Distant Sky, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

There's much written about grief, and, boy, is there a lot of music written trying to capture what grief feels like.  It might be reasonable to suggest that in centuries past perhaps a quarter of music was about grief - every major composer had his Requiem.  But this track does in just over five minutes what very few others can. 

I understand that Nick Cave was being filmed for a documentary on the process of writing music when he heard that one of his 15 year old sons had fallen to his death.  I've just found that sentence hard to write.  I can't imagine even a fraction of that; it's just too hard.  Nick Cave continued the writing and continued the documentary, released as One More Time With Feeling.  I won't be watching it. 

This track from the album Skeleton Tree, written during the making of the documentary, is breathtaking, in the real sense that I find it genuinely difficult to breathe normally while listening to it.  Starting from the same holy beginning as those many requiems - sounding like it has been partly recorded in a church on an organ - the introduction of a melody sung by Nick Cave who, let's face it, hasn't the most beautiful voice, gives that sense of despair.  The introduction of Else Torp's gorgeous angelic voice - gives the contrast, so that you can hear Nick Cave's broken heart. 

"They told us our gods would outlive us.  But they lied".