In his 18th release, the prince of alt-rock darkness reunites with the Bad Seeds to create a sound that soars to the heavens in his pursuit of joy in a world that is full of sorrow & despair. Thematically he continues to explore grief, no doubt driven by the loss of two sons & collaborator Anita Lane, but here he finds room for joy at the end of this tunnel, e.g.  “We’ve all had too much sorrow, now is the time for joy.” Sonically it is stunning and grandiose without being bombastic, juxtaposing the Bad Seeds power with a beautiful choir, swirling orchestration and captivating spoken word vocals.

FCC: None

1 Song of the Lake - spoken word over sweeping, cinematic orchestra (med, 3:37)*
2 Wild God - gentle start with captivating piano builds to full bore 'Seeds creciendo (slow, 5:20)***
3 Frogs - Soaring tale of walking in the rain seeking redemption with haunting orchestration (med, 4:36)
4 Joy - Plaintive spoken word prayer with dramatic horns & chorus (slow, 6:14)**
5 Final Rescue Attempt - Swirling orchestration over simple piano & synths in this questioning of god about the human condition (slow, 3:57)
6 Conversion - minimalist opening builds to dramatic finish, interesting but chaotic (med, 5:18)
7 Cinnamon Horses - mournful with dramatic orchestration (slow, 5:17)**
8 Long Dark Night - simple & exquisite, NC over piano with lovely orchestral fills (slow, 3:34)***
9 O Wow O Wow - Lovely chorus & gentle synths with phone message from Anita Lane, NC's late partner & collaborator, in the middle (slow, 4:34)**
10 As The Waters Cover The Sea - slow, quiet opening builds to rapturous crescendo with mighty choral backing (slow, 2:05)