Wow. Wow, wow, wow. I just got a pre-release copy of Scott’s new record, “The Drift.”
When I heard that “The Drift” was going to be even weirder, scarier, and less melodic than 1996’s operatic nightmare “Tilt,” I didn’t even begin to imagine this. Punching a side of bacon used as percussion. The sound of a donkey being slaughtered used for the chorus of one of the songs. The most horrifying response to 9/11 I’ve ever heard (“Jesse,” in which Scott, as Elvis witnessing 9/11, cries out to his stillborn twin brother, “Jesse, are you listening?!” over what can only be described as the intro to “Heartbreak Hotel” slowed down to 11 rpm)…the album is truly terrifying to listen to, an auditory horror movie. I’m not even sure that I can listen to it again. It’s truly the most original pop record I’ve heard in a decade - the most original pop record since “Tilt,” which previously held the title for me.
Anyone else looking forward to it?
Some background for those that don’t know; Scott Walker is an incredible singer/songwriter who had early success as part of The Walker Brothers, a Beatles-ish group that had huge hits with “Make it easy on yourself” and “the sun ain’t gonna shine anymore” in the sixties before embarking on a solo career and releasing a series of increasingly weird but great solo albums. “The Drift” is only his third album in the last 25 years or so. If you want to watch a cool little thing to catch you up, check this video out.