Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds have made a long, quiet record built on repetition and patience. Push the Sky Away runs 101 minutes across 22 tracks, repeating half the album’s songs in full on the back half. It is not a record about sudden change. It is a record about staying put.
We No Who U R Opens the Record
The opener sets the tone: a slow, steady rhythm that barely moves, with Cave’s voice sitting low over the band. It earns its four minutes.
Wide Lovely Eyes Through Mermaids
These three tracks move together, each one a small step forward after the opener. None of them stands out on its own, but they hold the record’s middle ground well enough.
We Real Cool and Finishing Jubilee Street
“We Real Cool” is the best song on the front half of the record, with Cave’s words landing harder than anything else here. “Finishing Jubilee Street” closes the first half on a lighter note, a song about ending something that feels less heavy than the rest of the album.
Higgs Boson Blues and Push the Sky Away
“Higgs Boson Blues” is the longest track on the record at 7:50, and it earns every minute of it. It builds slowly and never rushes. “Push the Sky Away” follows and closes the main body of the record on a quieter, more reflective note.
Needle Boy and Lightning Bolts
These two tracks repeat on the second half of the record. Neither improves on the first pass.
The Second Half Repeats the First
The back half of the record simply repeats the first half, track for track, including the two repeated songs from earlier. It is a strange choice, and it changes the way the record is received.
What Stands Out and What Doesn’t
| Track | Role |
|---|---|
| We Real Cool | Best song on the record |
| Higgs Boson Blues | Longest, best-built track |
| We No Who U R | Solid opener |
| Jubilee Street, Mermaids, Wide Lovely Eyes | Filler tracks |
How the Running Order Plays Out
| Track | Time |
|---|---|
| We No Who U R | 4:04 |
| Wide Lovely Eyes | 3:40 |
| Water’s Edge | 3:49 |
| Jubilee Street | 6:36 |
| Mermaids | 3:49 |
| We Real Cool | 4:19 |
| Finishing Jubilee Street | 4:29 |
| Higgs Boson Blues | 7:50 |
| Push the Sky Away | 4:08 |
| Lightning Bolts | 3:43 |
| Needle Boy | 4:06 |
Final Word
Push the Sky Away is a record that rewards patience and punishes hurry. The repetition on the back half is a gamble that doesn’t pay off. The songs themselves are mostly solid, with only “We Real Cool” and “Higgs Boson Blues” truly standing out. This is a record for listeners who want to sit with a song for seven minutes at a time.
- We No Who U R4:04
- Wide Lovely Eyes3:40
- Water’s Edge3:49
- Jubilee Street6:36
- Mermaids3:49
- We Real Cool4:19
- Finishing Jubilee Street4:29
- Higgs Boson Blues7:50
- Push the Sky Away4:08
- Lightning Bolts3:43
- Needle Boy4:06
- We No Who U R4:06
- Wide Lovely Eyes3:40
- Water’s Edge3:49
- Jubilee Street6:36
- Mermaids3:49
- We Real Cool4:19
- Finishing Jubilee Street4:29
- Higgs Boson Blues7:51
- Push the Sky Away4:10
- Needle Boy4:06
- Lightning Bolts3:43
