Scott Walker & Sunn 0))) - Soused
Music for pleasure? Not if Scott Walker has anything to do with it.
For his 15th album, septuagenarian Noel Scott Engel teams up with Sunn 0))).
This may be a surprise to some but not those who have followed Walker's career. It is a long way from Make It Easy On Yourself to this but this is the man that has used a pig carcass for percussion.
Given Walker's penchant for the avant-garde and Sunn 0)))'s default drone metal, this may be Walker's most accessible work for a while. That is not to say it is an easy listen. It can be bloody hard work.
Brando is essentially a drone pierced by shards of searing guitar. Herod 2014 is a deeply disturbing mix of drones, shimmering keyboards and effects that could be whales sodomising elephants. Bull veers from almost unaccompanied vocals to doom metal and back. Fetish showcases that voice over a minimal, Burialesque backing, briefly interrupted by squalls of noise. Lullaby does not live up to its title.
Brave, intriguing, challenging but ultimately flawed, I may revisit this album but not often.
Pavlis (5/10)
