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Album Details  :  Scott Walker    23 Albums     Reviews: 

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Scott Walker
Allmusic Biography : One of the most enigmatic figures in rock history, Scott Walker was known as Scotty Engel when he cut obscure flop records in the late 50s and early 60s in the teen idol vein. He then hooked up with John Maus and Gary Leeds to form the Walker Brothers. They werent named Walker, they werent brothers, and they werent English, but they nevertheless became a part of the British Invasion after moving to the U.K. in 1965. They enjoyed a couple of years of massive success there (and a couple of hits in the U.S.) in a Righteous Brothers vein. As their full-throated lead singer and principal songwriter, Walker was the dominant artistic force in the group, who split in 1967.

While remaining virtually unknown in his homeland, Walker launched a hugely successful solo career in Britain with a unique blend of orchestrated, almost MOR arrangements with idiosyncratic and morose lyrics. At the height of psychedelia, Walker openly looked to crooners like Sinatra, Jack Jones, and Tony Bennett for inspiration, and to Jacques Brel for much of his material. None of those balladeers, however, would have sung about the oddball subjects -- prostitutes, transvestites, suicidal brooders, plagues, and Joseph Stalin -- that populated Walkers songs. His first four albums hit the Top Ten in the U.K. -- his second, in fact, reached number one in 1968, in the midst of the hippie era. By the time of 1969s Scott 4, the singer was writing all of his material. Although this was perhaps his finest album, it was a commercial disappointment, and unfortunately discouraged him from relying entirely upon his own material on subsequent releases.

The 70s were a frustrating period for Walker, pocked with increasingly sporadic releases and a largely unsuccessful reunion with his "brothers" in the middle of the decade. His work on the Walkers final album in 1978 prompted admiration from David Bowie and Brian Eno. After a long period of hibernation, he emerged in 1984 with an album, Climate of Hunter, that drew critical raves for a minimalist, trance-like ambience that showed him keeping abreast of cutting-edge 80s rock trends. This notoriously reclusive figure, who has rarely been interviewed or even seen in public since his days of stardom, emerged from hibernation in 1995 with a new album, Tilt.

During the next several years, he contributed to soundtracks (To Have and to Hold, The World Is Not Enough, Pola X) and assisted with recordings by Ute Lemper and Pulp. He didnt release another album until 2006. That year, Walker also contributed the track "Darkness" to Plague Songs for the Margate Exodus project, curated by the British arts organization Artangel. The concept centered around the retelling of the ten plagues of Egypt as recorded in the Book of Exodus in the Old Testament. In early 2007, the documentary film Scott Walker: 30 Century Man, premiered. Later that year, Walker released the limited-edition EP And Who Shall Go to the Ball? And What Shall Go to the Ball? Commissioned as a work for ballet by the Candoco Dance Company, it was comprised of a single piece of instrumental music, 24 minutes in length, performed by the London Sinfonietta and cellist Philip Sheppard.

In November of 2008, the musical theater work Drifting and Tilting: The Songs of Scott Walker was staged at Londons Barbican over three evenings. It was comprised of songs from Tilt and The Drift. Walker did not perform, but directed the work from conception to execution including staging, lighting, and orchestra. The vocals were performed by various singers, including Damon Albarn, Dot Allison, and Jarvis Cocker. In 2009, the album Music Inspired by Scott Walker: 30 Century Man appeared, featuring songs inspired by the film sung by Laurie Anderson and other female Walker devotees. Also in 2009, Walker dueted with British singer Natasha Khan on her Bat for Lashes album Two Suns. In 2012, he released Bish Bosch. He regarded it as the third and final part of the trilogy that began with Tilt and continued on The Drift.

Given the long years that normally passed between his recordings, Walker shocked fans and critics alike when he announced in mid-2014 that hed completed a collaborative album with metal drone experimentalists Sunn 0))). Soused was released by 4AD in October, less than two years after Bish Bosch. He recorded an original orchestral film score for director Brady Corbets Vince Film Festival, winning a debut feature for Childhood of a Leader. Walker and Peter Walsh co-produced the recording. Another longtime collaborator, Mark Warman, served as musical director and conducted a 62-piece orchestra for the session. Released in August 2016, Childhood of a Leader was his first full-length exercise in film composition since 1999, when he wrote the soundtrack and score for Leos Carraxs Pola X.
scott Album: 1 of 23
Title:  Scott
Released:  1967-08
Tracks:  12
Duration:  40:28

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1   Mathilde  (02:38)
2   Montague Terrace (In Blue)  (03:28)
3   Angelica  (04:02)
4   The Lady Came From Baltimore  (01:59)
5   When Joanna Loved Me  (03:09)
6   My Death  (04:56)
7   The Big Hurt  (02:26)
8   Such a Small Love  (04:54)
9   Youre Gonna Hear From Me  (02:55)
10  Through a Long and Sleepless Night  (04:12)
11  Always Coming Back to You  (02:41)
12  Amsterdam  (03:04)
Scott : Allmusic album Review : Scott Walkers success as a teen idol singer of Spectorish ballads with the Walker Brothers in no way prepared listeners for the mordant, despairing lyrics of his solo debut. To compound the surprise, he does his best to imitate the vocal girth of Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra on this mix of original tunes and covers, which also features sweeping, bloated orchestral arrangements. It was hardly rock, and pop of a most oddball sort, but it found a surprisingly large audience -- in Britain, anyway, where it reached the Top Three in 1967. Poke behind the velvet curtain of the languid MOR arrangements, and one finds a surprisingly literate existentialist at the helm of these proceedings. His lyrical nuances were probably lost on his audience of predominately teenage girls, though theyve earned him a small cult audience that endures to this day. Besides presenting three of his own compositions, Walker covers tunes by Weill/Mann, Tim Hardin, and Andre & Dory Previn on this album, as well as three songs by his favorite writer, Jacques Brel. Highlights include his exquisitely anguished rendition of Brels classic "Amsterdam" and his dramatic cover of the early-60s Toni Fisher pop ballad "The Big Hurt."
looking_back_with_scott_walker Album: 2 of 23
Title:  Looking Back With Scott Walker
Released:  1967-12
Tracks:  14
Duration:  29:08

