Favorite Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Studio Album

[badseed]

Tis the season to be polly (pronounced pole-ee) here at the BEA forums. There's like nothing but polls on page 1 so I figure now's as good a time as any. But instead of doing the Beatles we'll be doing the real best band ever. So take your pick, or listen to a few first if you're one of those "I heard The Boatman's Call once and it wasn't my cup of tea" people - you're missing out! Hop over to Spotify or YouTube and enjoy.

For the record I'm not voting yet. Sure, Skeleton Tree is the highest on my chart right now but it's so much harder than that to pick one permanent answer for this. I'll probably do a long reply after work with some thoughts on my top 4-5 before choosing.

[Hayden]

I genuinely believe there's a chance Nick Cave hasn't released his magnum opus yet. Plus, the level of quality that Skeleton Tree was makes it seem like he's showing no sign of slowing down, which is pretty awesome.

Almost every Nick Cave album is at minimum really good. I think the closest he's ever come to a dud is Nocturama, but even that is passible. I think he (as well as the Bad Seeds) have what should easily be considered one of the best discographies of all time at this point, there latest only adding another powerhouse into the mix. At this point, Skeleton Tree and Blackstar are pretty much tied for my fav album of 2016.

With that all being said, I have a very difficult time picking my favourite Nick Cave album. Some days it's The Good Son, some days it's Let Love In, some days it's Abattoir Blues/The Lyre Of Orpheus, and in some recent days it's Skeleton Tree.

Today however, it's Murder Ballads.

(I should note that I've never listened to Kicking Against The Pricks).

[HazeyTwilight]

I've heard all bar the first 4, Nocturama, Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! and Skeleton Tree. I should really get around to them before casting my vote, especially ST. I'm leaning towards No More Shall We Part, at the moment, but the rest are all stunning too.
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[Daydreamer]

I haven't heard them all properly, but from what I have heard Skeleton Tree is the one that resonated with me the most. Definitely the biggest surprise of the year for me, I expected it to be good, but not that good.

Second one would the The Boatman's Call, so yeah, I love Cave's mellower side.

[babyBlueSedan]

Voted Skeleton Tree, not only is it his most emotionally resonant but it's also his most consistently strong album. I Let Love In, The Weeping Song, and Into My Arms are probably my favorite songs of his but their albums are much more hit and miss. Let Love In is a close second and of course Boatmans Call is also amazing.

I'm also much more a fan of his mellower, more subdued side. I think he has a voice that is very well suited for ballads that give off an unnerving vibe. Probably why I like the slower songs on Good Son and Let Love In as well as his last two albums, which take that to the extreme. Never been a fan of his more post punk / rock material as I don't think it suits his voice, and I also find his rockier songs are also more prone to being a little campy. But I love pretty much everything from Good Son and on with the exception of Murder Ballads - haven't heard Nocturama or Dig Lazarus Dig - and he really does have one of the strongest discographies I can think of. Glad I can say that with Skeleton Tree that he finally has an album that's amazing from front to back.
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And it's hard to be a human being. And it's harder as anything else.

[AfterHours]

From Her To Eternity, though at times I feel it might be The Good Son
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[badseed]

Love the responses so far. Thanks guys. I just saw that according to Metacritic, Skeleton Tree is the best reviewed album of the year. That's pretty cool, although I'm not shocked in the least.

So to be honest, it comes down to a handful for me. In chronological order here are my nominees:

Tender Prey - I feel like 80s Seeds are a different beast than what they became; sure, progressing to different styles of music is what makes them one of the most unique bands, but that bluesy, post punk goodness is just so badass. Eventually I settled on Tender Prey being my favorite of this period but not after long love affairs with From Her to Eternity and Your Funeral My Trial. "The Mercy Seat" is arguably their greatest song. "Up Jumped the Devil" may be their most fun. "Watching Alice" probably the most perverted. "Slowly Goes the Night" perhaps the most hopeless. Every track is a classic.

Let Love In - Just flat out perfect. Like what the fuck, how can an album be so fun. They never sounded more sure of themselves. It's probably as close to a "normal" rock band as they will ever sound, but normal bands never sounded this cool.

No More Shall We Part - Copy the first three sentences of Let Love In's description but swap "fun" with "poetic" and "sure" with "unsure." This was at the top of my overall chart for a good minute and will likely never be bumped from the top of my "favorite albums to sing along to front to back" list.

Skeleton Tree - What else can be said? I knew I was gonna fall for this album before I even knew it had been made, but I really don't think I was prepared for how amazing it would be. The lyrics and music are fantastic as always, but the little things truly made it, from the ghost-like cries in "Girl in Amber" to Elsa Torp's beautiful guest vocals on "Distant Sky." What gets me most is Cave's crackling voice through most of the album, sounding either on the verge of tears or like he's slowly but surely falling off the face of the earth into despair. I've probably listened to this album more than every other album of 2016 combined.

My favorite Nick Cave album is the one I'm currently listening to. But since I'm not actually listening to one right now, I think I'll just go with my heart. Skeleton Tree wins.

[Daydreamer]

[Norman Bates]

I'm with the Skeleton Tree crew, AOTY for me.

1. Skeleton Tree
2. The Good Son

3. Let Love In
4. Henry's Dream

5. Tender Prey
6. Murder Ballads
7. Kicking Against the Pricks
8. Live Seeds
9. Your Funeral... My Trial
10. Push the Sky Away
11. The Firstborn Is Dead

12. From Her to Eternity
13. Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!

14. Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus
15. The Boatman's Call

16. No More Shall We Part
17. Nocturama

[Puncture Repair]

Won't vote, because my favourite album I've heard is The Boatman's Call, but I probably haven't heard nearly enough.

Thought Skeleton Tree was okay, and I can see where the praise is coming from, but I couldn't get excited for it myself.