It must be stressed that even those familiar with Walker's career -- the sublime mid-60s Walker Brothers hits, the dramatic maturation of The Voice and Inimitable Presence on the not-to-be-missed first four solo LPs -- were shocked by Tilt. Yes, Tilt astonishes. The bleak, gothic theatre that Walker's oblique lyrics and operatic vocals convey is bolstered every step of the way by dark string arrangements, reverbed guitars, the whirring of synthesizers and the rattle of percussion. It furthers by an astonishing margin the already singular breadth of Scott Walker's 30-year career, finding him at still another and different peak of his ability as a vocalist and lyricist. And God what a barren and unfamiliar summit it is!