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1   Too Young  (01:47)
2   I Dont Want to Know  (02:00)
3   Comin Home  (02:03)
4   Bluebell  (02:42)
5   Paper Doll  (02:35)
6   Sunday  (02:04)
7   When I Kiss You Goodnite  (01:23)
8   Sing Boy Sing  (01:20)
9   Too Young to Know  (02:14)
10  Take This Love  (01:53)
11  Till You Return  (02:12)
12  When You See Her  (02:04)
13  All I Do Is Dream of You  (02:33)
14  Everybody but Me  (02:11)
Looking Back With Scott Walker : Allmusic album Review : When he was still in high school, Scott Walker made his first ventures into the record business as a teen idol-type singer (under the name Scott Engel) for several small labels. All of them sank without a trace at the time, although some were reissued (along with tracks that hadnt previously seen the light of day) in the latter half of the 60s, after Walker had reached stardom with the Walker Brothers. Looking Back with Scott Walker has 27 cuts from the late 50s and early 60s, and the music betrays not a shred of the one-of-a-kind talent that would generate his avid cult following. Its putrid stuff that would hold no interest whatsoever for latter-day listeners if Walker had not developed into something else entirely. He does sing well for a teenager (in a much higher voice than he would employ in the 60s), but the material (none of it penned by Walker himself) is of strictly hold-your-nose stuff. Much of it, in fact, isnt really rock at all, but son-of-Eddie Fisher-type pap, arranged with an oh-so-slight eye for the teen rock audience; some of it makes Paul Anka sound gritty by comparison. If youre a completist, it should be said, its a well-assembled package, gathering most of his excruciatingly rare (and just plain excruciating) early sides in one place. Just beware that the relationship between this Scott Walker and the one that sang morose, complex ballads years later is nil.
scott_2 Album: 3 of 23
Title:  Scott 2
Released:  1968-03
Tracks:  12
Duration:  43:45

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1   Jackie  (03:22)
2   Best of Both Worlds  (03:14)
3   Black Sheep Boy  (02:39)
4   The Amorous Humphrey Plugg  (04:31)
5   Next  (02:50)
6   The Girls From the Streets  (04:11)
7   Plastic Palace People  (06:06)
8   Wait Until Dark  (02:59)
9   The Girls and the Dogs  (03:10)
10  Windows of the World  (04:25)
11  The Bridge  (02:50)
12  Come Next Spring  (03:24)
Scott 2 : Allmusic album Review : Although Walkers second album was his biggest commercial success, actually reaching number one in Britain, it was not his greatest artistic triumph. His taste remains eclectic, encompassing Bacharach/David, Tim Hardin, and of course his main man Jacques Brel (who is covered three times on this album). And his own songwriting efforts hold their own in this esteemed company. "The Girls From the Streets" and "Plastic Palace People" show an uncommonly ambitious lyricist cloaked behind the over-the-top, schmaltzy orchestral arrangements, one more interested in examining the seamy underside of glamour and romance than celebrating its glitter. The Brel tune "Next" must have lifted a few teenage mums eyebrows with its not-so-hidden hints of homosexuality and abuse. Another Brel tune, "The Girl and the Dogs," is less controversial, but hardly less nasty in its jaded view of romance. Some of the material is not nearly as memorable, however, and the over the top show ballad production can get overbearing. The album included his first Top 20 U.K. hit, "Jackie."
scott_3 Album: 4 of 23
Title:  Scott 3
Released:  1969-03
Tracks:  13
Duration:  37:21

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1   Its Raining Today  (04:01)
2   Copenhagen  (02:22)
3   Rosemary  (03:22)
4   Big Louise  (03:10)
5   We Came Through  (01:58)
6   Butterfly  (01:42)
7   Two Ragged Soldiers  (03:06)
8   30 Century Man  (01:28)
9   Winter Night  (01:45)
10  Two Weeks Since Youve Gone  (02:48)
11  Sons Of  (03:44)
12  Funeral Tango  (02:55)
13  If You Go Away  (04:57)
Scott 3 : Allmusic album Review : Scott Walkers final British Top Ten album was the first to be dominated by his own songwriting. Ten of the 13 tunes on this 1969 LP are originals; the remaining three, naturally, were written by one of his chief inspirations, Jacques Brel. There are some interesting moments here. "Big Louise" talks about a hefty prostitute with shocking explicitness for a pop star album of the era. "Copenhagen" (like much of Walkers 60s work) foreshadows David Bowie. "Funeral Tango" is a particularly vicious Brel song. "30 Century Man" is an uncommonly folkish and focused tune for Walker. "We Came Through" is an oddball cavalry charge featuring one of his occasional forays into Ennio Morricone spaghetti Western-like production. The tension between Walkers dense, foreboding lyrics and orchestral production is unusual, to say the least. But too often, its too difficult to penetrate Walkers insights through Wally Scotts string-drenched production. It shrouds the lyrics in a fog thats often too syrupy to justify the effort needed to fight through it.
scott_4 Album: 5 of 23
Title:  Scott 4
Released:  1969-11
Tracks:  10
Duration:  32:28

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1   The Seventh Seal  (04:57)
2   On Your Own Again  (01:48)
3   The World’s Strongest Man  (02:21)
4   Angel Of Ashes  (04:21)
5   Boy Child  (03:38)
6   Hero of the War  (02:28)
7   The Old Man’s Back Again (Dedicated to the Neo-Stalinist Regime)  (03:43)
8   Duchess  (02:50)
9   Get Behind Me  (03:14)
10  Rhymes of Goodbye  (03:04)
Scott 4 : Allmusic album Review : Walker dropped out of the British Top Ten with his fourth album, but the result was probably his finest 60s LP. While the tension between the bloated production and his introspective, ambitious lyrics remains, much of the over-the-top bombast of the orchestral arrangements has been reined in, leaving a relatively stripped-down approach that complements his songs rather than smothering them. This is the first Walker album to feature entirely original material, and his songwriting is more lucid and cutting. Several of the tracks stand among his finest. "The Seventh Seal," based upon the classic film by Ingmar Bergman, features remarkably ambitious (and relatively successful) lyrics set against a haunting Ennio Morricone-style arrangement. "The Old Mans Back Again" also echoes Morricone, and tackles no less ambitious a lyrical palette; "dedicated to the neo-Stalinist regime," the "old man" of this song was supposedly Josef Stalin. "Hero of the War" is also one of Walkers better vignettes, serenading his war hero with a cryptic mix of tribute and irony. Other songs show engaging folk, country, and soul influences that were largely buried on his previous solo albums.
til_the_band_comes_in Album: 6 of 23
Title:  Til the Band Comes In
Released:  1970-12
Tracks:  15
Duration:  41:08

