"The good news you cannot refuse, the bad news is there is no news."
Scott Walker fell silent for 11 years following the release of Climate of Hunter, and while nothing could have prepared his increasingly cult-sized audience for the singular (and quite challenging) experience of listening to Tilt, in retrospect, it is hard to deny that he had somehow managed to deliver the second masterpiece of his long, circuitous career. Cinematic, nightmarish, lush and caustic all at the same time, the only tether dangled to the listener is Walker's still-peerless baritone, but this is where all recognition ends. Walker recorded the vocal tracks for Tilt in single takes in order to avoid the effects of over-familiarity with the material. Describing his reasoning for this, he has stated, "I'm basically terrified of singing, and I want my own terror to come across on the records." On Scott 3 and Scott 4, Walker had toyed with actively integrating dissonance into otherwise lush and melodic compositions; however on Tilt, he dives head first into a method of composition that seeks to draw attention to the arbitrary relationship between voice, lyrics, and instrumentation. A perfect example of this is the ironically titled "Patriot (A Single)," which is a mournful, dirge-like song under-girded by monotone strings and stand-up bass until Walker's heart-rending vocals descend from above, delivering the most random, banal lyrics imaginable. To call this disorienting does it no justice. Admittedly, this is not for everyone, but Tilt deserves every bit of its reputation as an avant-garde masterpiece.
Tilt
1. Farmer in the City (6:38)
2. The Cockfighter (6:01)
3. Bouncer See Bouncer... (8:46)
4. Manhattan (6:05)
5. Face on Breast (5:15)
6. Bolivia '95 (7:44)
7. Patriot (A Single) (7:58)
8. Tilt (5:12)
9. Rosary (2:40)
This album scares the hell out of me, and I mean that in the best possible way! The part in "The Cockfighter" where the industrial rhythms come crashing in always makes me jump in my seat, no matter how many times I hear it. I like how "Farmer in the City" starts out as something so stark and utterly alien, then seamlessly transitions to achingly beautiful without lightening the mood one bit. This is uncompromising music that demands uncompromised listening. It will throttle your soul if you don't give it that!
ReplyDeletewolfspider, thanks for commenting on this one. A recording absolutely singular and impossible to reduce to any category
ReplyDeleteOkay I will try this one.......
ReplyDeletescurfie, I can only promise you one thing: you've never heard anything like this!
ReplyDeleteTilt is awesome, though I'm waiting for Nite Flights to hit this place, those four Scott Tracks are peerless.
ReplyDeleteOne, "Nite Flights" is the next Walker post- probably wednesday
ReplyDelete