The Llano Idea

It seems that there have been a large number of album reissues this past month that are worth the attention of any self-described “die-hard music fan”. Among the noteworthy re-releases are Spiritualized’s 1997 euphoric space-rock album appropriately entitled Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space, the Beastie Boys’ Check Your Head (a follow up to the much heralded Paul’s Boutique), and the entire catalogue of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. However, the remastered collection that caught my eye the most was a quartet of LPs by experimental art-rock legend Scott Walker.

The four albums chosen – Boy Child 67-70, Classics & Collectibles, Sings Jacques Brel, and most importantly Tilt – do a good job of spanning the career of one of music’s most enigmatic artists, chronicling almost everything from his 60s pop-rock origins to whatever genre you call beating the shit out of a huge slab of meat for 30 seconds. I was first introduced to the music of Walker through his most recent 4AD released LP The Drift which, for anyone who has heard the album, isn’t the best of ways to gather a good first impression of his diverse discography. Tension filled melodies composed from chords containing both harmonic and dissonant elements puts the listener at a discomfort throughout, and Walker’s vibrato baritone voice does nothing to alleviate the uneasiness. The Drift as well as its predecessor Tilt are highly demanding albums to listen to, about the auditory equivalent of the Iron Man competition. Only after understanding the back story of Walker’s life and the drastic transformation his music has made over the decades can one fully understand how groundbreaking his most recent albums are.

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Column, Music downloads, mp3s, Reissues, Scott Walker, The Walker Brothers, Tilt