Why is Scott Walker singing about punching donkeys on the streets of Galway on his new record, "The Drift"? And why isn't he focusing instead on the streets of Milwaukee County, where there are few, if any, donkeys to be found?

Oh, wait, right. This isn't that Scott Walker. This is the former Walker Brothers Scott Walker who went on to record a series of records inspired by everyone from Jacques Brel to Phil Spector. His work -- especially the beloved late-'60s stuff -- has been rather accurately described as the Righteous Brothers meet Ingmar Bergman.

This is the Scott Walker that became an icon to a host of influential folks like Nick Cave and Julian Cope, to name a mere two examples.

Walker's overblown, melodramatic voice and expermental, cinematic pop classical songs provide the perfect bed for the extremely curious subject matter on "The Drift" (4AD Records), his first record in 11 years.

Is "Clara" a tribute to Mussolini paramour Clara Petacci or mere reportage of a woman's desire to die beside her lover? Another song is inspired by the fact that Elvis Presley, in times of need, often conversed with his stillborn twin, Jesse; here Elvis muses about Sept. 11.

The song "Jolsen + Jones" includes the line, "I'll punch a donkey in the streets of Galway." Admittedly, it's in quotation marks, suggesting is spoken by a character in the song, but what on earth is Walker on about?

You might work it out in some cases and not in others, but the music -- dark, brooding and exploratory -- ensures that it's fascinating to try.

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