New Scott Walker album: 'The Drift'

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Not all messages are displayed: show all messages (961 of them)

got the vinyl today too! love it. and the vinyl sounds fine. i had to clean it though. a little surface noise via u.k. dust. i think i like it even better than tilt. and i adore the donald duck moment! it's only really half as creepy as The New York Ripper. just fuckin' great. the whole thing.

― scott seward (scott seward), Wednesday, 24 May 2006 00:36 (twenty years ago)

i like to buy records in stores, so can i just take the time to give a shout-out once more to the ONE AND ONLY RECORD STORE on this island and how i just knew that they would have this on vinyl without really knowing! thanks guys! (also picked up the new espers and om albums on vinyl and they are both great too) i mean, if i wanted to get it somewhere else, i would have to pay 8o bucks to put the car on the ferry round-trip and drive to boston or providence or something. you know? or take the bus to boston. and who wants to do that?

― scott seward (scott seward), Wednesday, 24 May 2006 00:39 (twenty years ago)

Any one have a transcript of Scott Walker's interview on BBC Radio 4 Front Row programme ?? Missed that one.

― tizolite, Wednesday, 24 May 2006 01:37 (twenty years ago)

Regarding the vinyl, it seems to be hit or miss if you get a good copy. I recently bought a promo copy of the record from the 4AD site and it plays fine, eventhough it's from the same presing. Apparently there is a possibility of a repress.

― wireless, Wednesday, 24 May 2006 12:23 (twenty years ago)

The trailer for Scott's docu 30th Century Man is now on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEYWGQMqC74

― Gerard (Gerard), Wednesday, 24 May 2006 18:42 (twenty years ago)

although this is about Tilt, this review is for those still unaware of the beautiful, beautiful The War Against Silence proto-blog:

http://www.furia.com/page.cgi?type=twas&id=twas0022#entry1

― Max Blazevic (kitaj), Wednesday, 24 May 2006 20:05 (twenty years ago)

Regarding vinyl quality, I just bought the 2LP over here in the U.S. and the quality on my copy is fine. It says it was manufactured in the U.K. but not sure if it's the same pressing as the one people have been complaining about above. With a recording using as much silence as Walker's you're going to hear some vinyl crackle and pop for sure, that's the nature of the medium. Maybe I got lucky and bought one that wasn't messed up, but if you like vinyl I'd take the risk. It sounds great, and being that Walker is such a stickler for analog recordings and no compression, no digital flatness, etc. this is probably how he meant it to be heard. And the packaging is really something. Cheers.

they are the same pressing as the vinyl is import only. this forum is the only place i've seen anyone complain, though obviously us copies have only been on sale for a day.

seems sort of strange to me that the 4ad site would be selling promos?!?

― hstencil (hstencil), Wednesday, 24 May 2006 20:23 (twenty years ago)

and the promo has a different catalog number, too.

― hstencil (hstencil), Wednesday, 24 May 2006 20:24 (twenty years ago)

xpost - hey Bimble did you warm up to this yet?

My first impression on an initial listen (in full) I can only descibe as colossal, flattening disbelief and awe :-O

― fandango (fandango), Wednesday, 24 May 2006 21:38 (twenty years ago)

OMG I MUST GET THIS CD!!!

Hard to find around here. Not exactly "Walmart" material. Really enjoyed this thread. When I get it, I'll sit in the bathtub late at night with a glass of wine for the first listen on the boombox, then give general impressions here the next a.m.

― Darren Skuja, Thursday, 25 May 2006 12:40 (twenty years ago)

test

― Darren Skuja (Darren Skuja), Thursday, 25 May 2006 14:20 (twenty years ago)

Where did everybody go?

So, after a few listens, what are your reactions? Does the first half overshadow the second half? I saw that in a few reviews. Who will do a track by track summary? :)

Cheers

― Darren Skuja (Darren Skuja), Saturday, 27 May 2006 05:03 (twenty years ago)

No way, the second half is better than the first half, in my opinion. I think there's more melody, or at least suggested melody, therein. Also, less purely spoken word vocals and more actual singing (not conventional singing of course) between 6-10... Not that i'm against the overall atonality of the album, cause it's an interesting experiment in itself...but there seems to be more payoff, more release in the second half. In a way, it's similar to tilt in that once you get past the lack of listenability of the first few tracks, the music becomes comparatively easier and catchier.

