Four and a half years ago, I was working at a startup music website that never ended up launching; the parent company decided that it wasn’t worth the investment and laid all of us off. But for months, we went into work in a gleaming midtown office every day, concocting possible recurring features and tinkering with possible editorial voices and figuring out the eventual identity of a site that never got a chance to exist. One day, our editor called all of us to the table at the center of our office and decided to run a drill. Here was the situation: David Bowie had died that morning of a heart attack in his Manhattan apartment. Our editor laid out the situation and then barked out assigments: One of us would write the comprehensive obit, one would get on the phone and try to get quotes from his contemporaries, one would set up shop outside his building. I’d never really considered the possibility of a post-Bowie world, but it suddenly became a lot more tangible. Here was an aging icon, deep into his 60s, who had lived hard and had, from all appearances, faded into retirement forever, content to putter around New York and to show up at the Bowery Ballroom every time a mid-’00s indie buzz band made its inaugural NYC appearance. He was, from all appearances, satisfied with his life’s work and enjoying his dotage, and rumors about his failing health started to circulate not long after. So it’s pretty stunning to hear a 66-year-old Bowie, refreshed and vigorous, preening his way through a happy surprise of a new album. He didn’t owe us anything, and he had nothing left to prove, but he’s given us another characteristically self-aware and adventurous piece of work, the latest in a long, long line of them.
The first time Tony Visconti produced a David Bowie album was 44 years ago, and that album was Space Oddity. Visconti has done a ton of work with Bowie over the years, and he understands Bowie’s aesthetic — or his panoply of aesthetics — better than any other prospective collaborator would. Visconti also co-produced Heathen and Reality, the generally unremarkable 2002 and 2003 albums that, most of us assumed, marked the end of Bowie’s career as an active recording entity. I don’t remember much about those albums, except that they sounded tired and inessential. And they came at the end of a period when Bowie, who spent years adjusting his presence a few steps ahead of mass culture at large, seemed to be playing catchup, seizing on jungle beats or Trent Reznor collaborations during those things’ mid-’90s heyday. One thing about The Next Day: It exists entirely within the world of Bowie’s back catalog, especially his late-’70s Berlin trilogy. The guitars are grim and dry and spartan, the dynamics spacious and cold, the rhythms sharp and ungainly. Occasionally, you’ll hear flashes of astral flower-child Bowie or ripsnort glam-stomp Bowie or impressively pompadoured soul-funk Bowie. None of it nods toward any recent trends that can’t be traced back to him, and yet it sounds completely of-the-moment anyway, largely because Bowie’s own work has seeped so completely into music as it exists in 2013. Bowie is not the only person these days recording music that sounds a bit like Low.
Given recent chatter about his health, it’s important to note that Bowie’s voice is pretty much the same mannered and bitchy ice-wail that it’s always been. It’s a bit deeper in the mix this time around, but he’s not audibly straining to hit notes or holding his delivery back. And it’s also telling just how hard some of it sounds. “Dirty Boys” is a sputtering lurch with a glorious hook. The whoo!s and yeah!s at the end of “Valentine’s Day” feel entirely earned. Album closer “Heat” sounds vaguely like recent Scott Walker, if he was more interested in melody than in breaking your head. And some of the melodic moments here — the bridge on “I’d Rather Be High,” the clipped and nervy verses on “Dancing Out In Space,” the swelling-up choir at the end of “You Feel So Lonely You Could Die” — serve to remind that Bowie was always a pop craftsman as much as he was an innovator. I can say firsthand that “The Stars (Are Out Tonight)” sounds good on the actual radio, removed completely from the context of the album or the internet.
Already, reviews are circulating that call The Next Day one of Bowie’s best albums. That’s patently absurd. This is the guy who made Ziggy Stardust and Diamond Dogs and Young Americans and Low and Heroes, the cover of which suffers a bit of a subway-poster disfiguring to become the cover of this one. On The Next Day, the songs are too diffuse for that, the ideas not quite focused enough. The album doesn’t carry the sense that Bowie is knowingly reshaping the world around him. For all its spartan sonics, it radiates the warmth of an old man happily flipping through photos of his younger self. But The Next Day does feel like a fully developed David Bowie vision, in a way that his past handful of albums don’t. It’s not a pantheon album, but it’s far from an afterthought.
