Soused

By the '90s, the ‘60s pop star Scott Walker had evolved into an avant-garde master. In 2014, it’s little surprise that he’s written Soused as a collaboration with underground drone-metallists Sunn O))). Anyone familiar with previous Walker albums such as Tilt, The Drift, or Bish Bosch will recognize the barking, musical theater–like baritone vocals and the postapocalyptic, scorched-earth instrumentation. And for Soused, Walker is joined by Sunn O))), including their third guitarist Tos Nieuwenhuizen. “Bull,” in particular, takes on the dark, grinding distortion, while other epics sound like a circus on fire. Singularly brilliant.