Search - Nick Cave, Mick Harvey, Blixa Bargeld :: Ghosts of Civil Dead

Drips With Horror and Suspense

Kurt Harding | Boerne TX | 10/28/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am not a big fan of soundtracks but as Nick Cave is involved, I thought to give this CD a shot. Having never seen the film, I am not quite sure of its setting but it seems like it may be the Federal Penitentiary at Marion, Illinois.

If you buy this, listen closely to the story as told by a former prison guard. It is a story of fear, manipulation, corruption and murder behind the walls of the big joint. It is a story that is probably familiar in some way to those who work in corrections, especially to the ordinary guards who are the foot soldiers of the penal system. And it is a story which should be known to the public at large.

Interspersed with the graphic narrations of fear, brutality and betrayal, the listener will find a suitably spine-tingling score expertly composed by Nick Cave. The story merits your close attention. Both the narration and the music will have you perched on the edge of your seat. Listen carefully and you will hear that Cave seems to borrow a little from the king of soundtracks, Ennio Morricone. Only one silly little ditty for which Blixa Bargeld may presumably be held responsible breaks the spell and allows for a spot of comic relief.

If you are into the work of Nick Cave or merely enjoy avant-garde sound projects, then you will probably enjoy Ghosts of the Civil Dead. Both the narration and the music drip with all the horror and suspense we have come to expect from Cave over the years. This soundtrack is rather obscure, so if you have any interest in it at all, the time to buy is now while it is yet in print."