Music Review: David Bowie - Blackstar

Today, January 8, 2016, marks the 69th birthday of the Thin White Duke himself, Mr. David Bowie. And in grand style, Bowie celebrates his day with style - releasing his 25th studio album, Blackstar.

David Bowie's 25th album, Blackstar

Blackstar in many respects follows the map laid by its self-titled opening track - longer tracks on the whole, far less of an angry tinge as was heard on his previous album, The Next Day, and a far more experimental musical backdrop than certainly the previous album, but perhaps even more so than his actual experimental phase of albums in the 2000s before his ten year silence.

The album opens on the ten minute long opus, which we've reviewed previously. What still fascinates me most about this song is that it's effectively two songs separated by a musical semicolon - the first four-ish minutes being one song and the remaining six a similar, related, yet distinct song, yet it's all packaged into one.


One slightly annoying realization about Blackstar is that two of the songs had actually been previously released. The first of these, "'Tis A Pity She Was A Whore," was sadly not one that impressed me much to begin with (this and "Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime)" were previously released on the 10" Record Store Day limited vinyl for "Sue" while "Sue" saw a second release on the 2014 Bowie compilation, Nothing Has Changed).

"'Tis A Pity She Was A Whore" does receive a slight update from its 2014 counterpart, however. Where the early version was a barrage of sounds and essentially a wall of noise, nothing discernible, the music has now been cleaned up, vocals lifted above the music (previously they felt completely buried) and the jazz-influence dialed down a little (don't get me wrong - it's still very much there, but it is toned down a touch from the 2014 version). Still a peculiar song, the face-lift for Blackstar is a welcome sight.

Next is "Lazarus," the second single released ahead of the album and receiving the music video treatment. Whenever Bowie releases a new single ahead of the album, you often have to wonder if the album will sound like that. Often times, it won't, especially when looking at the first single. We heard that with The Next Day when "Where Are We Now?" was first released - a slow, retrospective number that we found out was like nothing else on the rest of the album. The second single, however, "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)" turned out to sound much like the remainder of the album. In that manner, so, too, does "Lazarus" follow that small pattern. A very smooth jazz-based song, "Lazarus" feels to me much like what early jazz-filled New York City may have been like (mentioning that bit only because Bowie sings about first arriving to New York City in this song). The song is slower paced, calmer even, and deep down in your stomach, a knot of anxiety begins to form. More on that shortly.

Following "Lazarus" is the redressed version of "Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime)." As with "'Tis A Pity She Was A Whore," this version is a much tighter, dressed down version of the 2014 release. Much of the original jazz work is reinterpreted and written to guitar now, instead of saxophone as previously. The move gives the song more vibrancy and drives it forward, reminding me some of the interplay between electronics and guitars found in songs like "Hallo Spaceboy." It worked well there and again works well here. If I had been iffy about this song before, this redress clears away the uncertainty for me.

"Girl Loves Me" is a turning point in the album, nodding back to "Blackstar" in some respects and showcases an angry Bowie as he yells out "Where the fuck did Monday go!?!" This is my personal low point in the album. The backing orchestral arrangements and the chorus melodies are interesting, as well as the constant vocal nods back to Anthony Burgess's A Clockwork Orange and the Nadstad language he created for the book. Still a good song, but perhaps the weakest of the lot and the low point of Blackstar.

"Dollar Days" has the feel of letting Mike Garson loose to write the entire music (Garson does not appear on this album, but they piano style is very reminiscent of his work...Jason Lindner does excellent work on this song in particular, but also throughout the entire album). A very jazzy song complete with Donny McCaslin roaring to life an amazing saxophone solo. And deep down, in your stomach once more, the knot begins to tighten.

Blackstar ends with "I Can't Give Everything Away." The song, a meeting somewhere between jazz and 80s new romantic sentiments, brings the knot to the forefront. I distinctly remember thinking this as this song played, and I hope I'm dead wrong. This almost feels like Bowie saying farewell. For real, this time. That Blackstar may be the final album. Goodbye, thanks for all the fish. This is pure speculation on my part - I've never met Bowie, never had the chance even to see him live. And certainly I hope I'm very wrong. But, this song in particular has a feel of "Let's go out on a high note, but without giving it all away." Outside of this speculation, the song itself is a lovely ending to the album, the sort of older gentlemanly goodbye you'd expect from saying farewell to a very old, long time friend.