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1   Prologue  (01:23)
2   Little Things (That Keep Us Together)  (02:18)
3   Joe  (03:41)
4   Thanks for Chicago Mr James  (02:17)
5   Long About Now  (02:06)
6   Time Operator  (03:37)
7   Jean the Machine  (02:10)
8   Cowbells Shakin  (01:05)
9   Til the Band Comes In  (03:50)
10  The War Is Over (Sleepers) (Epilogue)  (03:36)
11  Stormy  (03:09)
12  The Hills of Yesterday  (02:45)
13  Reuben James  (03:03)
14  What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life  (03:36)
15  Its Over  (02:26)
'Til the Band Comes In : Allmusic album Review : Scott Walkers first four albums are marvelously creepy collections of dark, avant-pop tunes with touches of cabaret and jazz, but he took a right turn on the fifth, TIL THE BAND COMES IN. In the main, it seems like Walker was trying to “go commercial,” at least enough to appeal to Tony Bennett fans (at one point, Walker even seems to affect a distinct Bennett impersonation). Walker never walks a completely straight line, though, so there are some anomalies, like the Lee Hazlewood-esque, country/folk-inflected “Cowbells Shakin.” At the time, no one could have guessed that the experimental forays still ahead for Walker would make this albums predecessors sound like bubblegum pop.
the_moviegoer Album: 7 of 23
Title:  The Moviegoer
Released:  1972-10
Tracks:  12
Duration:  38:12

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1   This Way Mary  (02:32)
2   Speak Softly Love  (03:53)
3   Glory Road  (03:33)
4   That Night  (03:01)
5   The Summer Knows  (03:20)
6   The Ballad of Sacco and Vanzetti  (03:32)
7   A Face in the Crowd  (03:24)
8   Joe Hill  (02:22)
9   Loss of Love  (03:08)
10  All His Children  (02:51)
11  Come Saturday Morning  (03:36)
12  Easy Come Easy Go  (03:00)
The Moviegoer : Allmusic album Review : Following the disappointing performance of Til the Band Comes In, Scott Walker returned to middle-of-the-road pop with The Moviegoer. Assembling a set of songs from his favorite films, including compositions from Michel Legrand and Henry Mancini, Walker essentially created a harmless mainstream pop album and delivered it without much care. The record did boast some nice arrangements by Johnny Franz, but the music was seldom noteworthy.
any_day_now Album: 8 of 23
Title:  Any Day Now
Released:  1973-05
Tracks:  11
Duration:  37:34

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1   Any Day Now  (03:33)
2   All My Loves Laughter  (04:05)
3   Do I Love You?  (02:53)
4   Maria Bethania  (04:57)
5   Cowboy  (02:30)
6   When You Get Right Down to It  (02:59)
7   If  (03:16)
8   Aint No Sunshine  (02:45)
9   The Me I Never Knew  (03:39)
10  If Ships Were Made to Sail  (02:37)
11  We Could Be Flying  (04:20)
Any Day Now : Allmusic album Review : On Any Day Now, Scott Walker tackles some real garbage material and spins what little gold he can from overwrought arrangements of sub-standard cover material. Really, what possessed the man who wrote "Plastic Palace People" to cover Breads saccharine "If"? Or how about how the orchestration almost completely overpowers him at the end of Paul Ankas "Do I Love You?" Or his affecting a Caribbean patois to match with the tepid pseudo-reggae rhythms of "Maria Bethania"? There is not one original composition on display on Any Day Now, and for an artist who is responsible for absolute masterpieces like Scott 2 and Scott 4 to turn in an album of material this lackluster shows both the cruel machinations of the record industry and true contempt for ones fans. For when you come down to it, this album practically screams "contractual obligation." This is lazy music that aims to satisfy only the lowest common denominator. At the same time though, Walker possesses one of the few truly great voices, and there are flashes of genius in his singing here. "When You Get Right Down to It" showcases his voice especially well, his soaring tenor transcending the banality of the lyrics and creating a performance to rival any of his 60s material. His tough-guy affectations on "Aint No Sunshine" sound like an influence on Johnny Mathis lunatic-disco cover of "Night and Day." This album remains, however, best suited to the hardcore fan, and can be safely passed by for everyone else.
sings_jacques_brel Album: 9 of 23
Title:  Sings Jacques Brel
Released:  1981
Tracks:  9
Duration:  31:37

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1   Mathilde  (02:38)
2   Amsterdam  (03:04)
3   Jackie  (03:22)
4   My Death  (04:56)
5   Next  (02:50)
6   The Girls and the Dogs  (03:10)
7   If You Go Away  (04:57)
8   Funeral Tango  (02:55)
9   Sons Of  (03:44)
Sings Jacques Brel : Allmusic album Review : Marc Almond once noted that Scott Walker could sing "Three Blind Mice" and "make it sound like the only song in the world." While its true that Walker transformed the most prosaic numbers into unique, dramatic experiences, thats not to say he chose material at random or simply allowed his magical voice to work inevitable wonders without having to try. Walker selected his cover material carefully and crafted masterful, knowing renditions. He achieved that rare balance that distinguishes the best interpreters of others works -- preserving the essence of the original while making the song entirely his own. Nowhere is this clearer than on the nine Jacques Brel compositions that appeared on Walkers first three solo albums. All of those tracks are featured here. Its logical that Walker gravitated to Brel; the Belgian was a singer/songwriter after Walkers own heart who told psychologically incisive stories of unremarkable lives, raising the banal to the level of high drama -- or at least high camp. Like Brel, Walker brought a measure of romanticism to the mundane and set his poetic lyrics within arrangements that fleshed out the emotional range of his human comedies, much like miniature soundtracks. Working with Mort Shumans accomplished translations (and one more schmaltzy version by Rod McKuen), Walker captures the spirit and the many moods of Brels originals, from quiet pathos ("If You Go Away") to dark humor ("Funeral Tango") to exuberant cynicism ("Jackie") to unbridled euphoria ("Mathilde"), in the process infusing the songs with his own personality. Each of the nine tracks is a gem, but three stand out: the grandiose, swirling waltz of "Amsterdam"; the darkly powerful "My Death"; and the sardonic, angst-ridden "Next." Although these cover versions are perhaps best appreciated alongside Walkers own compositions on his original albums, they remain among the most compelling renderings of Brels work in the English language.
climate_of_hunter Album: 10 of 23
Title:  Climate of Hunter
Released:  1984-03
Tracks:  8
Duration:  30:59

