Our vinyl of the month is a brand new release and, as we head in to 2016’s fourth quarter, a candidate for record of the year.  Sixteen albums in and now fifty eight Nick Cave obviously has no intention of either resting on his (considerable) laurels or mellowing with age (see also Leonard Cohen, about to release a new album “You Want it Darker” at the tender age of eight two)

Here, as with his previous album “Push the Sky Away” the violent arrangements of old have been largely replaced by eerie ethereal constructions that feel as if they could collapse under their own weight at any second.  Woozy detuned synths, sparse drums, manipulated vocals and arhythmic loops drift in and out all in support of that unmistakable baritone.   The album mix too is excellent…uncluttered with great use of space and texture, intimate, engrossing and perfectly attuned to the musical and lyrical content, this is a record that will reward you for actively listening with your head between the speakers.

Determinedly unpolished, visceral and threaded through with a palpable grief “Skeleton Tree” is not easy listening though it’s always gripping and, even divorced from it’s tragic backstory, has an otherworldly weight that’s affecting and hard to shake off.