― patrick urstad, Saturday, 27 May 2006 06:39 (twenty years ago)

tis shocking, bold , unique , amazing. i can't believe it actually exists. no one is making songs like this. not bad for a 63 year old former pop star. there is nothing else like it. i hope david bowie pays attention to this album. also, check out david sylvian's blemish album if you are interested in songs with unusual structures.

― thomas, Saturday, 27 May 2006 14:40 (twenty years ago)

Sorry Fandango, but it just isn't working for me. I respect the fact that others like (or love) it, but it just doesn't hold my attention. It comes across as needlessly pretentious, like one of those arty European films that tries too hard to be weird just for weirdness' sake. You know, the school of thought that says the more you confound the audience, the more hip cred points you're bound to score. It would be more interesting if there were more musical accompaniment, too, instead of just his voice a lot of the time.

The daffy/donald duck part is just plain ridiculous - really the lowest point of the whole affair and the point at which my suspicions were confirmed that the emperor wears no clothes on this one.

― Twitchety Twitch Manic Toy System (Bimble...), Sunday, 28 May 2006 04:41 (twenty years ago)

Its not weird for weirdnesses sake tho, I think that's pretty obvious. Weird for weirdnesses sake wouldn't be so, well thorough, coded, and inter-textual... it would be more sloppy -- and there's nothing sloppy about this record whatsoever. Whether you like it or not is another matter entirely, but really don't think its weird for the sake of being weird!

― gekoppel (Gekoppel), Sunday, 28 May 2006 11:59 (twenty years ago)

I still haven't listened to this again completely following my initial encounter (I have the horrible feeling it's going to fade the more comfortable I get with it, the more I work out the actual meanings instead of the what my own thoughts put together from all the loose signifiers).

I don't find it over-pretentious though, that's what stunned me on a first listen, how utterly coherent the whole sound frontier & the vocals/words became. Wierd for weirds sake (or at least the perception of it, however wrong that impression or first taste is) usually turns me right off I have to say. I can't stand most Xui Xui I've heard and am still fence-sitting on Animal Collective til I hear more that convinces me. I know where you're coming from with the confounding = cred points thing, but hmmm, it's worked for me so far more like a rock record than anything SO obtuse (I guess I'd concur with what Raw Patrick said upthread, it has accessibility IMO). I'd like to say I have very broad, adventurous tastes is music... but I think I'm actually a pretty conservative listener all told.

The Donald Duck part is terrifying (in context) though! Actually, when I did go back I stopped before track 9 because I just couldn't face it again so soon :-O

I'd agree there are spots where the achievements are thinner or become less satisfactory, and it takes some commitment to hear through as an album whole. But "Clara"! That track alone seems the most fully-formed single song embodiment of the aims of "The Drift"

― fandango (fandango), Sunday, 28 May 2006 13:58 (twenty years ago)

also, this is the first Scott Walker I've really heard outside of his pop hits.

― fandango (fandango), Sunday, 28 May 2006 13:59 (twenty years ago)

I think "Cue" is possibly the best, maybe cos I like the mood he conjures which is a direct cross (for the most part) between previous gorgeous beatless excursions like "Sleepwalker's Woman" and the evil dissonance stuff..

― gekoppel (Gekoppel), Sunday, 28 May 2006 17:03 (twenty years ago)

i think i might actually prefer the drift to tilt. tilt is SO claustrophobic to me and even more uncompromising.some of the notes on that album are so WRONG. like he was really going out of his way to deny pleasure/be ugly. on the drift, there is more air in the room. so, it might just be a comfort level thing. i haven't listened to tilt in ages though. maybe now i wouldn't find it as difficult as i used to. tilt was something i respected more than it was something i wanted to play a lot. i think i'll be playing the drift pretty regularly.

