The Proposition is a soundtrack recorded by Nick Cave

Nick Cave

Nicholas Edward "Nick" Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor.He is best known for his work as a frontman of the critically acclaimed rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1984, a group known for its eclectic influences and...

 in collaboration with Warren Ellis

Warren Ellis (musician)

Warren Ellis is an Australian multi-instrumentalist and composer, best known for his work with Dirty Three, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Grinderman and his soundtrack scores with Nick Cave. He plays violin, piano, bouzouki, guitar, flute, mandolin, and tenor guitar...

, and was produced for the film The Proposition

The Proposition

The Proposition is a 2005 western film directed by John Hillcoat and written by screenwriter and musician Nick Cave. It stars Guy Pearce, Ray Winstone, Emily Watson, John Hurt, Danny Huston and David Wenham. The film's production completed in 2004 and was followed by a wide 2005 release in...

, released in October 2005.

Music style

This album is instrumentally focused, and is a departure from Cave's band-oriented compositions. All tracks are directly reproduced from the musical interludes in the film, and feature little alteration from the film score. Many songs on the album are slow-tempo and ballad-like, and the violin work of Warren Ellis becomes the central voice of the album for much of the time. Cave's unusual vocal performances on the "Rider" trilogy of songs brings a particularly haunting and uneasy tone to the album.

Track listing

• Written by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, except where noted

1. "Happy Land" (trad.) – 1:36
2. "The Proposition #1" – 3:24
3. "Road to Banyon" – 1:40
4. "Down to the Valley" – 3:48
5. "Moan Thing" – 2:46
6. "The Rider #1" – 1:15
7. "Martha's Dream" (Cave, Ellis, Mick Turner
   Mick Turner
   Mick Turner is an Australian musician and painter best known as the guitarist for Dirty Three.Prior to his work with Dirty Three, Turner was a member of several Melbourne-based rock bands: Sick Things , The Moodists , Fungus Brains , and Venom P...
   
   , Jim White
   Jim White (drummer)
   Jim White is an Australian drummer . He is the drummer for the Dirty Three, a band formed in Melbourne, but he has also played with a number of other groups, including:*Tren Brothers, consisting of Jim White and Mick Turner, guitarist of the Dirty Three....
   
   ) – 3:07
8. "Gun Thing" – 4:28
9. "Queenie's Suite" (Cave, Ellis, Turner, White) – 3:30
10. "The Rider #2" – 2:59
11. "The Proposition #2" – 2:42
12. "Sad Violin Thing" – 0:50
13. "The Rider #3" – 1:08
14. "The Proposition #3" – 2:59
15. "The Rider Song" – 2:30
16. "Clean Hands. Dirty Hands" (trad., Cave, Ellis) – 3:34

Awards

• 2005 AFI Awards
  Australian Film Institute Awards
  The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Award, known as the AACTA Award , is an accolade presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts . The awards recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry and television industry, including directors,...
  
  : Best Original Music Score
• 2005 Inside Film Awards
  Inside Film Awards
  The Inside Film Awards is an annual awards ceremony and broadcast platform for the Australian film industry, a format created by Australian Producer Andrew Dillon...
  
  : Best Music
• 2005 Film Critics Circle Of Australia Awards: Best Musical Score