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My life has become a boring pop song and now everyone’s singing along.
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new to the troll playing field?
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Your swag is campy, lacking in stature. Get with the hip oblivy onion!
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SAUNTER OVAH HERE THEN KITTY KAT. I’LL MAKE MUSIC WITH YO HEAD-BANGING IN DELICIOUS REPETITION ON THE KEYBOARD!
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God this is so fucking boring.
Agreed.
Shit, if you’re going to fill every thread with comments, at least make sure they’re actually funny, but I’d prefer to just have actual conversations about music (with a few jokes, of course) instead of all this bullshit.
I agree splinturd. I was off my game today. I got trolled by oblivion who is a terrible troll ( but the music on his link-page was pretty cool) and unfortunately it was at the top of the thread section. I understand your annoyance. That new Bowie record really rocks though. In all seriousness.
“Terrible Troll”?
All trolls are terrible.
I felt obligated to plus-one this cos you quoted Jack’s Mannequin, haha.
Jack’s Mannequin? Takes me back :)
TYTY This site is def lacking some Mannequin.
Spot-on assessment.
There’s been so much freakin’ Morrissey overkill on this website lately that I actually read this title as “Premature Evaluation: Morrissey The Next Day.”
I, of course, thought “WHAT!? When did Morrissey say anything about this?” Then I preceded to read the entire first paragraph slightly confused why it was all about David Bowie. THIS IS WHAT YOU’RE DOING TO ME STEREOGUM! Please, help me.
I agree there’s been alot of Morrissey news lately and not just here but Pitchflake too. When I saw the Bowie for for The Stars Are Out Tonight and there was a seen where they cut into a turkey or chicken I immediately thought of MOrrissey having a problem with it.
anyone who doesn’t like this album is an idiot
So anyway, I’m thinking of heading over to Zumiez to pick up some Chucks.
I was hoping you’d do this Phoenix’s Bankrupt first but I did enjoy this album.
*on
Isn’t Bankrupt releasing in April?
Yeah, but it leaked last week
This has some real vitality to it.
Tom, I’m sincerely flattered for the plethora of kind words, and the lack of hyperbole or nasty nitpicking in comparing this work to my past. I had no particular road map for this record other then to simply let it exist as an extension for far too much studio down time and Greenwich village street walking. Tony speaks to the press in part mostly because as an old daft egg like myself fits into the current musical landscape in a different way then I once did, so I prefer to let Arcade Fire or LCD Soundsystem carry whatever influence I had and run with it ( and they do it thrillingly). That said, your review impressed most with its closing phrase. Next Day has been getting obscene 5 star reviews across the board and I myself wouldn’t hedge bets that in another 20 years this record will parallel _____( fill in the blank, obligatory classic album of my winning streak ala the ’70s), but I read this blog/review/online/site and felt I might add my two cents ( or two pence.) Thank you for the kind words. Enjoy listening, live large and cast large shadows.
David Bowie
Hey “davidbowie,”
You share an IP address with recipebear! And Corky Anderson, obvs.
Scott, I am a better class of character then Mr Corky Anderson. Would have been wonderful to let my words ring out loud and true. Way to kill the joy. Does Phil Collins know you stole his avatar?
xx-David
and the magic balloon is popped. For 5 shining moments I was David Bowie :) Mr Scott Lapatine, you are the superior. Well played good sir. Well played.
At least we can all agree that David Bowie is a delicious recipe for tasty music!
wait, so that was or wasn’t david bowie?
Let the mystery be.
that moment when we realize bowie was trolling us with various bears
obvs
I think Scott looked this up the IP while secretly hoping that this comment might be from the real David Bowie.
At the very least, I finally laughed at something recipebear said.
i sincerely hope so nathan
Can’t believe Bowie’s been trolling as “Corky Anderson”.
