Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds/ Tender Prey - The Good Son - Henry’s Dream

Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds
Tender Prey / The Good Son / Henry’s Dream
(Mute)

Now here’s a daunting task for you: how in the world do you even begin to sum up three Nick Cave albums in the space of 250 words? There’s part of us that wants to rest on our laurels, amend the word count and simply state: “they’re all bloody incredible”. Hardly value for money though, is it?
The obvious question to ask is can anyone really handle that much Nick Cave? Well, yes, but like a fine meal it’s best digested in individual sittings. Troughing through all three albums at once would be foolish, as no-one can deal with that much bleak imagery without a break.
We suggest starting with ‘The Good Son’: a delicate offering with guitar and piano lines that are light on the ears and leave you wondering how quickly the waiting staff will be able to get your next course to the table.
From there, progress to a main course of ‘Henry’s Dream’: a well-rounded album rich in melancholy and shuffling snare beats. It’ll dance across your musical pallet, conjuring Wild West imagery through the rattling guitars of ‘Papa Won’t Leave You, Henry’.
The final course in this holy trinity is ‘Tender Prey’. Think of it a bit like a Dark Chocolate Tarte, with the bitter tones of ‘The Mercy Seat’ being bound together by a gooey centre of lighter tracks like ‘Slowly Goes The Night’, rounding the musical meal off nicely.
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