Following the success of their lively gothic rock album Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! in 2008, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds are back in more sombre territory with this latest offering.

The Brighton-based Australian noisemaker, fresh from penning the screenplay for prohibition-era drama Lawless, and his motley crew of six - including violinist and multi-instrumentalist Warren Ellis, bassist Martyn P Casey and percussionists Thomas Wydler and Jim Sclavunos - have crafted a subdued and melodic collection of songs.

The first single, the tender We No Who U R, foreshadows that Push The Sky Away is not going to be a collection of all-out rockers.

Instead, it's a brooding but brilliant narrative told in hushed vocals and gentle arrangements, perfectly highlighted by the title track and the gorgeous Jubilee Street.

Lock yourself away in a darkened room and embrace the misery.