Scott Walker: 'Bisch Bosch'

This enigmatic artist, who shunned the limelight only to create some of the most evocative music in recent memory, returns with a sonic feat of originality in a music scene cluttered by pink-wig demi-rappers and overdone, high-fashion dance pop. Bish Bosch puts Scott Walker's haunting, bellowing voice on full display as it drones in and out above pulsating noises. Straddling sympathetic and preaching, Walker's voice is a far cry from his past pop star persona. To call this experimental music would be to reduce it to a too simple box. It's pure art, with Walker's wiry fingers in every bit of its development. "Corps De Blah" cuts like a sharpened knife, looping what appears as stock audio snippets in inconsistent manners. It's David Lynch's blissful dreams. In "SDSS1416+13B (Zercon, A Flagpole Sitter)," the coupling of a dwarf star and Attila the Hun's court jester as its namesake, Walker regales lyrics as bad jokes, rips off driving, electric guitar riffs for mere seconds, and leaves the listener on continued uncertain footing. "Dimple" is an Italian monastery service looming over its unsuspecting village. As jarring and confrontational as it is, Bish Bosch is nothing short of a celebration.

★★★★ (out of 5 stars)