It’s most similar to Scary Monster (and Super Creeps) to me: an album without a coherent sound and vision, but filled with well crafted and well performed Bowie songs.
And Dirty Boys totally sounds like The Birthday Party to me.
“Already, reviews are circulating that call The Next Day one of Bowie’s best albums. That’s patently absurd. This is the guy who made Ziggy Stardust and Diamond Dogs and Young Americans and Low and Heroes, the cover of which suffers a bit of a subway-poster disfiguring to become the cover of this one.”
Plus the vastly underrated Decca material, plus Space Oddity, plus The Man Who Sold the World, plus Hunky Dory, plus Lodger, plus Scary Monsters and throw in the hits from Young Americans, Station to Station and Let’s Dance and how could Bowie (and Visconti) ever possibly top any of those things 30-45 later. Almost no one can even in their prime!
I think there are some fantastic tracks on the album that I will come back to (“The Stars Are Out Tonight,” “Love is Lost”) and the rest are really good but not fantastic.
Prediction: *FIVE STARS* from Rolling Stone.
Hmm…only four? Wow.
yeah, it’s not like it a new shitty dylan or springsteen album
They must really hate this album if it only got four.
Where I come from, trolling is at least supposed to look effortless. Turn down the volume. Actually no. Just shut the fuck up forever.
Oh shoot. That was supposed to be on a different thread, where shit is getting ridic, but I forgot to cancel the reply to this thread. My apologies. (I was originally going to add to this thread my agreement with the opinion that new Springsteen and Dylan albums are, in fact, shitty)
I’m sleepy.
dude just say you’re drunk. that’s what i do
but i’m usually really drunk
Yeah… that was actually the case…. woops. Not everyone can be a graceful drunk like Dick Litman.
I feel extra bad because it was accidentally a response to D-titty… the one father figure I have in life.
I used to respect Spin back in the day, but they give this album a critical drubbing and call it the “comeback nobody wanted”. Writer personal vendetta much? Bunch of bollocks.
http://www.spin.com/reviews/david-bowie-the-next-day-columbia-iso
they should have ended with: “and why don’t you just go ahead and DIE you old son of a bitch. – SPIN”
Lovely album BTW
I upvoted you for that ;)
Word.
I agree all around. Though I may say, strange that you chose to list Young Americans and Diamond Dogs as classics, when they are definitely two of his most unremarkable albums (at least in the context of his glory days). Station to Station, Hunky Dory, Aladdin Sane, and Scary Monsters are all far better examples!
Diamond Dogs & Young Americans are both fantastic albums. A few of my fave tunes are on both.
Whether you love Diamond Dogs or hate Diamond Dogs, the one thing it is most definitely not is unremarkable!
Let’s just agree to say that every Bowie studio album from “Space Oddity” to “Let’s Dance” is pretty fucking amazing in its own unique and special way. At least until the inevitable Countdown happens which will probablycause brains to melt, stereogum to self-combust, and other minor apocalypses because seriously how do pick the best Bowie album, let alone try to evaluate “Hunky Dory” against “Lodger” against “Diamond Dogs.”
To hell with it, I’m going for it :
1. Ziggy
2. Low
3. Hunky Dory
4. Diamond Dogs
5. The Man Who Sold The World
6. Space Oddity
7. [The Decca Compilation]
8. Scary Monsters
9. Lodger
10. Let’s Dance
11. Heroes
12. Aladdin Sane
13. Station to Station
Note: I do not know Young Americans or Pin ups.
Station to Station at the bottom of your list? No sir!