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1   Rawhide  (03:55)
2   Dealer  (05:12)
3   Track Three  (03:50)
4   Sleepwalkers Woman  (04:11)
5   Track Five  (03:35)
6   Track Six  (03:12)
7   Track Seven  (03:46)
8   Blanket Roll Blues  (03:15)
Climate of Hunter : Allmusic album Review : Walkers only album of the 1980s was both a blow for artistic credibility, and a blow against most of his old fans. The voice of the balladeer was still intact, and still even crooned sometimes. But the arrangements backed brow-furrowing, obtuse lyrics with 80s-oriented rock that incorporated some quasi-classical structures. Walker was seemingly more interested in painting abstracts in which the textures counted more than the content. This made for an album which may have been a hell of a lot more interesting than 80s efforts by other 60s pop stars, but at the same time it was rather impenetrable, and ones attention tended to drift off over the course of the set. Yet it was not half as radical as the avant-garde direction he would stake out with his next album ten years later, Tilt.
boy_child_the_best_of_1967_1970 Album: 11 of 23
Title:  Boy Child: The Best of 1967-1970
Released:  1990
Tracks:  20
Duration:  1:08:07

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1   The Plague  (03:33)
2   Montague Terrace (In Blue)  (03:28)
3   Such a Small Love  (04:54)
4   The Amorous Humphrey Plugg  (04:31)
5   The Girls From The Streets  (04:10)
6   Plastic Palace People  (06:06)
7   The Bridge  (02:50)
8   Its Raining Today  (04:00)
9   Copenhagen  (02:22)
10  Big Louise  (03:10)
11  We Came Through  (01:58)
12  The Seventh Seal  (04:56)
13  On Your Own Again  (01:47)
14  Boy Child  (03:36)
15  The Old Mans Back Again (Dedicated to the Neo-Stalinist Regime)  (03:43)
16  Prologue  (01:21)
17  Little Things (That Keep Us Together)  (02:18)
18  Time Operator  (03:37)
19  Epilogue. The War Is Over (Sleepers)  (03:34)
20  The Rope and the Colt  (02:01)
no_regrets_the_best_of_scott_walker_and_the_walker_brothers Album: 12 of 23
Title:  No Regrets: The Best of Scott Walker and the Walker Brothers
Released:  1992
Tracks:  18
Duration:  1:03:26

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1   No Regrets  (05:43)
2   Make It Easy on Yourself  (03:13)
3   The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore  (03:02)
4   My Ship Is Comin In  (02:57)
5   Joanna  (03:51)
6   Lights of Cincinnati  (03:21)
7   Another Tear Falls  (02:26)
8   Boy Child  (03:36)
9   Montague Terrace (In Blue)  (03:28)
10  Jackie  (03:22)
11  Stay With Me Baby  (03:18)
12  If You Go Away  (04:57)
13  First Love Never Dies  (03:37)
14  Love Her  (03:22)
15  Walking in the Rain  (03:26)
16  (Baby) You Dont Have to Tell Me  (02:40)
17  Deadlier Than the Male  (02:30)
18  Were All Alone  (04:30)
No Regrets: The Best of Scott Walker and the Walker Brothers : Allmusic album Review : Including both of the Walker Brothers big hits ("The Sun Aint Gonna Shine Any More," "Make It Easy on Yourself"), and highlights from Scott Walkers first four solo albums, No Regrets: The Best of the Walker Brothers is a fine overview of Walkers more pop-oriented music, containing the majority of his best-known songs including "Joanna," "Lights of Cincinnati," "Boy Child," "Montague Terrace in Blue," "Jackie," and "If You Go Away," plus one of the best songs from the Walkers 70s reunion ("No Regrets").
tilt Album: 13 of 23
Title:  Tilt
Released:  1995-05-08
Tracks:  9
Duration:  56:49

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1   Farmer in the City  (06:37)
2   The Cockfighter  (06:01)
3   Bouncer See Bouncer...  (08:46)
4   Manhattan  (06:05)
5   Face on Breast  (05:15)
6   Bolivia 95  (07:44)
7   Patriot (A Single)  (08:27)
8   Tilt  (05:12)
9   Rosary  (02:40)
Tilt : Allmusic album Review : Tilt was Scott Walkers first album following over a decade of silence, and whatever else he may have done during his exile, brightening his musical horizon was not on the agenda. Indescribably barren and unutterably bleak, Tilt is the wind that buffets the gothic cathedrals of everyones favorite nightmares. The opening "Farmer in the City" sets the pace, a cinematic sweep that somehow maintains a melody beneath the unrelenting melodrama of Walkers most grotesque vocal ever. Seemingly undecided whether hes recording an opera or simply haunting one, Walker doesnt so much perform as project his lyrics, hurling them into the alternating maelstroms and moods that careen behind him. The effect is unsettling, to put it mildly. At the time of its release, reviews were undecided whether to praise or pillory Walker for making an album so utterly divorced from even the outer limits of rock reality, an indecision only compounded by its occasional (and bloody-mindedly deceptive) lurches towards modern sensibilities. "The Cockfighter" is underpinned by an intensity that is almost industrial in its range and raucousness, while "Bouncer See Bouncer" would have quite a catchy chorus if anybody else had gotten their hands on it. Here, however, it is highlighted by an Eno-esque esotericism and the chatter of tiny locusts. The crowning irony, however, is "The Patriot (A Single)," seven minutes of unrelenting funeral dirge over which Walker infuses even the most innocuous lyric ("I brought nylons from New York") with indescribable pain and suffering. Tilt is not an easy album to love; its not even that easy to listen to. First impressions place it on a plateau somewhere between Nicos Marble Index and Lou Reeds Metal Machine Music -- before long, familiarity and the elitist chattering of so many well-heeled admirers rendered both albums mere forerunners to some future shift in mainstream taste. And maybe that is the fate awaiting Tilt, although one does wonder precisely what monsters could rise from soil so belligerently barren. Even Metal Machine Music could be whistled, after all.
stretch_we_had_it_all Album: 14 of 23
Title:  Stretch / We Had It All
Released:  1997-06-02
Tracks:  21
Duration:  1:16:05

