how powerful love can be, we still cannot conquer death but love endures. It seems to exist in a private place that breaks your heart yet offers you hope and makes you appreciate those you love even more.… Expand
  7. DimSum
    Nov 10, 2019
    10
    This is destined to be judged a classic album. Nothing I’ve ever heard comes close to creating the same mixture of filmic textures and poetry, with consistency of intensity maintained for well over an hour of “songs” on this double album. As a meditation on loss and acceptance, it provides comfort and solace. As a piece of art, it stands on its own merits and draws the listener into anThis is destined to be judged a classic album. Nothing I’ve ever heard comes close to creating the same mixture of filmic textures and poetry, with consistency of intensity maintained for well over an hour of “songs” on this double album. As a meditation on loss and acceptance, it provides comfort and solace. As a piece of art, it stands on its own merits and draws the listener into an absorbing world of loops and gentle melodies. There’s virtually no rock instrumentation or percussion - and yet there’s tons of soul and connection in this music.… Expand
  8. widman_x
    Oct 31, 2019
    10
    And I thought The Skeleton Key was as perfect as it gets. Cave is like wine, the older the better.
  9. Carlos1979
    Nov 23, 2019
    10
    Incredibleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeereereeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee...
  10. SergioAllIndie
    Oct 6, 2019
    10
    It takes the songwriting approach Cave & Ellis have pursued and developed for the past decade or so, and furthers it up to its physical and metaphysical limit almost, all to deliver us a listening experience that seems to be just too vast to be real. This record widens your mourning-music liver spectrum, sharpens your intuition as a human being, and cosmically heightens your love for thisIt takes the songwriting approach Cave & Ellis have pursued and developed for the past decade or so, and furthers it up to its physical and metaphysical limit almost, all to deliver us a listening experience that seems to be just too vast to be real. This record widens your mourning-music liver spectrum, sharpens your intuition as a human being, and cosmically heightens your love for this unique artist, and also for life. That's what Ghosteen at its core is, it's not only a massive record about grief, it's a record about life. Ghosteen is life.… Expand
  11. Nbecarri
    Oct 8, 2019
    10
    An amazing masterpiece by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. I couldn't believe they could surpass their previous record, Skeleton Tree, but here we are. This one is easily one of their best! Highly recommended.

    Favorite Tracks: Spinning Song, Waiting for You, Sun Forest, Ghosteen, Hollywood.