If you’re gonna go with it, you have to go the whole hog! Here’s mine:
1. Low
2. “Heroes”
3. Ziggy Stardust
4. Diamond Dogs
5. Hunky Dory
6. Station to Station
7. Aladdin Sane
8. Scary Monsters
9. The Man Who Sold the World
10. Lodger
11. The Next Day
12. Outside
13. Young Americans
14. Space Oddity
15. Heathen
16. Let’s Dance
17. Black Tie White Noise
18. The Buddha of Suburbia
19. Earthling
20. Pin-Ups
21. Tin Machine
22. David Bowie
23. Reality
24. Tin Machine 2
25. Never Let Me Down
26. Hours
27. Tonight
Stereogum you really need to start banning these so-called “trolls” (who aren’t really trolls because they aren’t being clever, they’re just being obnoxious). Its getting pretty exhausting having every article filled with these stupid threads…
Rubjon’s still cool, though.
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Rubjon only appears every so often and doesn’t spam the comment board with pointless rants like porkey/corky/the bears all have been.
Also Rubjon’s comments are usually extremely outrageous and are meant to represent what someone who doesn’t really partake in/understand indie culture would say. His trolling serves a purpose :)
These are just incoherent diatribes among the same person w/ multiple accounts.
I take umbrage good sir! For an incoherent diatribe, read oblivion’s fine musings-
“haha well you’re an idiot i am!! :((”
At the very least, my comments are above the 8th grade level! I shall say good day!
just because you know big words doesn’t mean you have anything interesting to say with them. Your rants are stupid, generally unfunny, and usually have almost nothing to do with music. Your shit is pathetic. Go back to your cave.
Giant rat…you are ironically being trolled by being annoyed with me and expressing it. I use $2 words that you could buy at Big Lots. I wouldn’t call them that big. Superfluous, possibly, but cerebral, no. Anyway, it’s almost hard to take a talking rat avatar seriously with the name of spliturd.
wait, i’m getting confused here. is porky (corky?) also mastur splinturd? fuck i can’t keep up
and as a natural reply to my own statement, i have been drinking heavily tonight
YOU LEAVE MY SON ALONE. there’s nothing more serious than getting lifted on the fumes of some shit. mastur knows this.
Personally, I think you should run with this british thing you’ve been doing lately. crumpets n shit. get an avatar with a monocle. really give into it.
Dick, I am 100% real. Check my resume, I been in the game for a while.
Porky, just don’t fill up the comment section and it’s cool.
Dad, thanks for having my back.
Nice man!!! :))) you just succeeded in making trolling sound pretentious!!!!!! :))
In what sense? By saying that his comments were funny because they imitate what someone who was clueless about the stuff this site writes about would say?
I’ll wrestle you after I sleep. Oh and David Bowie’s new album is udderly fantastic!
Mr. Panderson, if this continues to happen, you will be charged with 10th degree assault with lame verbosity with intent to engage a stereogum civilian in your overzealous tomfoolery. That charge, coupled with crippled trolling skills, nonexistent social etiquette and a ham fisted ( no pun intended) approach to the fine time wasting art of trolling, will get you banned from this bread…I mean board. This is merely a warning now. Mr ‘O Neil, if he continues to harass you by the mere repugnant stench of his very presence on this board please notify me at 818-240-4130. My hours are 12-3 A.M.We will have to cite you however for your lewd love affair with a troll we have taken down many times, RubberJohnny. Please discontinue the illicit fawning and carry on. That is all.
Hey I called. That’s the Y on La Cienga.
My bad. Glendale.
Imagine if that turned out to be tom’s number, that would be the best prank in the last few hours! maybe minutes.
Maybe the absurdist trolling was too much, can i be redeemed? pwease?? :’(((
You were a fun troll. I prob should lay off the trolling for a while. I thought it was fun, but now I am feeling like a SPAM machine ( no pun intended). And, might I add, your music page was pretty cool.
Upvotes for you Oblivion for having a sense of humour :)
It was a pleasure to troll with you good sir, I may have gotten a little out of control. I think I’ll lay off too and go back to making insincere comments punctuated by far too many smiley faces (Lo-Fi trolling if you will, or Post-Troll).
I appreciate your kind remarks about my music too, music is my life. After all, music is the reason, we’re here in the first place.
you too amigo :)
You desperately need to hop off rubjon’s imaginary dick!!!!! :)) he is going to sleep with you just because you suck up to him!!!1
He is Not***
i’m worried about troll friendships guys
I’m reformed!!!!
