Anticipate David Bowie's BLACKSTAR

song's a real grower imo, better w/o distracting vid

i dont like his current singing style. way too consciously grand/delicately wounded etc for my liking.

To me, that describes Scott Walker. This, I like.

pitchfork.com/news/62576-david-bowie-releases-new-song-lazarus/

wonderful

The more Bowie tried and failed to emulate Scott Walker the more I liked him, for Scott Walker is a menace.

Complaints complaints

You know, unlike Blackstar, this isn't really a brilliant song. In terms of chords+melody+lyrics, it's on the same level as a lot of things he's done since, say, Tin Machine. But I like the new musicians he's got, and I could listen to him sing over this kind of stuff all day. Often, the thing that made his best stuff so great was less him and more the musicians, and it had gotten pretty stale with his old bunch. Blackstar plus this plus the rerecorded Sue and Tis Pity She's a Whore (a fantastic song even as a demo) seems very promising. Three more like that and you've got a nice album.

The more Bowie tried and failed to emulate Scott Walker the more I liked him, for Scott Walker is a menace.

― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, December 17, 2015 10:00 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

That's a different Scott Walker

In some shop or other they were playing Stevie Wonder's Someday at Christmas and bloody hell there's the melody in the middle part of Blackstar.

"You got me bang to rights"

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a82/bobbysixer/db2015_zpszyfijrbj.jpg

It's out there. I can only say it is effing grrrrreat.

lots of photos of him this promo cycle.

Listened to it this morning. My joke upthread about "jazz dudes playing rock = it'll sound like Steely Dan" was half-right; it sounds like Steely Dan trying to imitate postpunk/Bowie's Berlin albums. His voice sounds really good, too.

After reading the Mojo article I checked out some of the player's records to see what this dark and gritty nu-jazz was like, and it sounds like Critters Buggin

This is really great, great sax

First minutes of Blackstar reminded me of Massive Attack of all people.

My review: http://www.spin.com/2016/01/review-david-bowie-blackstar/

is there a non mono leak of this yet?

Good review!

Great review, makes me excited to finally give it a listen.

a non-mono link has come into existence

thanks!

I didn't notice if it was mono or not but the version I've been listening to was digitized from vinyl, which is interesting. Gotta see if I can find a store within a reasonable distance of my office that has the physical CD tomorrow.

Ok I heard a few pops was wondering if it was a vinyl rip

This album is much better than Outside and Next Day. I guess I wish it was a little looser, given the players, because it's sort of arranged a la cheesy programming where it probably could have otherwise breathed and swinged a tad more. Sounds weirdly dated, though, per Kirk Hammett, if it sounded more like present then it would be dated to now, man.

heh, can you elaborate on that hammett approach?

It's from the Monster doc. They try to convince him to drop the guitar solos, because no one has solos anymore, and Lars is worried they would make the band sound dated. And Kirk gets indignant and points out losing the solos would date the band to that particular era, when no one had solos.

oh my god. this is so fucking good. ridiculously brilliant album.

can't wait, very excited

This album is much better than Outside

at first i was like :| bc i love outside but now that i'm hearing it it really might be

closing track 'i can't give everything away' is my favorite on first listen but this is very surprising, it's really the best Bowie albums I've heard in decades.

^^sounds like what he was aiming for on Black Tie White Noise but getting it right this time.

xp josh, now I remember - good one

6/10

I am officially excited.

^^sounds like what he was aiming for on Black Tie White Noise but getting it right this time.

Blackstar White Noise

It is really good. A little embarrassing that he's still pulling lyrics from A Clockwork Orange in 2016, but whatever.

The song at the end especially reminds me of Black Tie White Noise. I like both albums, though, but I can see how this one's more focused.

Nice to see BTWN defenders. I've felt like an outlier for 20 years.

BTWN also had sort of surprisingly conservative arrangements, iirc, lots of boring drums (loops?) in particular.

Will always defend "The Wedding," "Jump They Say," "Miracle Goodnight," "You've Been Around," and the Scott Walker cover.

^co-sign on those. I also have a soft spot for "Pallas Athena", that's all.

i like tin machine & i vote

"i can't give everything away" is stunning and that synth tone is really "secret garden"

Good Jody Rosen review: http://www.billboard.com/articles/review/6836029/david-bowie-blackstar-album-review

"The combined effect is goth, in the sense that Chartres Cathedral is goth: The song is a grand edifice, ornamented with spires and gargoyles, with towering vaults beneath which the music echoes and howls."

hell yeah

seeing the woodmansey/visconti "man who sold the world" thing tonight in nyc. wonder if we'll get a chance to sing to the birthday boy.

The guitar solo that closes the album, my god...

"Dollar Days" is such a beautiful pop song.

I got a real John And Beverley Martyn/Witchseason vibe from "Dollar Days" while listening this morning. Could be the way the excellent sax solo is recorded/played. Kind of a "Chime Of The City Clock" feeling. Yeah - wonderful song.