Pitchfork

Pop idol, lounge lizard, balladeer, avant garde adventurer: Scott Walker has inhabited each of these roles throughout his long, storied career. If there's anything consistent about the man who has inspired everyone from Brian Eno and David Bowie to Pulp, Radiohead, and Opeth, it's that he has always been willing to follow his whims and idiosyncrasies. Too art for pop and too pop for art, he has crafted an incomparable body of work that is out of step in the best possible way.

On May 9, Walker's first album in eleven years will be released. Entitled The Drift, the follow-up to 1995's Tilt is Walker's debut for the legendary 4AD label, which he signed with in 2004. Walker is notorious for letting many years lapse between records; The Drift is only his fourth proper album since 1974.

If The Drift's song titles are any indication, Walker still continues to be fascinated by Russian history. Tracklist:

01 Cossacks Are
02 Clara
03 Jesse
04 Jolson and Jones
05 Cue
06 Hand Me Ups
07 Buzzers
08 Psoriatic
09 The Escape
10 A Lover Loves

The mysterious figure of Walker has been a subject of much dissection throughout the years, and a new documentary film continues the exploration. Directed by Stephen Kijak with David Bowie serving as executive producer, "30 Century Man" (named after a track on 1969's Scott 3 that was also featured on the Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou soundtrack) will be released later this year. The film includes interviews with ex-Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, Goldfrapp, and Radiohead (whose own documentary, 1999's Meeting People Is Easy featured the Walker song "On Your Own Again" off 1969's Scott 4).