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1   Sunshine  (04:27)
2   Just One Smile  (04:23)
3   A Woman Left Lonely  (03:22)
4   No Easy Way Down  (04:37)
5   Thats How I Got to Memphis  (03:09)
6   Use Me  (04:19)
7   Frisco Depot  (03:46)
8   Someone Who Cared  (02:57)
9   Where Does Brown Begin?  (04:34)
10  Where Love Has Died  (02:23)
11  Ill Be Home  (03:24)
12  Low Down Freedom  (03:43)
13  We Had It All  (03:29)
14  Black Rose  (03:16)
15  Ride Me Down Easy  (03:32)
16  Youre Young and Youll Forget  (02:27)
17  The House Song  (03:44)
18  What Ever Happened to Saturday Night  (02:53)
19  Sundown  (04:49)
20  Old Five and Dimers Like Me  (02:57)
21  Delta Dawn  (03:45)
Stretch / We Had It All : Allmusic album Review : Neither Stretch nor We Had It All are major items in Walkers catalog, lacking the inspiration of his first albums, the adventure of his latter-day records or the technical mastery of his Walker Brothers recordings. Both albums are slight collections of contemporary country-pop and folk-rock covers, produced in an anemic, bloodless fashion where the strings dont soar, they limp. Walker sounds fine, yet hes singing without much passion or flair. Occasionally, such as "Thats How I Got to Memphis," he connects with the song and the results are somewhat engaging, but they dont make this well-produced two-fer worthwhile to anyone outside of hardcore Walker fanatics.
5_easy_pieces Album: 15 of 23
Title:  5 Easy Pieces
Released:  2003-11-24
Tracks:  93
Duration:  5:45:30

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AlbumCover   
1   Prologue  (01:23)
2   I Dont Want to Hear It Anymore  (03:45)
3   In My Room  (02:33)
4   After the Lights Go Out  (04:07)
5   Archangel  (03:42)
6   Orpheus  (03:25)
7   Mrs Murphy  (03:20)
8   Montague Terrace (In Blue)  (03:28)
9   Such a Small Love  (04:54)
10  The Amorous Humphrey Plugg  (04:31)
11  Its Raining Today  (04:01)
12  Rosemary  (03:22)
13  Big Louise  (03:10)
14  Angel Of Ashes  (04:21)
15  Hero of the War  (02:28)
16  Time Operator  (03:37)
17  Joe  (03:41)
18  The War Is Over (Sleepers) (Epilogue)  (03:36)
1   Where’s the Girl  (03:14)
2   Youre All Around Me  (02:37)
3   Just Say Goodbye  (03:39)
4   Hurting Each Other  (02:43)
5   Genevieve  (02:51)
6   Once Upon a Summertime  (03:51)
7   When Joanna Loved Me  (03:09)
8   Joanna  (03:51)
9   Angelica  (04:02)
10  Always Coming Back to You  (02:41)
11  The Bridge  (02:50)
12  Best of Both Worlds  (03:14)
13  Two Weeks Since Youve Gone  (02:48)
14  On Your Own Again  (01:48)
15  Someone Who Cared  (02:57)
16  Long About Now  (02:06)
17  Scope J  (10:51)
18  Lullaby  (11:06)
1   Jackie  (03:22)
2   Mathilde  (02:38)
3   The Girls and the Dogs  (03:10)
4   Amsterdam  (03:04)
5   Next  (02:50)
6   The Girls From the Streets  (04:11)
7   My Death  (04:56)
8   Sons Of  (03:44)
9   If You Go Away  (04:57)
10  Copenhagen  (02:22)
11  We Came Through  (01:58)
12  30 Century Man  (01:28)
13  Rhymes of Goodbye  (03:04)
14  Thanks for Chicago Mr James  (02:17)
15  Cowbells Shakin  (01:05)
16  My Way Home  (03:29)
17  Lines  (03:27)
18  Rawhide  (03:55)
19  Blanket Roll Blues  (03:15)
20  Tilt  (05:12)
21  Patriot (A Single)  (08:27)
1   The Plague  (03:34)
2   Plastic Palace People  (06:06)
3   Boy Child  (03:38)
4   Shutout  (02:47)
5   Fat Mama Kick  (02:52)
6   Nite Flights  (04:21)
7   The Electrician  (06:02)
8   Dealer  (05:12)
9   Track Three  (03:50)
10  Sleepwalkers Woman  (04:11)
11  Track Five  (03:35)
12  Farmer in the City  (06:37)
13  The Cockfighter  (06:01)
14  Bouncer See Bouncer...  (08:46)
15  Face on Breast  (05:15)
1   Light  (03:21)
2   Deadlier Than the Male  (02:32)
3   The Rope and the Colt  (02:01)
4   Meadow  (01:24)
5   The Seventh Seal  (04:58)
6   The Darkest Forest  (05:44)
7   The Ballad of Sacco and Vanzetti  (03:32)
8   The Summer Knows  (03:20)
9   Glory Road  (03:33)
10  Isabel  (06:40)
11  Man From Reno  (04:22)
12  The Church of the Apostles  (05:51)
13  Indecent Sacrifice  (04:07)
14  Bombupper  (00:52)
15  I Threw It All Away  (02:14)
16  River of Blood  (01:26)
17  Only Myself to Blame  (03:38)
18  Running  (01:44)
19  The Time Is Out of Joint!  (01:10)
20  Never Again  (01:27)
21  Closing  (01:54)
the_collection Album: 16 of 23
Title:  The Collection
Released:  2004-10-11
Tracks:  18
Duration:  1:01:21

