David Bowie 鈥� 鈥楾he Next Day鈥�
After a decade鈥檚 silence, the man who sold the world returns to the music mix with his best effort since 1980鈥檚 鈥淪cary Monsters.鈥� Word of David Bowie鈥檚 latest album was abruptly announced on his 66th birthday.
Adding to the Thin White Duke鈥檚 mystique, the material was recorded in New York over a two-year period shrouded in secrecy with producer and longtime Bowie collaborator Tony Visconti.
The extraordinary vision of Bowie is showcased by a retro sound created during his time spent in Germany during the late 鈥�70s, producing the enthralling albums 鈥淟ow,鈥� 鈥淗eroes鈥� and 鈥淟odger.鈥�
The surrealism and experimentation contained on these three albums can be distinctively heard on the first single 鈥淲here Are We Now?鈥�
This fragile ballad is a nostalgic look back at the peak of his Berlin-period creativity, collaborating and carousing with Iggy Pop and Brian Eno.
Even the cover art is a modified version of 鈥淗eroes,鈥� adding another cheeky nod to his influential stay in the fractured city.
The title track possesses the feel of Mick Ronson鈥檚 spirited guitar riffs first introduced on 1972鈥檚 鈥淭he Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.鈥�
The arrangement features Bowie鈥檚 double-tracked vocals and the sophisticated style structure of vintage Roxy Music and Talking Heads. The grittiness of 鈥淒irty Boys鈥� is supported by Steve Elson鈥檚 sinister and sexy baritone sax solo as Bowie reminisces about growing up in the working class neighborhoods of London.
鈥淵ou Feel So Lonely You Could Die鈥� is a melodramatic ballad about isolation and depression with Bowie delivering a hauntingly melodic vocal performance. While most of the material is on the darker side, Bowie manages to brilliantly disguise the troubling lyrics of 鈥淰alentine鈥檚 Day鈥� through an engaging pop arrangement that at its essence is pure glam rock.
The anti-war anthem 鈥淚鈥檇 Rather Be High鈥� deals with a solider wishing he was any place other than on the battlefield.
Bowie later follows up with another combat-related number 鈥淗ow Does the Grass Grow?鈥� which derives its name from a British soldier鈥檚 WWII chant.
References to the power and influence of Bob Dylan and the creative Greenwich Village scene of the 鈥�60s are highlighted on 鈥�(You Will) Set the World on Fire.鈥�
As is often the case with Bowie鈥檚 music and his intended messages, the listener needs to take the time to slowly peel back the various layers to allow each component to be absorbed and fully appreciated.
鈥淭he Next Day鈥� solidifies the Starman鈥檚 surprising comeback and proves once again he鈥檚 an adapting musical chameleon.