David Bowie - The Next Day

cynical?

Like no offense but every time I see you post you're just being a drag or killjoy about stuff, gets old

Good album on first listen! Some lovely moments. Especially like how concise the tunes are.

I think it's his best since Scary Monsters

Keeping in line with the album cover, i sort of which he had just taken his old songs and wrote new lyrics/melodies over the old tracks. Or maybe just take the old lyrics and write completely new music for them.

Haven't heard this yet, aside from the first OK single and 2nd single, which i can't remember at all.

give it a listen on iTunes. Worth your time.

is "Boss of Me" a cover of the Malcolm in the Middle theme song? (please say yes)

Not sure if this is just to do with me paying more attention to this release than the last few, but there's an energy and directness to the vocal melodies that reminds me of the way Ferry came with "Frantic" (though they don't sound anything like each other) after a handful of more muddled, mature and indirect propositions (Mamouna, Heathen, etc...). Either this record is more engaging... or I'm more engaged. Time will tell.

The 'hum along' factor seems as high as its been in a long time, yeah?
I dig it.

I'm listening to the stream, so can't see song titles. What's the one that starts "If you can see me, I can see you?" 'Cause it was good enough that I just went back to play it again.

Rest of the album all sounds at least ok, it'll take time to know. Nothing jumping out as *wrong* with it yet.

On first listen this is really solid. Only dud was "Dancing Out In Space".

The first Bowie record I haven't wanted to pretend didn't exist in a long time. I like it. I'm not as excited as I am when I hear new Scott Walker for instance but I'll give it the time to see if it gets into regular rotation or whether I just reach for older records. I'm into the sneaky arch Lodger references in almost every song. But I like that type of thing.

"Like no offense but every time I see you post you're just being a drag or killjoy about stuff, gets old"

nah, just a coincidence

get me Mr. Raggett response!

does he like the new record?!

well, it sure is a polite record. And well-named: sounds like it was recorded a day after Reality. That's all for now.

otm

Heat sounds like a Scott Walker tribute song!

It's surprisingly alright.
'The Next Day' started off with such a heavy (and grin-inducing) 'Red Sails'-vibe, could even pass the chugging 'rock'-rock stuff in the middle without problems.

It boats one legit terrible track ("Love is Lost")

The little bit that I'm loving even though it's kind of obvious is the way the "Rock and Roll Suicide" song ends with the start of "Five Years." Kind of an easy move, but it works for me.

Trying to listen to the stream while doing something else but I feel like I haven't heard much of a tune up until 'where are we now', but then the next couple are great

get me Mr. Raggett response!

It's...nice? I'm feeling carefully neutral about it. The last album of his I really thoroughly loved/was struck by remains Earthling, with everything since being more reexploration/retrenching. I enjoyed the listen and will purchase the album, a couple of strong moments but I think this one would have to be a grower for me instead of some revelation.

Final track is good, sounds Labyrinthy

this is great! haven't been paying attention to the song titles either since I'm listening to the stream. But it's a strong album than Reality which was kind of flabby to me. Don't know if I like it as much as Heathen, which is among my very favorites of his. But it's good. I'm just glad his career isn't going to go out on some kind of Hours/Never let me Down/Tonight meh thing.

i like it - better than the last 3, i think. but then i loved 'hours' when it first came out and grew to dislike it. it's certainly some sort of grand marketing campaign.

Incredibly faint praise like "better than the last 3" assures me that I won't have missed anything by never listening to this album.

Better than "Tonight" and "Never Let Me Down" ... combined!

And the comment I quoted wasn't even so brave as to unequivocally state that it was - outright - no question about it... 'better than the last 3'!

The breathless schoolgirl enthusiasm of the Quietus write-up on this really doesn't tally at all with the general okayness found within the actual album.

I mean:

"Moreover, it closes with two mind-blowing, show-stopping, grandstanding epics: one as baroque as 'Rock And Roll Suicide' ONLY MORE SO"

Just...no.

then there are those of us who never thought much about "Rock and Roll Suicide."

i gaze in defeat at the stars at night

oh, ok. it's definitely better than the last 3. i'd actually listened to them all again this past week and was surprised at the enjoyment i got out of them. but this one has more good melodies and a lack of any tracks that are abominable.

the overt praise by reviewers is a little off-putting.

I like this a lot.

It's funny, like bowie just can't make an album of good david bowie songs?

but it's cool for a band like The XX to basically make the same album over & it's only their second record

listening to the stream atm -- there's something kind of nice about having Bowie just sound like himself? Like, it's nothing exciting, but the familiarity's not really a letdown for me so far. So far it's a rather nice Bowie hug :)

but yeah, I don't really understand the cartwheels & fireworks crazy ott reviews

I mean bowie being bowie is way better than like whatever 10 crappy modern indie bands are gonna ”buzz” and get great reviews this year

totally!

It's funny, like bowie just can't make an album of good david bowie songs?
It's shitty David Bowie songs, though.

I disagree

He should reunite Tin Machine.

Is this streaming somewhere other than iTunes?

^^^ let me qualify that a little: I mean a legal stream!

I kinda stump for Tin Machine

last song is some serious scott walker wannabe stuff. it's really good.

Yep on both counts

Listened to this for the first time today. First reaction: 14 songs in 54 minutes is too much. Should have been nine songs in 40. Also...it's been seven and a half hours since I heard the record, and I can't remember what a single song on it sounded like.

Yeah I agree with this. I listened to it last night and did enjoy some moments but can't really remember anything about it today. So baffled at all the amazing reviews it's been getting. It's probably better than Reality and about as good as Heathen.

still prefer Reality to Heathen, which had one too many ponderosities for me.

Meanwhile speaking of Alfred and Bowie opinions

http://www.spin.com/reviews/david-bowie-the-next-day-columbia-iso

Bowie's retirement is somewhat overrated imo