The Drift

The Drift is the thirteenth studio album by the American solo artist Scott Walker. It was released on the 8 May 2006 and reached number 51[3] on the UK Albums Chart. No singles were released from the album. Apart from composing the soundtrack to the film Pola X, the album was Walker's first studio album in eleven years and only his third studio album since the final disbanding of The Walker Brothers in 1978.

The Drift
Studio album by
Scott Walker
Released8 May 2006 (2006-05-08)
RecordedJune 2004 – November 2005
StudioMetropolis Studios, Chiswick, London, and AIR Studios, Hampstead, London
Genre
Length68:48
Label4AD
ProducerScott Walker, Peter Walsh
Scott Walker chronology
5 Easy Pieces
(2003)		 The Drift
(2006)		 And Who Shall Go to the Ball? And What Shall Go to the Ball?
(2007)

Walker composed the songs for the album slowly over the decade after the release of 1995's Tilt,[4] beginning with "Cue" (the longest song to complete), up until the album's recording. An early version of "Psoriatic" was premièred at the Meltdown festival on 17 June 2000 under the title "Thimble Rigging". The album was recorded over a period of 17 months at Metropolis Studios in Chiswick, London, with orchestra recorded in one day at George Martin's AIR Studios in Hampstead, London. Receiving good reviews from critics, the album was released as an LP and CD in May 2006. The artwork for the album was designed by Vaughan Oliver at v23 with assistance from Chris Bigg and photography by Marc Atkins.

Overview

Walker's first album composed entirely of new material since 1995's Tilt, The Drift forms the second installment of the "trilogy" that concluded with 2012's Bish Bosch.[5] In the years between Tilt and The Drift, Walker's released output comprised a few instrumental tracks on the soundtrack to the film Pola X, a cover of Bob Dylan's "I Threw It All Away" on the To Have and to Hold soundtrack, and "Only Myself to Blame" from The World Is Not Enough soundtrack, as well as a few compilations of previously released material, including the retrospective box set 5 Easy Pieces.

The Drift has been cited by many critics and fans alike as a disturbing and complex album that departs from Scott Walker's previous albums while still remaining true to his experimental roots. French singer Vanessa Contenay-Quinones appears as the voice of Clara Petacci on "Clara".

The sound and subject matter for the album is unrelentingly dark and unsettling, often juxtaposing quiet sections with sudden loud noise to induce discomfort in the listener. Subjects include torture, disease, 9/11, Elvis Presley (and his stillborn twin brother Jesse Garon Presley), and the Srebrenica massacre.[6][7]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic link
Brainwashed(favourable) 3 May 06
Telegraph(favourable) 6 May 06
The Guardian 5 May 06
The Independent 5 May 06
Mojo p.102, #151
musicOMH May 2006
New York(favourable) 8 May 06
The Observer 23 Apr 06
Pitchfork Media(9.0/10) 9 May 06
PlayLouder 15 May 06
PopMatters 10 May 06
The Times 6 May 06
Uncut(favourable) 10 May 06
Yahoo! Music 15 May 06

Track listing

All tracks are written by Scott Walker, except "Psoriatic" (Scott Walker/Bob Carleton).

No.TitleLength
1."Cossacks Are"4:32
2."Clara"12:43
3."Jesse"6:28
4."Jolson and Jones"7:45
5."Cue"10:27
6."Hand Me Ups"5:49
7."Buzzers"6:39
8."Psoriatic"5:51
9."The Escape"5:18
10."A Lover Loves"3:11

Personnel

Production
  • Produced by Scott Walker & Peter Walsh
  • Engineers: Geoff Foster, Peter Walsh
  • Mixing: Peter Walsh

Release history
Region Date Label Format Catalogue
United Kingdom 8 May 2006 4AD LP2×LP CAD 2603
CD CAD 2603 CD
United States 6 June 2006 4AD CD
Japan 24 June 2006 Hostess CD HSE-20015

Charts
ChartPosition
Belgian Albums Chart[8] 49
German Albums Chart[9] 97
Irish Albums Chart 80
UK Albums Chart[3] 51
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References
  1. Murray, Noel (December 6, 2012). "Navigating the diverse, difficult musical career of Scott Walker". The A.V. Club. Retrieved August 13, 2018. As for fans of the intense avant-garde exercises of Tilt and The Drift...
  2. Dennis, Jon (March 5, 2014). "10 of the best: Scott Walker". The Guardian. Retrieved August 13, 2018. Tilt (1995), the first of his trilogy of experimental albums
  3. "Scott Walker". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
  4. Williams, Lewis (2006). Scott Walker - The Rhymes of Goodbye (1st ed.). London: Plexus. p. 179. ISBN 0-85965-395-1.
  5. Hattenstone, Simon (23 November 2012). "Scott Walker: Brother beyond". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 17 November 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  6. Williams, Ben (2006). "Elvis Dreams of 9/11". New York. Archived from the original on September 13, 2016.
  7. Young, Rob (May 2006). "Interview with Scott Walker". The Wire (267): 24–29.
  8. "Scott Walker - The Drift". ultratop.be. Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 February 2010.
  9. "UK, German and French charts". Charts Surfer. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
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