― scott seward (scott seward), Sunday, 28 May 2006 19:00 (twenty years ago)

that's funny that you say that, because i think the exact opposite is true

tilt is a walk in the park compared to drift. seriously, just put the first track on after listening to drift, it's like you're walking on clouds. tilt has 3-4 straight up beautiful songs; drift has none. i love 'em both, mind

― boy child, Sunday, 28 May 2006 19:05 (twenty years ago)

for the record, i was completely baffled by climate of hunter when i first heard it. i bought a used copy in the early 90's and got rid of it after 1 or 2 plays. i really wasn't ready for it in a way. all i knew about scott back then was a couple walker brothers singles and the album that tower put out in the 60's of pre-walker bros. stuff. BUT i was intrigued enough by COH to buy tilt when it first came out and that's when i kinda understood what he was going for previously. tilt still boggles my mind.

― scott seward (scott seward), Sunday, 28 May 2006 19:08 (twenty years ago)

i do need to pull tilt out again. it always filled me with dread! but in a good way.

― scott seward (scott seward), Sunday, 28 May 2006 19:09 (twenty years ago)

i suspect that after drift you will have the same response to tilt that you had to climate of hunter after tilt...

the interesting thing about climate of hunter to me is that it now seems so obviously of a piece with tilt and the drift

― boy child, Sunday, 28 May 2006 19:14 (twenty years ago)

Boy Child bang on: the song forms hinted at on Tilt come closer to trad--- "Bouncer see Bouncer" is vocally an old blues tune, "Tilt" is like a Country and Western song... plus "The Patriot" and "Farmer in the City" are both very melodic and deliciously lush... However Tilt does have some songs that are more punishingly minimal and unchanging (like the backing to bouncer see bouncer and face on breast)-- the drift is quite busy for the most part (in terms of frequently shifting between sections)

― gekoppel (Gekoppel), Sunday, 28 May 2006 22:20 (twenty years ago)

Yeah I always thought Tilt had some "beautiful songs" on it. And beautiful singing. With some unusual song structures and lyrics.

― Darren Skuja (Darren Skuja), Monday, 29 May 2006 03:59 (twenty years ago)

No need to say so, boy child already convinced me I'm better off trying Tilt.

― Twitchety Twitch Manic Toy System (Bimble...), Monday, 29 May 2006 04:29 (twenty years ago)

So, after multiple spins what are yer thoughts? Does it reveal new things, and hold yer interest?

― Darren Skuja (Darren Skuja), Thursday, 1 June 2006 20:10 (twenty years ago)

MATH IS HARD.

sorry, i just really fucking hate when people use this argument. see more "arty European films" dude.

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 1 June 2006 20:21 (twenty years ago)

Don't you ever have that reaction to music though? I can imagine Mu or Xui Xui fitting right into Bimbles description at times (not an opinion, just an example).

I don't feel that was about this myself, but it's a valid position to take (though yes the "arty European film" dig is cliched to hell).

I haven't figured out if this is really too hard a listen to be ultimately worth it yet... in 6 months, a year maybe. It pretty much defines "not an everyday record".

― fandango (fandango), Thursday, 1 June 2006 20:38 (twenty years ago)

it's fucking hot! i still love it. i wanna see it performed live! in a crypt! what more could you ask from the man/album/life/art? it's like luis bunuel once said: i don't feel bad about my dreams. so i fuck my mother. what's the big deal? I'M PARAPHRASING, PEOPLE. I READ IT A LONG LONG TIME AGO. i'm gonna write about this album for Decibel. the metal world will never be the same. should i just say it's the best death metal album of the year and see what happens?

― scott seward (scott seward), Friday, 2 June 2006 02:02 (twenty years ago)

luis bunuel may have never said that.

― scott seward (scott seward), Friday, 2 June 2006 02:03 (twenty years ago)

An 80min "Greatest Hits" (hohoho) type cd would be a lovely idea for Scott Walker, don't you think? Begin with the putrid teeny stuff, then move to some Walker Brothers, then some Scotts 1-4, then the "difficult period", then Climate-Tilt, and end with a Drift track. "The First 50 Years". Maybe 20+ tracks? Who will make a list?

― Darren Skuja (Darren Skuja), Saturday, 3 June 2006 02:26 (twenty years ago)

Just for the record I'm a big fan of Luis Bunuel, so let's leave him out of this.