David Bowie is among the few (and maybe even the only person) who can undergo such incredible transitions and still be rock solid in each of them. We'll keep following you, Mr. Bowie, and remain optimistic that this is far from the end. Now, if we could just talk you into a tour...or even some festivals! That'd be great...

Music Review: David Bowie - "Blackstar"

David Bowie. What is there to say about Bowie that hasn't been said before? His music over the span of his multi-decades long career has been as ever evolving and changing as his personal style and fashion statements. Truly, there is little Bowie can do wrong, having long ago mastered the art of mystery and the grace of drawing in fans with an allure that we still can't fully put a finger on. Through memorable characters like Ziggy Stardust and The Thin White Duke, Bowie has easily championed the art of personal branding. More so, very few (if any, to be brutally honest) artists can suddenly disappear without a single word, no hints, only whispers of "Is he? Will he? Can he?" murmured in dark shadows magically reappear in full splendor, picking up somehow where they left off, fans still there and eager for what comes next. That was Bowie in 2013 when, on his birthday of January 8th, his first new song in years came to life, bringing the shocking revelation that his first new album following a long and silent ten year hiatus, The Next Day, would be released very soon. And now, three years later to the date, Bowie will release his follow-up album to that immensely successful album - Blackstar. Among the tracks is lead self-titled single, "Blackstar."

David Bowie, 2015, still ageless as ever

"Blackstar" was originally born from a project involving Bowie and the British television series The Last Panthers, with the song itself serving as the title track for the show and being an embodiment of the characters and themes of the show. From that initial work, Bowie has ventured to create the entirety of this next album around that concept, mixing in earlier influences and crafting what may well be one of Bowie's less obvious and more peculiar works.

The near ten minute opus begins peaceful enough, a dancing guitar tune matched to a mysterious, almost ethereal arrangement. Bowie's voice enters, his ageless croon set in octaves, adding an element of mystique, for lack of a better word. The stage is set for something that makes you a little uncomfortable - it's the familiarity of Bowie, mixed with something a little sinister and unsettling, but you can't quite place it. You listen on, determined to figure out what it is.

There's an otherworldly effect to the beginning of "Blackstar" (which matches perfectly to the opening scenes of the accompanying music video). The song maintains its otherworldly ethereal pace as the video itself comes upon Bowie with his eyes wrapped in cloth and two black "pupils" attached, as if he were a blind seer.

Imagery in the video becomes progressively darker and more disturbing, from skeleton astronauts to figures moving as if they were seizing as they stood. All the while, the music retains its ethereal feel, mixing in a solemn saxophone. An odd mixture, yet still fitting.

As the first four minutes conclude, things slow down, the music drops to mainly a slowed drum beat, the transition mirrored by an unmasked Bowie in the accompanying video. Shed away is the mysterious music, filled instead with a more optimistic arrangement - hope. Gone, too, is the almost ominous feeling octave vocal harmonies, leaving Bowie's perfect, crisp voice instead. By this point, the music returns to a similarity of the Bowie of old - funk-inspired bass above a moving drum beat set to smooth vocals, mixed with sprinklings of piano and guitar almost reminiscent of The Next Day single "Where Are We Now?"

The remainder of the song continues in this fashion ending on a digital beeping sound much like the noise a robot in 80s television would make, demonstrating Bowie's refusal to make the same kind of song over and over, constantly changing and evolving. This is why Bowie can get away with a ten year silent hiatus and come back to being in the spotlight instantly. The one complaint? The post-transitional portion of the music video does Bowie no visual favors.

Blackstar the album will be released January 8, 2016. Pre-orders are live through David Bowie's online webstore and include limited edition lithographs and clear vinyl. What will be interesting to see is how the rest of the album shapes up. As was seen with The Next Day, the lead single was not a clear indication for the rest of the album's style and flow. Time will soon surely tell, but I think it's safe to say that whatever David Bowie has cooked up, it'll be great.