From the man who gave us the phrase “Lemon Bloody Cola,” the man who can bring the indelible David Bowie to tears of joy, the man who can do justice to Jacque Brel like a perverse Sinatra, ladies and gentlemen, at long last here is a taste of Bish Bosch, Scott Walker’s latest album. If it makes you writhe a little to think that this guy — who on his last album used a pig carcass as a punching bag to make a drum track — would title his album with something that sounds like asinine gibberish, well, I guarantee the discomfort is calculated. I swear he and Frederick Seidel are soulmates. They should have a sit down for poems and tea.
Words like creepy and genius get brought up around Walker with deserved conviction, but what people don’t often talk about is just how beautiful his music can be. Or how the bass lines are just so sick on the second half of Tilt. At this point in his career, a new Scott album doesn’t really warrant speculation about its quality — the guy has been working in dimensions beyond almost anybody else for years — but more anxiety about how much bloodletting is necessary for us humble listeners to start seeing the visions and keep up.
So go watch this preview already! From what we can see and hear, this one seems like it’s gonna be samples from Scott Walker’s international buffet of third-world destitution and dictators. There’s even some hard-boiled astronomy. Also, the album is actually named in part after Bosch, the 16th-century master who painted this, so feel free to immerse. Here’s a good read to get you pumped. If you don’t already know Scott Walker’s voice, get ready for happy paroxysms. If you do know it, here come the flashbacks.
Bish Bosch is out December 4 on 4AD. You can pre-order it now.
• Bish Bosch: http://www.bishbosch.com
• 4AD: http://www.4ad.com