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1   Joanna  (03:51)
2   Jackie  (03:22)
3   Lights of Cincinatti  (03:20)
4   The Lady Came From Baltimore  (01:57)
5   Windows of the World  (04:25)
6   If You Go Away  (04:57)
7   My Death  (04:56)
8   The Rope and the Colt  (02:01)
9   Black Sheep Boy  (02:39)
10  The Seventh Seal  (04:56)
11  Montague Terrace (In Blue)  (03:28)
12  Any Day Now  (03:33)
13  Amsterdam  (03:03)
14  The Look of Love  (02:32)
15  Mathilde  (02:38)
16  The Amorous Humphrey Plugg  (04:31)
17  Copenhagen  (02:19)
18  Duchess  (02:48)
The Collection : Allmusic album Review : This Collection of Scott Walker tunes from Universal International echoes similar compilations like Its Raining Today: The Scott Walker Story (1967-70) and Boy Child 67-70. The selections rely heavily on the classic Scott 1 through Scott 4 LPs, with a smattering of singles like "Lights of Cincinnati" and "Rope and the Colt." Of the 18 tracks, four are Jacques Brel covers ("Jackie," "My Death," "Amsterdam," and "Mathilde," while the majority of the others are beloved Walker originals (sadly, neither "Boychild," "Plastic Palace People," "Thanks for Chicago Mr. James," or "Old Mans Back Again (Dedicated to the Neo-Stalinist Regime)" made the cut). As far as samplers go, its not half bad, but the first four solo albums remain the litmus test by which all Walker compilations inevitably fail to live up to.
classics_collectibles Album: 17 of 23
Title:  Classics & Collectibles
Released:  2005-10-03
Tracks:  45
Duration:  2:31:59

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1   If You Go Away  (04:57)
2   I Will Wait for You  (03:42)
3   In My Room  (02:33)
4   The Sun Aint Gonna Shine Anymore  (03:13)
5   Its Over  (02:26)
6   Joanna  (03:51)
7   Angel Of Ashes  (04:21)
8   Mathilde  (02:38)
9   Winter Night  (01:45)
10  Orpheus  (03:25)
11  Jackie  (03:22)
12  The Bridge  (02:50)
13  Its Raining Today  (04:01)
14  Once Upon a Summertime  (03:51)
15  Such a Small Love  (04:54)
16  Rhymes of Goodbye  (03:04)
17  Big Louise  (03:10)
18  Next  (02:50)
19  Til the Band Comes In  (03:50)
20  Plastic Palace People  (06:06)
21  Butterfly  (01:42)
22  Just Say Goodbye  (03:39)
1   The Me I Never Knew  (03:41)
2   We Could Be Flying  (04:20)
3   I Have Dreamed  (02:37)
4   The Gentle Rain  (02:43)
5   I Still See You  (03:18)
6   Loss of Love  (03:08)
7   Do I Love You  (02:56)
8   Country Girl  (03:07)
9   Come Saturday Morning  (03:36)
10  When the World Was Young  (04:01)
11  That Night  (02:59)
12  This Way Mary  (02:32)
13  Someone to Light Up My Life  (02:12)
14  The Impossible Dream  (03:00)
15  Who (Will Take My Place)  (03:18)
16  When You Get Right Down to It  (02:59)
17  A Face in the Crowd  (03:23)
18  Cowboy  (02:30)
19  If She Walked Into My Life  (03:55)
20  All My Loves Laughter  (04:05)
21  Speak Softly Love  (03:53)
22  Easy Come, Easy Go  (03:00)
23  Lost in the Stars  (04:20)
Classics & Collectibles : Allmusic album Review : While theres both much fine music here and many rarities that the dedicated Scott Walker collector will want to have, this two-CD anthology unfortunately falls into the "not quite one or the other" category. Disc one collects 22 songs from his commonly available early catalog, all previously issued on CD, mostly from his early solo releases (though some are by the Walker Brothers). Most of disc two, however, had not been released on CD before this compilation, drawing from numerous rare late-60s and early-70s discs, including several songs from his rare 1969 LP Scott Sings Songs from His TV Series, one ("The Gentle Rain") from a 1966 EP, and assorted singles and soundtracks. Heres the rub: the commonly available songs on disc one, which focus on his most subdued early ballads, are by far better than the rarities on disc two, which assembles far slushier middle-of-the-road pop and includes no Walker originals. So the general fan who wants to hear his best (or at least better) early stuff is stuck with a companion disc thats not as good as or stylistically compatible with the first CD, while serious collectors willing to put up with the pop covers for the sake of completism are lumbered with a whole disc of material they already have (likely more than once, in many cases). A Classics & Collectibles anthology for Dusty Springfield suffered from the same problem, though at least there the quality was pretty high on almost all the songs, whether rare or not. If youre still interested in accepting the CD for what it is, disc one is very good, containing highlights of his early work like "If You Go Away," "The Sun Aint Gonna Shine Anymore" (with the Walker Brothers, presented here in a mono mix that makes John Walkers vocal more prominent), "In My Room" (also with the Walkers), "Jackie," "Next," "Plastic Palace People," and "Just Say Goodbye." The accents on moody ballads, but there is room for some of his acerbic, up-tempo Jacques Brel covers, like "Mathilde." Still, its not a best-of, not when its missing such undoubted highlights as "The Seventh Seal" and "The Old Mans Back Again," for starters. As for disc two, once you get past the shock of hearing him croon straight pop songs and standards without much of an edge (by the likes of John Barry, Henry Mancini, Paul Anka, Jimmy Webb, Dory Previn, and Antonio Carlos Jobim, with Randy Newmans "Cowboy" sneaking in somehow), its really not that bad, though nothing youd play to convince novices of Walkers hipness. Walker simply had a superb voice, and even if the material and arrangements are often blandly sentimental ("The Impossible Dream" indeed!), he does croon these so well that most of them can be enjoyed on at least a modest level. Some are easier to take than others, of course, and its a little saccharine in one concentrated dose. The larger point is, however, that its really the rarities that give this package any value. If this rare material is to be issued at all, it should be issued as a stand-alone rarities disc; as a double CD of nothing but rarities; or, by going the whole hog and putting out the rare albums, as flawed as they may be, with bonus tracks. This sort of compromise anthology doesnt wholly please anyone.
the_drift Album: 18 of 23
Title:  The Drift
Released:  2006-05-08
Tracks:  10
Duration:  1:08:48

