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All Music Guide:
Formed in San Francisco in 2002, the Drift initially started out as a side project of Tarentel guitarist/keyboardist Danny Grody and Lazarus bassist Trevor Montgomery, and became more of a full-time affair after Montgomery's departure. Grody found a replacement in upright bassist Safa Shokrai, and with Rich Douthit (drums) and Jeff Jacobs (trumpet, flügelhorn, electronics), released a debut 12" EP, Streets/Nozomi, in the summer of 2005. Later that year a limited-edition CD titled Travels in Constants, Vol. 19, comprised of the band's early recordings with Montgomery on bass, was released as a teaser for the band's first full-length, Noumena, which came out October of 2005. The Drift remained relatively quiet until 2007 when another 12" EP of remixes, titled (RMXS), and a CD collection of previously vinyl-only tracks, titled Ceiling Sky, were released. Sadly, trumpeter/flügelhornist Jacobs died of cancer on January 4, 2011. The group continued on, releasing Blue Hour -- an album keenly affected by his memory -- in October of that year.
Wikipedia:
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 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.
Walker composed the songs for the album slowly over the eleven years soon after the release of 1995's Tilt beginning with "Cue", the longest song to complete, up until the album's recording. An early version of "Buzzers" 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
The Drift is Walker's first album composed entirely of new material since 1995's Tilt. In the interim, Walker's released output comprised a few instrumental tracks on the soundtrack to the film Pola X and a track on the soundtrack to the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough, 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 numerous subjects in keeping with the horror genre.
Reception
The Drift received positive reviews by the majority of critics.
Mikael Åkerfeldt wanted his band Opeth to have their album Watershed be a Heavy metal version of this album but "it proved to be impossible simply because his [Scott's] head is sicker than mine and I also love melodies and dynamics. There are however many parts on there directly inspired by Scott."
Track listing
All songs written and composed by Scott Walker, except "Psoriatic" (Scott Walker/Bob Carleton).
