The Caretaker – Everywhere At The End Of Time – Stage 3 (2017)

October 3, 2020

Another year (or thereabouts), another stage in Caretaker’s magnum opus. Stage 3 is where the changes are not so subtle. At this point I’ve kinda figured that the old, jaunty 30s-style tunes from parts one and two are supposed to be memories, and as we descent through each stage, the memories become more and more fractured and broken.

Stage 2 introduced minute differences; small fractures and unsettling off-colour compositional changes. Stage 3 is a bit more direct. Sometimes it feels like the record has slipped, but in such a way that the fabric of reality has slipped away with it. Now and then, tracks will just end with no reason or warning, like the series finale of The Sopranos (spoiler alert), leaving you wondering what you were doing that got you into this dead end; confused, alone, and in silence. Scary shit.