Nick Cave — Push The Sky Away — 10th Anniversary

That The Bad Seeds have been able to exist as a creatively boundless force across the last four decades is testament to how Cave and co have managed to coordinate from a fluid assemblage of luminaries, free of the shackles of a conventional band.

It’s not uncommon for The Bad Seeds to be referred to a revolving door band, but that logic adheres too rigidly to the convention of what a band should be and misses the benefit the listeners have experienced due to the nimble nature of this ensemble and its ability to adapt to the inspired creative current of any given songwriting process.

Push The Sky Away recently turned 10. It is, unintentionally, the last Bad Seeds record I bought or invested any real energy in. Substantial attention is still afforded to releases from the ’84 to ’92 era, The Boys Next Door catalogue and most fervently, The Birthday Party output. See 10 Nick Cave Records You Must Hear Before You Die listed below.

Sky is dreamy and consistent. It maintains degrees of Cave’s ominous tone, but is reflective of a less visceral period. I find it’s perfect for Sunday mornings. Mornings when I endeavour to squeeze some writing in; its sparse character, a welcome accompaniment. It’s not a record I might have appreciated had it come off the back of Henry’s Dream, but as a successor to Dig, Lazarus, Dig…