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1   Cossacks Are  (04:32)
2   Clara  (12:43)
3   Jesse  (06:28)
4   Jolson and Jones  (07:45)
5   Cue  (10:27)
6   Hand Me Ups  (05:49)
7   Buzzers  (06:39)
8   Psoriatic  (05:51)
9   The Escape  (05:18)
10  A Lover Loves  (03:11)
The Drift : Allmusic album Review : There were intermittent soundtrack and score contributions of varying magnitudes, as well as a couple other low-key projects, but The Drift is Scott Walkers proper follow-up to 1995s Tilt, an album that also happened to trail its predecessor by 11 years. If 1984s Climate of Hunter put the MOR in morose, Tilt avoided the road completely and went straight toward the fractured, fraught images inside Walkers nightmares. It was entirely removed from anything that couldve been classified as contemporary. The Drift isnt an equally severe leap from Tilt, but it is darker, less arranged, alternately more and less dense, and ultimately more frightening. Maybe itll make your body temperature drop a few degrees. Working with what Walker has referred to as "blocks of sound," only a few of the albums 68 minutes have any connection to rock music, and many of those minutes are part of a harrowing 9/11 song that also obliquely references "Jailhouse Rock" as Elvis Presley cries out ("Im the only one left alive!") to his stillborn twin brother. The songs swing from hovering drones to crushing jolts. The blocks that make them, then, differ tremendously in weight, from one that could be pushed by an index finger to one that could only be hauled by a forklift. Whenever a vast shaft of space opens up, it is eventually stuffed with drastic, horrific dissonance. While a song might contain a constant element or two, theyre all in a constant state of unease and flux. Walkers voice matches the activity levels of the sounds, providing a kind of paranoid croon one minute and then, during another, casting almost demonic projections that are nearly as rattling as the accompaniment. From the outset, the album seems impossibly insular and impenetrable, especially if youve been led to believe that Scott Walkers name is synonymous with recluse, but it has everything to do with real lives (or, more accurately, real deaths). Walker is acutely aware of whats going on with the world outside his supposed candle-lit bunker; hes only finding very unique (OK, bloody minded) ways to bring them up. Any mystique behind the recordings is laid to waste by one scene from a documentary, titled 30 Century Man, which shows Walker -- a baseball hat-wearing sixty-something man from Ohio -- instructing another man on how to thump a slab of meat. It looks and sounds absurd, of course (the participants seem to be aware of this), but then again, the results are used in a song inspired by the public executions of Benito Mussolini and his mistress. Broken spells aside, how much more bleak could this album be? None more bleak.
and_who_shall_go_to_the_ball_and_what_shall_go_to_the_ball Album: 19 of 23
Title:  And Who Shall Go to the Ball? And What Shall Go to the Ball?
Released:  2007-10-01
Tracks:  4
Duration:  24:39

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1   And Who Shall Go to the Ball? And What Shall Go to the Ball? Part 1  (06:36)
2   And Who Shall Go to the Ball? And What Shall Go to the Ball? Part 2  (05:29)
3   And Who Shall Go to the Ball? And What Shall Go to the Ball? Part 3  (06:24)
4   And Who Shall Go to the Ball? And What Shall Go to the Ball? Part 4  (06:10)
bish_bosch Album: 20 of 23
Title:  Bish Bosch
Released:  2012-12-03
Tracks:  9
Duration:  1:13:01

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1   ‘See You Don’t Bump His Head’  (04:06)
2   Corps de Blah  (10:11)
3   Phrasing  (04:45)
4   SDSS1416+13B (Zercon, a Flagpole Sitter)  (21:41)
1   Epizootics!  (09:40)
2   Dimple  (06:47)
3   Tar  (05:39)
4   Pilgrim  (02:26)
5   The Day the “conducator” Died  (07:45)
Bish Bosch : Allmusic album Review : Bish Bosch is, according to Scott Walker, the final recording in the trilogy that began with 1995’s Tilt and continued in 2006’s The Drift. Its title combines urban slang for the word "bitch" and the last name of Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch. Like its predecessors, Bish Bosch is not an easy listen initially. Its utterly strange, yet alluring. Musically, Walker is as rangy and cagey as ever. His players have worked with him since Tilt; they know exactly what he wants and how to get it. A string orchestra arranged and conducted by keyboardist Mark Warman, and a full symphony on three cuts are also employed. The lyrics on Bish Bosch are full of obscure historical, philosophical, medical, geographical and cultural allusions. For instance, subatomic science, a dwarf jester in Attila the Hun’s court, St. Simeon, and an early 20th century fad all appear in "SDSS14+3B (Zircon, A Flagpole Sitter)." Elsewhere, Nicolai Ceausescu, Nikita Khrushchev, the Ku Klux Klan, and God himself show up. While Bish Bosch is another exercise in artful pretension, it is the most accessible entry in this trilogy and well worth the effort to get at it. Themes of decay are woven throughout these songs -- of empire, of the body, of language and religion -- yet they are often complemented and illustrated by wry, pun-like, and even scatological humor. Walkers pessismism is akin to Samuel Becketts and like the author, he holds space for a sliver of hope. On "Corps de Blah," a chorus of farts answers an a cappella lullaby whose lyrics are grotesque. Before its over, Walker reaches operatic heights vocally, singing about bodily functions, surgery ("Nothing clears out a room/like removing a brain"), speculative philosophy, and romantic betrayal, all while accompanied by thrumming, wailing strings, metallic guitar riffs, a flailing drum kit, and layers of electronics and ambience. "Epizootics!" uses a “tubax” -- part baritone sax, part tuba -- that introduces an infectious, fingerpopping drum chant before Walker employs bop-era vocal phrasing to climb to a careening crescendo before his version of a Hawaiian folk song closes it. "Tar’s" power electronics shriek is brought to earth by a rhythmic strategy that involves machetes frantically clashing against one another. Despite its 21-plus-minute monolithic length, "SDSS14+13B (Zercon, A Flagpole Sitter)" is almost welcoming. Layered ambient and looped textures, bombastic rock dynamics, metal guitars, soundtrack effects, and Walkers theatrical baritone allow the listener inside the maelstrom of his soundworld. Here, as in many other places on Bish Bosch, traces, hints, and suggestions of melody are given small but pronounced spaces that momentarily relieve the listeners sense of dislocation and tension before building them up again. His voice too, is freer to float and engage something approaching lyricism. With Bish Bosch, Walker creates a kind of Möbius Strip: by virtue of creating a less physically demanding sonic landscape, he provides a way into his iconic trilogy on his way out of it.
scott_the_collection_1967_1970 Album: 21 of 23
Title:  Scott: The Collection 1967-1970
Released:  2013-06-03
Tracks:  62
Duration:  3:15:12

