Skip to main content
Store
Dictionary
Dictionary
Store
Blog
World
Help
Advertise
Chat
System Status
Information Collection Notice
Trademark Concerns
reCAPTCHA Privacy
Terms of Service
reCAPTCHA Terms
Privacy Policy
Accessibility
Report a Bug
Data Request
Contact Us
Security
DMCA
© 1999–2026 Urban Dictionary ®
Store
Books
Regional
Mugs
Tees
Hoodies
Beanies
Halloween
Request a product
Pro Customization
Create unique products with your own words and definitions
Preview
Personalize Your Design
Your Word
Your Definition
The eleventh and final recording by the Caretaker, an alias of English electronic musician Leyland Kirby, with artwork by Ivan Seal. Released between 2016 and 2019, its six studio albums, with a total of 50 songs spanning 6 hours and 30 minutes, use degrading loops of sampled ballroom music to portray the progression of Alzheimer's disease. Described by many listeners as "uncanny," "unsettling," and "saddening" by newer listeners, and with experienced listeners praising its ambience and genius, the work samples music ranging from the 1920s to the 1940s with an emphasis on English ballroom music, specifically various covers of "Heartaches" by Al Bowlly among others. Each studio album of the work represents a different one of the seven stages of Alzheimer's, each being offset by one. (e.g. Stage 1 of the work represents Stage 2 of Alzheimer's, Stage 3 represents Stage 4, Stage 6 represents Stage 7, etc.) The first stage is not represented in the work as it has no discernible symptoms in sufferers. There is a discernible difference between Stages 1-3 of the work and Stages 4-6, also known as the "Post Awareness Stages," which aim to portray the user's progression to a more vegetative state by layering multiple songs over one another, sometimes up to 17 layers, with some stretches of songs using very few samples and therefore making for an ambient, peaceful effect.
Text fits
Save
Cancel