The Verge revisits Scott Walker’s The Drift as unsettling Halloween listening

The Verge reported that the album’s lyrics are about as dark as an album gets. It cited visceral descriptions of the hanging of Benito Mussolini and his mistress Clara Petacci, and wrote that Walker sings about 9/11, his stillborn twin brother and the Srebrenica genocide.

According to The Verge, the record at times sounds more like the score to an Ari Aster film than anything that could be called pop music under even the most generous definitions. In “Jesse,” seasick guitars in the verses give way to dissonant strings that drone oppressively over the chorus, the article said. It added that the low-bitrate MP3 noise that opens “Clara” can be felt in the jaw, and that the track also allegedly features the sound of Walker’s percussionist punching a pig carcass as part of the rhythm track.

The Verge described songs that stop on a dime, linger in uncomfortable silence and then erupt in bursts of mechanical noise. Animal bleating, foley work and atonal orchestra sections grind against Walker’s warble, according to the article. Nothing is ever quite in tune, and The Verge said it can be challenging to get through the record in a single sitting unless the listener is in a very particular mood, though sticking with it can be quite rewarding.

The article contrasted the album with songs and performances that are so beautiful they send shivers down the spine or give goosebumps. The Verge said The Drift produces the opposite reaction: listeners may still have an involuntary physical response, but it is more shudders than shivers and will make the skin crawl. The Verge noted that The Drift is available on Bandcamp and most major streaming services, including YouTube Music, Apple Music, Qobuz, Deezer and Spotify.