I think people need to embrace the reality that porky, corky and whatever other names IT has been using IS very likely Rubber Johnny. That login just wasn’t getting enough attention anymore, and inline with that logins past behavior, it makes perfect sense. And if I’m wrong it will annoy both of them, so I’m fine with it either way.
i’ll just go on record here as saying that i’m surprised this is the actual album cover. i thought it was just some joker’s goof and some at least sort of cool cover would eventually be revealed. sort of lame. just my thoughts though, maybe some people like it, so that’s cool.
I agree however, I totally understand the concept behind the album cover. Just like when Iamamiwhoami released Kin with a totally black album cover.
I think its hilarious that he re-used it and just crossed out the old name.
I will admit that I didn’t get it until somebody explained it. But after reading their explanation I think it’s pretty genius.
“We could be heroes…just for one day…”
Well, this is “The Next Day”, so stop looking at the past and check this out.
I liked Heathen. I liked Outside. And I liked some of the last Dylan records (Love & Theft especially). Morrisey had You Are The Quarry.
Last gasps of genious? Maybe. But it’s nice to hear what they are doing now. Better than most 20 yearr olds can do.
Makes me wonder what Ian Curtis could be writing.
I really want to listen to this album, but l really don’t want to download itunes.
You write so little about the record, man. And when you do, you do it vaguely as if Bowie’s previous work is more of a burden to you than to Bowie himself.
“For all its spartan sonics, it radiates the warmth of an old man happily flipping through photos of his younger self.”
My other impression of it is that it definitely sounds like an album that he made for himself. There is zero pandering to modern commercial elements. If his fans like it, it will be a success. It may get a few people who are interested in checking it out because they were still in the single digits when he released his last album. But for the most part, it’s Bowie making tunes in a Bowie bubble, which is not at all a bad thing.
I mean to say that I totally agreed with the part that I quoted, THEN the rest…
Why are people down voting these comments? Didn’t I say basically the same thing a bunch of other people said? lol Stereogum is fuckin’ weird, yo!
you could have eliminated all of the article except the last paragraph and it still would have been a perfect, honest review. A+
i’m finding this album really enjoyable — didn’t expect to care about a new Bowie album. reminds me of latter-day Morrissey in a way… just better.
i think its his best work since scary monsters i love this album a lot i do see what you mean i just don’t agree plus David could come out with the sounds he makes while taking a shit and i would find it dynamic and interesting
ve this album a lot i do see what you mean i just don’t agree plus David could come out with
Was not expecting this album to have as big an impact on me as it has so far. Dug “Where Are We Now” and it’s subtle ode to “It’s No Game pt2″ but kind of blew off “The Stars Are Out.” Then I listened to the album a couple times in passing. Various songs started to stick here and there till I was completely hooked. Have had the album on repeat since. This is one hell of an impressive release from the elder statesman. It’s refreshing to hear Bowie comfortable in his own skin, revisiting sounds that reflect the best of his 70′s output. The Next Day is the best release he’s produced since Scary Monsters. Carlos Alomar is also in top form, at times pulling some moves right out of Fripp’s book. Bowie fans should be stoked. I didn’t see this one coming.
“I don’t remember much about those albums, except that they sounded tired and inessential. ”
This is where you should lose your credentials as a ‘music journalist.’ If you can’t be bothered to relisten to two albums so you can have a better idea of where David Bowie’s comeback album is coming from then that’s pretty sad.
Also, I will never understand people who think that Young Americans is a brilliant record. The world’s worst cover of Across the Universe should be enough to make you realize it’s patchy.\
It’s also great that you started the review with an overlong anecdote about essentially nothing.
‘Young Americans’ IS a brilliant record, I agree the cover of ‘Across The Universe’ is appalling but the rest of the album is gorgeous.
His first single was cryptic. Was he literally showing us that the bottle is empty?
This is my interpretation of Where Are We Now (David Bowie)
Wait so David Bowie has been flying under the radar as recipebear And Corky Anderson this whole time?