Now I’m trying something a little different today. I’m going to listen to this album for the first time and just explain what I hear. I want my reaction to this album to be as much of the article as it can be.
Now it’s been over a decade since he left us. I was always a bigger fan of the 70’s and 80’s Bowie then of the experimental route he took in the late 90’s. The opening of this album, instantly brings me back to the old school rock songs of his heyday. The first song, which also happens to be the title track has a short of swanky, rock n roll, drummed fueled approach to it. It’s really fucking cool. The main word for this is funky. I’m really glad he’s back, at least in album form. It was rumored that he had given up on making music and had decided to instead to continue painting. I’m glad he at least wanted to give the world a new album.
“ Dirty Boys” to me is a different type of track from the album opener, but it maintains the same kind of raw, fresh sound. The horns and the overwhelming coolness of the track prevails. After literally decades of making music you can tell he knows exactly how he wants to use his voice, and that kind of expertise is extremely clear on this album so far. I’m also surprised at how well his voice has not only transitioned but also maintained it’s signature sound. From the looks of it he found a new reason to make music. This is always a good thing. This album just doesn’t sound like anything that’s been made in a long long time. Sometimes to go forward you have to go backwards. It doesn’t always work, but here it does.
Now what I respect most about this album is that Bowie didn’t take the high road. For years people have been asking him to come back. Rumor has it Coachella has a standing offer to him every year, which he turns down. My point is anyone can agree to a show and play a greatest hits set. Bowie, with his vast and deep catalog could do this with no problem at all. It’s more of a risk to record a new album (which he apparently did in secret over the last two years) and not tell anyone than to take the easy road and just tour on old shit. Fellow elders should take note. I’m only on the fifth track and I’m been slowly falling in love with the man all over again. It’s both the old and new Bowie all in one. My adorable dog has apparently also been swayed by the lovely sounds coming from my speakers enough to bring me her plastic chicken for me to throw. That bitch loves some Bowie.
Now, I can’t write about Bowie while not thinking about the awesomeness of the “ Labyrinth” and his giant cod piece throughout the course of the film. Anyway, the album just continues to move along. “ Valentine’s Day” is another stellar song. While it might be the weakest track so far, the fact that it’s off a new David Bowie album is enough for it to get a pass.
“ If You can see Me” starts at a very upbeat pace and doesn’t really stop. I like it a lot, even though it reminds me of of the 90’s Bowie I’m not terribly fond of. It’s very clubby, and has a catchy feel to it.
Track 8, “ I’d rather be High” could mean any number of things. He’s talking about flying, but which sort of flight I’m not sure. Drug induced? Possibly. Or maybe he took up aviation in his down time. Either way, the song does have a free floating feel to it. Next is “ Boss of Me.” It struts in with a sense of purpose, and once again, the addition of horns is a nice bonus. This album makes me imagine what it would be like to see him perform in an intimate setting. Certainly if he were to tour he would have his pick of venues, but this album just suits itself to be playing in either a theater, or an even smaller, darker club. I like the darker club idea more. Seeing huge stars in little places is always better than giant arena’s where you can easily feel detached from the performer. The ending lines or “ Who’d of ever thought of it” are a gentle reminder that no one really expected to hear new music from this man. I’m glad we were all wrong.
The last four songs of the album all continue the same energy of the previous 9 songs. “ ( You Will ) set the world on Fire” is a solid, anthematic rock and roll song. It just makes you wanna take over the world. It’s a forceful song, and the placement near the end of the album keeps the momentum going. The craftsmanship on this album, from all the players, is top notch. It’s not surprising though. Musicians like Bowie don’t really have to settle for sub par playing. They can and nearly always do have the best backing bands.
The last song, “ You feel so Lonely You Could Die” is a chill, perfect ending. It’s reminiscent of the 80’s Bowie. The background vocals are really precise also. Now who knows what, if anything he has planned next. Given the super secrecy of the production of the album, it’s highly likely that only Bowie knows what ‘ The Next Day’ will bring. Hopefully it’s as awesome as this solid, solid album.
The Death of the Mix Tape 