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Skeleton Tree: Album Guide, Artist and Facts

Skeleton Tree — album guide with key facts, artist and background.

By the Pop Culture Files editorial team3 min read✓ Fact-checked
Skeleton Tree
Original recording artist is Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, graphic artist unknown via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

Skeleton Tree is the sixteenth studio album by Australian rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. It was released on 9 September 2016 on Bad Seed Ltd. A follow-up to the band's critically acclaimed album Push the Sky Away (2013), Skeleton Tree was recorded over 18 months at Retreat Recording Studios in Brighton, La Frette Studios in La Frette-sur-Seine and Air Studios in London. It was produced by Nick Cave, Warren Ellis and Nick Launay. During the sessions, Cave's 15-year-old son, Arthur, died from an accidental fall. Most of the album had been written at the time of Cave's son's death, but several lyrics were amended by Cave during subsequent recording sessions and feature themes of death, loss, and personal grief. Skeleton Tree's minimal production and "less polished" sound incorporates elements of electronica and ambient music and, like Push the Sky Away, features extensive use of synthesizers, drum machines and loops. Several songs on the album utilise avant-garde techniques, including the use of dissonant musical elements and non-standard song structures. Cave's allegorical and often improvised lyrics have also been noted to be less narrative- and character-based than on previous Bad Seeds albums. One More Time with Feeling, a documentary film about the aftermath of Cave's son's death and the recording process of Skeleton Tree, accompanied the album's release. Directed by Andrew Dominik, the film received a limited release and was conceived by Cave to explain the context and themes of Skeleton Tree without conducting interviews with the media. Both the film and the album received widespread critical acclaim. It was the second of only two albums by the band to enter the U.S. Top 30, reaching 27, their highest ranking there to date.

Quick facts about Skeleton Tree

  • Title: Skeleton Tree
  • Artist: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
  • Released: 2016
  • Type: Album
  • Wikidata ID: Q24514656

Compiled from public Wikipedia and Wikidata data. Details can change over time.

Frequently asked questions

What is Skeleton Tree?

Skeleton Tree is the sixteenth studio album by Australian rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.

Who made Skeleton Tree?

Skeleton Tree is by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.

When was Skeleton Tree released?

Skeleton Tree was released in 2016.

Sources

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