"Has absence ever sounded so eloquent, so sad?"
In the years preceding the release of Tilt in 1995, the prospect of a new album of original material from Scott Walker seemed remote at best; however, the possibility that he would not only release such an album but that it would also turnout to be an avant-garde masterpiece was unthinkable. He did just this. Eleven years later, Scott Walker somehow managed to top this by releasing a darker, more dissonant, more harrowing, and less structured album equally deserving of being labeled a "masterpiece." Yet, like its predecessor, The Drift is anything but a user-friendly masterpiece, a shiny jewel to gaze upon over and over again; rather, it functions more like a bitter glass of absinthe, tearing down your assumptions and skewing your perceptions as it seduces you into its terrifying arms. As on Tilt, Walker's lyrics are cryptic to say the least, but they always provide a revealing counterpoint to the music, which Walker has described as "blocks of sound." These "blocks" put each song into a state of constant flux in which moments of melodic stability (and they are just moments) explode into an abyss of dissonance. This makes listening to the album feel a little like riding a huge roller-coaster when you were four years old: horrific and awe-inspiring all at the same time. For example, on "Jolson and Jones," Walker croons over ominous-sounding strings that sound straight out of an old noir film, until oscillating industrial static breaks into the mix, which then gives way to a burst of cacophonous dissonance that even includes a sample of a he-hawing mule; the first time I heard this (wearing headphones), I almost dove for cover (seriously). While The Drift isn't for everyone, what is? Proceed at your own risk, but do proceed. Scott Walker's nightmares will always be worth listening to.
The Drift
1. Cossacks Are (4:26)
2. Clara (12:41)
3. Jesse (6:25)
4. Jolson and Jones (7:46)
5. Cue (10:26)
6. Hand Me Ups (5:47)
7. Buzzers (6:38)
8. Psoriatic (5:51)
9. The Escape (5:16)
10. A Lover Loves (3:11)
This is the concluding post of the Scott Walker Series
proceed i must, then. with a glass of absinthe in hand of course.
ReplyDeletecan I join you?
ReplyDeletethat would be lovely!
ReplyDeleteThis is actually the Scott Walker album that gets the most play from me, I guess that says something about me. haha.
ReplyDeleteJeff, yes, that makes you somewhat unusual, but I'm really glad there are people out there who listen to this album because it's amazing in it's own particular way
ReplyDeleteFor me is the best release from Scott.
ReplyDeleteCemitério, it's one of my favorites too
ReplyDelete