What Are You Listening To?

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Quite impressed with Bowie's Blackstar after a first full listen.

More on the lines of say Scott Walker than your typical Bowie album, Blackstar is a progressive, free form jazz maelstrom eschewing any typical pop elements or indeed song structure.

Title track Blackstar is superb as is the final track I Can't Give Everything Away which is as near as the album comes to anything resembling traditional Bowie as it plays out with a long and winding guitar solo of majestic proportions. The rest of the album is less immediate but will reward frequent listens.

Then again you can ignore me and just see what Amazon reviewer Dr X says about the album

Bought this but gonna return it I am afraid. If it had included a bonus disc of some of his best songs such as Lets Dance, Changes, We Can Be Heroes, Space Oddity etc. I may have given it a play (and it would no doubt sell more copies) however not one of these songs I have heard of and I am a huge Bowie fan owning 12 of his CD's. Maybe it is a good album however having never heard of any of these songs I am not going to risk it and play it save and get a refund.

[Inspector Abberline]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Quite impressed with Bowie's Blackstar after a first full listen.

More on the lines of say Scott Walker than your typical Bowie album, Blackstar is a progressive, free form jazz maelstrom eschewing any typical pop elements or indeed song structure.

Title track Blackstar is superb as is the final track I Can't Give Everything Away which is as near as the album comes to anything resembling traditional Bowie as it plays out with a long and winding guitar solo of majestic proportions. The rest of the album is less immediate but will reward frequent listens.

Then again you can ignore me and just see what Amazon reviewer Dr X says about the album

I feel sorry for DR X,is he never gonna listen to anything new ever again?

[Prince_Vajda]

My favourite David Bowie song.

[Inspector Abberline]

Blackstar
Its almost a national holiday when David Bowie release anything new recently,he seems to have a renaissance once every decade,when were told he has reinvented himself or changed musical direction.But to me he still sounds like David Bowie,doesn't matter whether its Life on Mars or Im Afraid of Americans. Bowie is almost a genre unto himself,I can't think of a single artist who even comes close to his sound ( Lou Reed and Iggy Pop in the 1970's ) but no one today comes any where near his sound.But if you wanted to recommended this new Bowie album to someone,what do you compare it with, (unfortunately we know that some people will only listen to something unless its sounds like the same old stuff as before). Believe it or not I hate the whole idea of a genre tag,I know I fall into this trap myself ,im always posting music under a genre tag, but I hate it,Im also a complete music snob and proud of it to,otherwise who is going to police what is good taste. Im also a music hypocrite as well,I hate modern popular music but love 1970;s bubblegum pop music,lets not forget David Bowie did laughing gnome and Lulu covered The Man Who Sold The World.Then again im no good at recommending things either, I still say Chas and Dave song Margate would be a great Eurovision song. I don't know , Blackstar is experimental it is different ,I suppose maybe closer to albums like Heathen and Earthling in some ways.Ive played this album about four times today after buying it,some things i get some Im not,im not even gonna say which tracks I prefer yet ,because I know a week later it will change.Lets sat its a free-form jazz exploration to quote Spinal Tap,or you could just say if your A Bowie fan just go buy it.this review has been no help what so ever.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Glad you like Blackstar as well Inspector.

I accidentally played it at tea time on random shuffle along with the new Slayer album. This might seem odd but the abrasiveness of Slayer worked really well alongside the melancholic Bowie.

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Jarboe - To forget

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Depeche Mode - The Dead of Night

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

R.E.M. - Bang And Blame

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

The Union Underground - Turn Me On Mr. Deadman