Gothic Rock Staple#
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ 1994 album Let Love In is one that’s been in my rotation for about the past month. Other than Johnny Cash’s cover of Cave’s The Mercy Seat, I hadn’t really heard anything from him or his band before about two or three years ago when my dad started playing his triple-CD greatest hits album, Lovely Creatures, in the car and around the house. I became more familiar with The Bad Seeds after that, and then I discovered Let Love In for the first time.
While it’s hard to say what the decisive “Best Nick Cave Album” is, this one is absolutely in the running. From the intense, slow burn opening track, Do You Love Me?, to the fast and desperate Thirsty Dog, there’s something for everyone on here. Single Red Right Hand, of Scream and Peaky Blinders fame, is probably the most famous Nick Cave song, and for good reason - it’s a grim, blues-inspired epic that paints a picture of a man who possesses a divine power - it’s left up to interpretation whether his power is closer to that of God’s punishment, or that of the Devil - and that’s probably why it’s so fascinating.
All in all, this is one of my favorite Goth/Goth-adjacent albums (what even is goth music anyways? It’s all just some strain of new wave or alternative rock at the end of the day) - Nick Cave has one of the best voices in rock, and he’s probably the greatest Australian who ever lived.
Favorite Track: I Let Love In