| Distant Sky: Live in Copenhagen | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| EP by | ||||
| Released | 28 September 2018 (2018-09-28) | |||
| Recorded | 20 October 2017 (2017-10-20) | |||
| Venue | Royal Arena (Copenhagen) | |||
| Length | 28:45 | |||
| Label | Bad Seed | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds chronology | ||||
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Distant Sky: Live in Copenhagen is an extended play by the Australian rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. It was released on 28 September 2018 on Bad Seed Ltd. Containing four tracks from a performance at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen, Denmark in October 2017, the EP was preceded by a concert film of the same name directed by David Barnard. Critical response to Distant Sky: Live in Copenhagen was unanimously positive and the EP charted worldwide, reaching number one on the United Kingdom's Vinyl Albums chart.
Distant Sky: Live in Copenhagen was recorded live at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen, Denmark on 20 October 2017 as part of the tour for Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' sixteenth studio album Skeleton Tree (2016). Danish soprano Else Torp is featured on "Distant Sky", the Skeleton Tree song after which the EP is titled.[1]
Warren Ellis and Nick Cave produced Distant Sky: Live in Copenhagen the following year. The selected four tracks from the performance were mixed by Matt Mysko, Paul Pritchard and Toby Hubert at Abbey Road Studios in London, England, with Will Shapland supervising. The EP was subsequently mastered by John Davies at Metropolis Mastering in London.[1]
Distant Sky: Live in Copenhagen was released on 28 September 2018 on Bad Seed Ltd, the band's own imprint. It was issued as a 12-inch record and digital download and made available for streaming.[2] The EP was preceded by a concert film of the same name, directed by David Barnard, that was released in theatres worldwide for one night only on 12 April 2018.[3] The film was later made available in full on Nick Cave's official website for a period between April 19 and 22 and in individual parts on YouTube.[4][5]
Upon its release Distant Sky: Live in Copenhagen charted in several European countries, including Denmark itself.[6] The EP was particularly successful in the United Kingdom, where it placed in the top 10 on the Independent Albums and Record Store charts and peaked at number one on the Vinyl Albums Chart in its first week of release.[7][8][9]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 82/100[10] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Clash | 8/10[11] |
| Drowned in Sound | 9/10[12] |
| No Ripcord | 9/10[13] |
| Rolling Stone |    [14] |
AtMetacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, Distant Sky: Live in Copenhagen received an average score of 82, based on 4 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[10] Writing for Clash, Mat Smith awarded the EP an eight-out-of-ten rating and called it "an extraordinary live document". Smith selected the title track as the highlight, in particular praising Warren Ellis' "mournful" violin performance and Else Torp's "stirring vocal", which he said was "enough to render even the hardest-hearted individual a bawling mess."[11] Drowned in Sound writer Nicoletta Wylde rated Distant Sky: Live in Copenhagen nine out of ten and referred to the EP as "bullet sharp". Wylde, though somewhat critical of the mix, summarised the EP as "glorious" and concluded that Cave's performance was "what happens when a lone wolf suddenly needs to reach out and touch. It's the chaotic scream around loosing [sic] a child. It's a careful help me into the darkness. It’s an invitation to come closer, to hold hands."[12] In another nine-out-of-ten review for No Ripcord, Joe Marvilli said "Nick Cave is still at his peak" and selected both "Jubilee Street" and "Distant Sky" as highlights, adding that "whether they arrive with a bang or a breeze, Cave's songs remain among the most impactful in all of music."[13] Rolling Stone awarded the EP a three-out-of-five-star rating, with reviewer Kory Grow calling the Copenhagen performance "especially vibrant" and referring to the title track as a "standout" that "stays with you."[14]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Jubilee Street" | Nick Cave | Cave · Warren Ellis | 7:54 |
| 2. | "Distant Sky" | Cave | Cave · Ellis | 6:30 |
| Total length: | 14:24 | |||
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "From Her to Eternity" | Cave · Anita Lane | Cave · Blixa Bargeld · Hugo Race · Barry Adamson · Mick Harvey | 9:00 |
| 2. | "The Mercy Seat" | Cave | Cave · Harvey | 5:21 |
| Total length: | 14:21 | |||
All personnel credits adapted from Distant Sky: Live in Copenhagen's notes.[1]
| Chart (2018) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[15] | 67 |
| Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[6] | 34 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[16] | 82 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[17] | 31 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[18] | 66 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[19] | 74 |
| UK Album Downloads (OCC)[20] | 26 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[7] | 8 |
| UK Record Store (OCC)[8] | 3 |
| UK Physical Albums (OCC)[21] | 30 |
| UK Vinyl Albums (OCC)[9] | 1 |
| Region | Date | Format | Label | Catalogue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worldwide[2] | 28 September 2018 | 12-inch record | Bad Seed Ltd | BS017V |
| Digital download · streaming | — |
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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| Studio albums |
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| Live albums |
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| Compilations |
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| Extended plays |
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| Singles |
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| Other songs |
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| Cave and Ellis |
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| Grinderman |
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| Related articles |
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