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1   Mathilde  (02:38)
2   Montague Terrace (In Blue)  (03:28)
3   Angelica  (04:02)
4   The Lady Came From Baltimore  (01:59)
5   When Joanna Loved Me  (03:09)
6   My Death  (04:56)
7   The Big Hurt  (02:26)
8   Such a Small Love  (04:54)
9   Youre Gonna Hear From Me  (02:55)
10  Through a Long and Sleepless Night  (04:12)
11  Always Coming Back to You  (02:41)
12  Amsterdam  (03:04)
1   Jackie  (03:22)
2   Best of Both Worlds  (03:14)
3   Black Sheep Boy  (02:39)
4   The Amorous Humphrey Plugg  (04:31)
5   Next  (02:50)
6   The Girls From the Streets  (04:11)
7   Plastic Palace People  (06:06)
8   Wait Until Dark  (02:59)
9   The Girls and the Dogs  (03:10)
10  Windows of the World  (04:25)
11  The Bridge  (02:50)
12  Come Next Spring  (03:24)
1   Its Raining Today  (04:01)
2   Copenhagen  (02:22)
3   Rosemary  (03:22)
4   Big Louise  (03:10)
5   We Came Through  (01:58)
6   Butterfly  (01:42)
7   Two Ragged Soldiers  (03:06)
8   30 Century Man  (01:28)
9   Winter Night  (01:45)
10  Two Weeks Since Youve Gone  (02:48)
11  Sons Of  (03:44)
12  Funeral Tango  (02:55)
13  If You Go Away  (04:57)
1   The Seventh Seal  (04:57)
2   On Your Own Again  (01:48)
3   The World’s Strongest Man  (02:21)
4   Angel Of Ashes  (04:21)
5   Boy Child  (03:38)
6   Hero of the War  (02:28)
7   The Old Man’s Back Again (Dedicated to the Neo-Stalinist Regime)  (03:43)
8   Duchess  (02:50)
9   Get Behind Me  (03:14)
10  Rhymes of Goodbye  (03:04)
1   Prologue  (01:23)
2   Little Things (That Keep Us Together)  (02:18)
3   Joe  (03:41)
4   Thanks for Chicago Mr James  (02:17)
5   Long About Now  (02:06)
6   Time Operator  (03:37)
7   Jean the Machine  (02:10)
8   Cowbells Shakin  (01:05)
9   Til the Band Comes In  (03:50)
10  The War Is Over (Sleepers) (Epilogue)  (03:36)
11  Stormy  (03:09)
12  The Hills of Yesterday  (02:45)
13  Reuben James  (03:03)
14  What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life  (03:36)
15  Its Over  (02:26)
soused Album: 22 of 23
Title:  Soused
Released:  2014-10-20
Tracks:  5
Duration:  48:43

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1   Brando  (08:45)
2   Bull  (09:23)
3   Herod 2014  (12:01)
1   Fetish  (09:09)
2   Lullaby  (09:24)
Soused : Allmusic album Review : Soused is unlike any previous Scott Walker recording for two reasons. First, its a complete collaboration with the doom drone duo Sunn 0))); second, it, unlike any of his albums since 1984s Climate of Hunter, requires no previous context for appreciation. While these five tracks are undeniably "heavy," as a whole the music is more conventionally "melodic" than one would anticipate from this pairing. Sunn 0)))s Greg Anderson and Stephen OMalley add their third guitarist, Tos Nieuwenhuizen, while Walker is again assisted by longtime associate keyboardist and sound sculptor Peter Walsh, with an unusually small cast of players. "Brando" kicks off with bright keyboards and Nieuwenhuizen playing lead lines straight out of 80s pop-metal. Walkers baritone erupts like hes singing musical theater: "Ah the wide Missouri/Dwellers on the bluff/Across the wide Missouri..." before his centered denouement admits "...No, never enough...." Sunn 0)))s overdriven power drones, a bass drum, and the sound of cracking bullwhips enter before Walker intones: "A beating would do me a world of good." The fractured imagistic narrative unfolds lyrically and sonically, juxtaposing pastoral nature with violence as the language of exchange in power and submission, religiously and carnally. In "Herod 2014," Walker addresses one of his favorite topics: totalitarianism. He uses the New Testament narrative of the slaughter of innocents as a metaphor for the endgame of state paranoia. Amid distorted and detuned angular guitar drones are massive throbbing keyboard and drum effects and a lone bell. Though sometimes nearly drowned in the mix, the bell is constant -- the mothers voice protecting her children. "Bull"s atonal guitars squall onto a wall of sine-wave hum, feedback, Moog, bleating trumpet, and voices in dynamic textural shifts. Its dangerously, deliciously close to heavy metal. "Lullaby" is the most abstract thing here, yet its recurring sectional themes are easy to accommodate. A limited palette of sonic colors creates a frame for doomy, droning, and stinging metallic guitar riffs, dissonant and melodic keyboard effects, and programmed drums. Throughout the set, Walkers lyrics are more than poetic devices; theyre textural and sonic elements that add dimension to his singing. As defined here, "Soused" accurately means "drenched" in sound. Walkers and Sunn 0)))s individual identities, while always on full display, are brought jaggedly and thunderously together in an enthralling recording that equals the sum of its mighty parts.
the_childhood_of_a_leader Album: 23 of 23
Title:  The Childhood of a Leader
Released:  2016-08-19
Tracks:  18
Duration:  30:16

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Spotify    AlbumCover   
1   Orchestral Tuning Up  (00:17)
2   Opening  (05:32)
3   Dream Sequence  (02:19)
4   Village Walk  (01:30)
5   Run  (00:49)
6   Down the Stairs  (00:32)
7   Up the Stairs  (01:07)
8   The Letter  (00:38)
9   Versailles  (01:24)
10  Cutting Flowers  (00:41)
11  Boy,Mirror,Cars Arriving  (01:37)
12  Third Tantrum  (01:57)
13  Printing Press  (01:06)
14  On the Way to the Meeting  (01:05)
15  The Meeting  (03:36)
16  Post Meeting  (01:47)
17  Finale  (03:04)
18  New Dawn (Synth Layout for Cut Scene)  (01:15)

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