― Twitchety Twitch Manic Toy System (Bimble...), Sunday, 4 June 2006 06:27 (twenty years ago)

Last night I played The Drift followed by Ligeti's Chamber Concerto and Ramifications. The similarities were striking enough that during the Ligeti I kept half-expecting Walker's voice to break through. Not just that worrying string sound, but also the restlessness of the Ligeti pieces, the way they suddenly chop and change without any bridging passages.

Still don't know what I think of The Drift. I like it a lot and I'm still playing it, but I guess it hasn't got right under my skin the way Tilt did. For the moment, I'm thinking Tilt is the better record.

― Revivalist (Revivalist), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 08:47 (twenty years ago)

scott and luis would have gotten along famously!

― scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 11:20 (twenty years ago)

Is this coming out today? My record store says they aren't getting any in.

― Lee is Free (Lee is Free), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 12:41 (twenty years ago)

it's been out for 4 weeks now.

― jed_ (jed), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 12:50 (twenty years ago)

it's been out for a while.

― scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 12:51 (twenty years ago)

Not in the US.

― Lee is Free (Lee is Free), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 13:14 (twenty years ago)

yes, it has been out for a while, in the us, thru stores who are customers of mat@dor direct. we've already sold a shitload (and need a new shipment in asap!).

― hstencil (hstencil), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 14:16 (twenty years ago)

i live on an island with one record store and i found a copy. can't be too hard. on vinyl no less. cd copies look very nice too though. might have to get one for the truck. i only have a 3 minute commute to work in the truck though. and that's really the only time that i drive it. which is why i have been listening to two minor threat demos on the ride to work, and two more on the ride home. i know, i know, why don't i walk? save some gas. but there are no streetlights here and everyone is drunk and it is a very dark walk home at night. and i'm afraid of skunks.

― scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 14:22 (twenty years ago)

get a cd scott, they're pretty too! i don't think any store on mv works with us tho, so i dunno where they got the vinyl from, but that's cool.

lee dude, where do you live? one of our stores is probably near ya.

― hstencil (hstencil), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 14:34 (twenty years ago)

Richmond VA. One store around here has a large selection but not this (I need to call again this afternoon and check with someone else I guess). Amazon and Allmusic have the release date as today though.

― Lee is Free (Lee is Free), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 18:19 (twenty years ago)

plan 9 should have it.

― hstencil (hstencil), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 18:28 (twenty years ago)

Mine is on the way from www.aquariusrecords.org. Oh the wait! Check them out. Great selection and reviews.

I was cleaning out and old closet - and there it was - Tilt!!! It's been in my head for years, so owning the actual cd was unimportant to me. However, I think I'll give it some spins while I await The Drift.....

― Darren Skuja (Darren Skuja), Thursday, 8 June 2006 21:51 (twenty years ago)

Found it at Plan 9.

Mixing "singing" vocals with brutal dissonance such as that found on "Cue" or "Jolson and Jones" is my favorite sound in the world. If anyone has anything to recommend, feel free.

This album is brilliant. I already like it better than Tilt after two listens, and I'm not just saying that in an it's-new-so-I-should-spew-great-things-about-it-and-then-put-it-away-after-two-months way.

― Lee is Free (Lee is Free), Friday, 9 June 2006 02:41 (twenty years ago)

Does it piss any other fans off that the 63-year-old Walker uses the word "pee-pee" in his lyrics?

― Lee is Free (Lee is Free), Tuesday, 13 June 2006 18:48 (nineteen years ago)

Does it piss any other fans off that the 63-year-old Walker uses the word "pee-pee" in his lyrics?

I noticed this, too - I may be giving him way too much credit, but for some reason I assumed he chose to phrase it this way for a reason (to heighten the mortification?)

― PeopleFunnyBoy (PeopleFunnyBoy), Tuesday, 13 June 2006 22:03 (nineteen years ago)

Possible reasons:
1. The song in question is about a celebrity putting his kids on reality TV and exploiting them (hence the "pee pee" is apposite in this context).

2. The thread of apocalyptic alliteration which runs right the way through the record ("pow pow," "psst psst").

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 14 June 2006 06:39 (nineteen years ago)

Skipping 861 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.