Anticipate David Bowie's BLACKSTAR

Lazerus still gives me chills every time.

It's all about those drums on 'Sue'

This secretly might've turned out to be my aoty of '17. About two years on the day of its release now, after Bowie dying soon after, it was this moloch I mostly avoided, in 2016. I dipped my toes in it, sure, but it wasn't until that I felt comfortable to really dive in, trod down the many dark alleys and stumble through the many dream/nightmare scenes hidden within. It's absurdly beautiful and brilliant.

And the 'New Career' harmonica part in 'I Can't Give Everything Away' gets to me every fucking time.

When we heard it, those few days before he passed, my girlfriend said after "I Can't Give Everything Away" that she felt like it was a farewell message, a departure. She called it.

As austere and coldly beautiful as a late Stevens poem, this album. I listened it to last week driving home from work.

yeah I need to return to this

love this lyric

"I know something's very wrong
The pulse returns the prodigal sons
The blackout hearts, the flowered news
With skull designs upon my shoes"

commmunicates the awareness of his own impending death so well it's heartbreaking

As austere and coldly beautiful as a late Stevens poem, this album. I listened it to last week driving home from work.

― morning wood truancy (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, January 10, 2018 12:49 AM (nine minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

That's as beautiful as it is true, re Stevens. I need to spin this in the car, at night, too.

Listening for the first time in a while now. Still so chilling and awe-inspiring. The final WOO!'s in Tis a Pity. Can't make it thru Lazarus.

"lazarus" is fucking haunted, song and video

every time Bowie comes in with that baritone guitar, especially in the last minute (GA-RUNG) -- it's like bells in a churchyard.

Listened to it yesterday, and it more than hold up. I love how the horns are like a distorted version of the Let's Dance ones.

...yeah I dunno about this.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05ss3sk

he's not a film star

that

sounds

awful

xp of course not, he's a black star

waht

Culshaw's a reasonable mimic but idk if he's an actor

xp failed pun, sorry

We got it. Well, I did.

https://www.avclub.com/a-psychic-apparently-told-david-bowie-exactly-when-he-w-1822784961

OK I’m flagging you for sharing that

i had a premonition you would

Garson's an interesting guy but...yeah.

In the Jones oral bio, Garson's attitude is, "Well, I never did drugs, ever, and...well, David didn't call me for years. Then he acted weird when I'd say something."

I'm not one for tributes or covers etc, but this (Dutch, soz) sounds promising: a live tribute and reinterpretation of Blackstar at the Holland Festival, with vocals by Laetitia Sadier, Anna Calvi and Anja Plaschg (Soap&Skin). The newly arranged music will be performed by stargaze, a classical ensemble that I only know because they performed with Owen Pallett at Berghain some years ago.

with vocals by Laetitia Sadier,

!!!

I know right?!

cause it's impossible to search for: ★

Came on my music player today after listening to another album and...wasn't prepared. I haven't listened to it in about two years but, God, what a great, elegiac yet defiant piece of work this album is. Bowie Forever.

how many times does an angel fall?

i can't answer why, just go with me.

Came on my music player today

Boy did I misread that.

Got the cd in Chester le Street market two weeks ago. Nice to hear it again. It is so good.

did a marathon run of this and no plan this morning. fucking top gear all the way. talk about masterful exits.

It amazes me still this album is so good.

i saw cellist maya beiser do her version of this the other night. haunting stuff.

https://www.mayabeiser.com/post/bowie-cello-symphonic-blackstar

I think this is Bowie's career masterpiece and I'm sure he was aware he was dying while recording it and maybe writing it as well; which begs the question of whether it's a better album with him knowing that; would it have happened if he hadn't known he was dying; what if he didn't know he was dying and made something god awful

god, the vagaries of shuffle play on my overstuffed old iPhone - the car served up "Dollar Days" as I pulled up at home, it crashed over me like a wave. I turned it up and cried.

I haven’t listened to it since he died - I bought it on the day it came out and listened to it that night in a good stereo in a darkened room in a quiet house - full reverent teenage-style listen

then two days later i listened to it on a sunny sunday morning drive and remember whooping with pleasure that David Bowie was still around and had made such a great new LP

I can guess at your pain, but don't deny yourself this astonishing gift.

it hasn't been a particularly conscious choice but has clearly become a bit of a Thing

my Bowie fandom really surged as a result of reading Chris O'Leary's blog, and had become a deep and sustained engagement and enjoyment of his work - but it was also really informed by the idea that Bowie was still out there making art - his presence in the world was just cool! I particularly found the long struggle to reclaim his powers post-80s slump a hugely compelling/inspiring creative journey

so when he died I just felt my brain needed some time to rewire itself into an appreciation of his music in a post-Bowie context, which feels a bit weird now I write it I guess, but that's how it is/was - and I've definitely been coming back to it ever more strongly - and at some point I will listen to Blackstar and it will definitely have a few emotions attached to it, but in a rewarding way rather than an overwhelming way - and I appreciate the encouragement/reminder that it is a thing worth doing

I'm not a film star!

I'm going through Chris O'Leary's book and the Pegg book while listening to the songs in more or less chronological order. I've finally moved past the Early On cd and the Deram stuff. Some of those songs finally started clicking with me while others are just *shiver* "Love You Till Tuesday" in particular is vile, there are quite a few songs that remind me of swinging London via Austin Powers. But "Silly Boy Blue" is very good.

Last night I started making my way through the Conversation Piece box. Trying to get caught up so that when the Man Who Sold The World thing (Width of A Circle) comes out I'll be able to dive into it.

finally listened to this for the first time. put it off because I wanted to catch up on the Bowie I missed...but fuck it. god damnit the final song is so perfect. can't believe he went out like this

Every time I pull out this album I'm startled anew by its goodness.

It amazes me still this album is so good.

― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, January 12, 2020 12:15 PM

highly good.

It really is one of his best. Not an astonishing return to form or anything, but something new and really that was he was working on.

New and really good

yeah I'd maybe go as far as to argue it's his best album