Bish Bosch

Scott Walker - Bish Bosch
Critic Score
Based on 33 reviews
2012 Ratings: #162 / 1118
Year End Rank: #37
User Score
Based on 281 ratings
2012 Rank: #171
Liked by 43 people
Sign In to rate and review

CRITIC REVIEWS

100
Tiny Mix Tapes

This very refusal to cohere, to make sense, to play the game of identity and otherness, of harmony and disharmony, makes Bish Bosch this year’s only necessary work of art.

89
Beats Per Minute

It’s notoriously heavy, full of references that will elude you without lyric sheets, centering on characters from history you’ve never heard of, and containing sound worlds that will frighten, amuse, and beguile you.

80
Pitchfork

Bish Bosch is difficult music that was intended to sound difficult and be enjoyed primarily by people who enjoy difficult experiences. The irony is that it is difficult in conventional ways.

80
Under the Radar

Bisch Bosh continues that dissonant trend with Walker's distinctive baritone croon in the midst of the avant-garde storm. There is more emphasis placed on rock tropes this time, but Walker's lyrics are just as oblique. 

80
Consequence of Sound

While Bish Bosch isn’t nearly the departure The Drift was six years ago, there’s a sharper attention to detail and a much broader scope at bay, one that would shake the boots of even the strongest composers worldwide.

70
The Needle Drop

While Bish Bosch isn't the strangest thing walking the planet, that certainly seems to be what he aims for on what is easily his most absurd album yet.

70
musicOMH

For all its uncomfortable moments, Bish Bosch also provides both reminders of Walker’s existing strengths, and some intriguing suggestions of where he might go next

70
PopMatters

Despite its ties to vital art from the past and its incessant line of obscure references and Walker’s own pretentions as an artist, this is also industrial opera dramatics mixed with musical slapstick.

52
Paste

The irony of Bish Bosch is that in its extra-terrestrial grab for timelessness, Walker ends up lightyears from the qualities that made his art timeless

30
NME

How anyone outside the walls of a mental asylum could genuinely enjoy the annoyingly repetitive industrial drum-throbs, aimless experimento-guitar crunches and lyrics about “reeking gonads” that characterise songs called things like ‘Epizootics!’ is beyond me.

Dombot
59

(@TheTourist90's PICK FOR SPOOKLIST 2020)

Well that was uh... something. Yep. Uh huh. Yeah.

This album's really REALLY fucking weird. And usually I commend stuff like this- I mean come on, Animal Collective and XIu Xiu are two of my favorite bands of all time. I love the way they combine different elements of experimentation with pop and rock. And well... that first part applies here. Bish Bosch, to me, is like the evil twin of Trout Mask Replica - it's weird, and I can see why people enjoy ... read more

LZGray
90

I don't fully understand it, and realistically this is probably the worst possible introduction to the music of Scott Walker, but holy shit I feel like I was sent on the worst fucking trip of my life holy god what just happened

maryfreegirl
85

Sometimes unintentionally goofy, most of the time actually compelling, the instrumentation made or broke the song and not the vocals like i initially though it would happen, plus the album got better as it went on, that first song was definitely the worst

susieofwgkta
90

this is my SHIT!!!!!!!!!

TreadCarefully
41

I'm sorry, this is beyond goofy af.

ManiacMilker
73

Ooooo yeah this is some experimental shit right here. Probably wasn't the best place to start with Scott Walker's music, but it actually worked out well because this kinda music is totally my thing. Some of it works, and some of it doesn't, but it all comes together to create one of the most harrowing LPs I've heard in a GOOD while. Hard to recommend, but if you're into groups like Xiu Xiu, Suicide, and I would even say Foetus, you'll dig this thing.

Purchasing Bish Bosch from Amazon helps support Album of the Year. Or consider a donation?
Become a Donor
Donor badge, no ads + more benefits.
Advertisement

Track List

Comments (5)
Sign in to comment
1mo
1mo
1mo
2y


Added on: September 24, 2012