    Least Favorite Track: Night Raid (If I had to pick).
  12. jopester
    Oct 6, 2019
    10
    This is deeply affecting art from extreme grief. Hard but profound and ennobling.
  13. SugarMouse
    Oct 5, 2019
    10
    A career achievement. One of the best albums of the 2019 and of the decade. They have taken an unspeakable tragedy and somehow turned it into a beautiful story of grief and healing.
  14. Juan-ManuelDC
    Oct 22, 2019
    10
    Una obra maestra, te introduce a un mundo cargado de mucho dolor y con los sentimientos tan aflorados que sientes que su pérdida es parte de ti, un excelente álbum con lírica sublime y una producción que explora el ambiente, te hace entrar en su mundo
  15. clouds_darkness
    Oct 6, 2019
    10
    brilliant. got me digging up his older records as well. Also can't stop looking at the album cover
  16. ripplep
    Oct 4, 2019
    10
    Incredible lyrics, a voice richer than ever, this is Nick Cave at his finest.
  17. EMichaud
    Oct 4, 2019
    10
    A masterpiece. Phantasmagoric, personal, raw, visionary. An instant classic.
  18. ucrnko
    Oct 5, 2019
    10
    I love everything about this album. Cover art, lyrics, poetry, melodies. It is superb.
  19. Leondzikilew
    Oct 5, 2019
    10
    Absolutely brillant, one of the best albums of this year, maybe this decade,
  20. kitja
    Oct 5, 2019
    10
    Perfect. With every new listening is it better and better. The first album in my live, that i listen five time in first day of release.
  21. Pearljam1991
    Oct 6, 2019
    10
    An utterly captivating, moving and cinematic experience as Nick creates a world revolving around grief within the palm of his hand. A leap forward in sonic breadth for the Bad Seed’s and an epic closure on their trilogy.
  22. iPlainview
    Oct 7, 2019
    10
    A magnificent conclusion to the trilogy, containing some of the purest and most gorgeous songwriting of Cave's career.
  23. lucidstack
    Oct 7, 2019
    10
    The perfect synthesis of Push The Sky Away and Skeleton Tree. Sweet in the music, sour in the lyrics.
  24. Nolan4337
    Oct 7, 2019
    10
    Beautiful record, Nick Cave takes all the great ideas from 2016s skeleton tree and builds upon them creating an hour and 8 minutes of amazing ballads that flow in and out of one another. Was not expecting this to blow me away like it did. One of the best records of the year hands down.
  25. Herefornick
    Oct 8, 2019
    10
    10 out of 10. 10 out of 10. 10 out of 10. 10 out of 10. 10 out of 10. 10 out of 10. 10 out of 10. 10 out of 10. 10 out of 10. 10 out of 10. 10 out of 10. 10 out of 10. 10 out of 10. 10 out of 10. 10 out of 10. 10 out of 10. 10 out of 10. 10 out of 10.
  26. Dylandena
    Oct 9, 2019
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The perfect conclusion to the 2010s trilogy. Not only is the music superbly calm and eloquent, but the lyrics are some of the most moving of all time.… Expand
  27. ribeiro1987
    Oct 9, 2019
    10
    Absolute masterpiece. One of the most moving records of all time. A transcendental experience.
  28. Stonehenge80
    Oct 12, 2019
    10
    An amazing album that completely took me by surprise. Vastly different from Cave's previous releases, one cannot put a finger on which album from the Bad Seeds to compare it to. That may be the thing that Cave is a master at; bringing something new and fresh to his fans every time.
  29. BunnyLane
    Oct 10, 2019
    10
    If the heart of a horse who spoke softly into the ear of a child climbing the staircase at the foot of the Rapture alone had a sound; it would sound exactly like Ghosteen.
  30. HollyGolightly
    Oct 18, 2019
    10
    This is an absolutely gorgeous album, a true masterpiece, poetic, emotive, spiritual, raw, honest, profound, authentic in the pain it expresses and the hope it clings to. It is in a way very hard to listen to, it's not the kind of album you can play as a background noise, it requires a special mood and will to surrender to it with undivided attention. Its atmosphere is reminiscent of thatThis is an absolutely gorgeous album, a true masterpiece, poetic, emotive, spiritual, raw, honest, profound, authentic in the pain it expresses and the hope it clings to. It is in a way very hard to listen to, it's not the kind of album you can play as a background noise, it requires a special mood and will to surrender to it with undivided attention. Its atmosphere is reminiscent of that on Skeleton tree, but Ghosteen is whole new level of everything Skeleton tree was - which really came as a surprise, given how powerful the latter is.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best Album of 2019
30
#30 Most Discussed Album of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
96

Universal acclaim - based on 28 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 28
  3. Negative: 0 out of 28
  1. The Wire
    Nov 20, 2019
    80
    Unsurprisingly the mood is melancholy and the louche, theatrical sexuality or carnal drama of earlier albums is replaced by a battered and searching tone, striving to make sense, or failing that, some poetry or beauty out of the tragedy. The narratives take on a less devilish tone here. [Nov 2019, p.46]
  2. Record Collector
    Nov 13, 2019
    100
    It can only tower when it comes to naming this decade’s great albums; miles above and light years ahead of anything else.
    Read full review
  3. Classic Rock Magazine
    Nov 13, 2019
    90
    A richly imagined widescreen masterpiece that grows deeper and more emotive with each listen, Ghosteen may well prove to be the most ambitious, achingly beautiful, boldly experimental album of cave's career. [Dec 2019, p.83]
See all critic reviews »