9. Scott WalkerBish Bosch
Every year I seem to get disheartened with new music, and then there’s something you hear that makes you sit up and you think, ‘What is this?’ I didn’t know it was Scott Walker when I first heard it. I think the first song I heard was called ‘Epizootics!’ and it’s brilliant. I always felt he was putting me and my peers to shame, this 70-year-old man making the most exciting music. Surely us youngsters should be the ones making the most exciting music? And he always was, until the day he passed.
There are so many glorious moments, big brass sounding things like Henry Mancini, real filmic parts that could be from old classic cinema, and then moments of pure darkness and sparseness, coupled with his poetry which he would take years to write. He would dedicate a whole year to sitting and waiting for lyrics to come rather than like a lot of us – well, me – rushing to finish something in a month. Nah, he doesn’t do that. So there’s this beautiful poetry in this chaotic landscape. It’s a really interesting way of approaching music.
I’ve got a lot to thank Scott Walker for with albums like Bish Bosch and Tilt. You’re having a houseparty and people have outstayed their welcome and you want them to go home. You don’t put on a crowd pleaser, you put on an obscure Scott Walker record and they’re like, ‘Oh, I think it’s time to go, I’m going to get an Uber.’ Thank you Scott Walker. I played a bit of Bish Bosch to my mum and she said: "Ah god, d’ya think he’s alreet?"
