Nick Cave and the Bad SeedsSkeleton Tree

Spare, shattered, weightless, built from synth drones, brushed cymbals and Cave's voice cracked open. He was midway through writing when his fifteen-year-old son died, and grief seeped into every track. "Jesus Alone" opens in a fog of static and dread, while "I Need You" is the raw center, a stunned, repeated plea sung like a man barely holding on. The closing title track finally lets a little light in. Devastating and necessary. Drop the needle and sit with loss.