David Bowie's Blackstar: jazz, revenge and… Islamic State?
Bowie fans should expect the unexpected, as critics praise new album as 'extraordinary'
David Bowie's latest album, Blackstar, due out on his 69th birthday on 8 January, has already got reviewers talking – they say it's extraordinary.
Bowie's 25th album, was recorded at the Magic Shop studio in New York with local jazz musicians, led by saxophonist Donny McCaslin. The album features seven songs and is said to draw upon influences as diverse as hip-hop artist Kendrick Lamar, A Clockwork Orange, revenge tragedy and perhaps even the rise of Islamic State, says Rolling Stone.
The title track was released as a single in late November and was used as the theme tune for Sky Atlantic's heist series The Last Panthers. It is ten minutes long and features Gregorian chants, soul, electronica and Bowie's eerie vocals throughout.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Band leader Donny McCaslin claimed the song was inspired by the rise of IS, but this was later denied by a spokesperson for Bowie.
Daniel Kreps in Rolling Stone wrote: "The music is reminiscent of the bleak, haunting instrumentals on the back half of Bowie's 1977 album Heroes before a sinister beat kicks in for the dying seconds of The Last Panthers theme."
A second single, Lazarus, just released, also features in Bowie's New York musical of the same name, which is said to be one of the hottest tickets in town.
A number of critics have listened to the album ahead of its official release and say fans should expect the unexpected.
Alexis Petridis in The Guardian, calls the album "an unexpected left turn". He describes the album's tracks alternately as "hugely impressive", "challenging" and "limpidly beautiful".
The title track, whether or not inspired by IS, evokes an "intermittent sense of dread" and is by turns "gorgeous, disturbing and utterly confounding", says Petridis. He adds that the album shows just how unknowable an artist Bowie is, and it's all executed with "enviable aplomb that only deepens the mystery further".
Neil McCormick, in the Daily Telegraph, says Blackstar is "extraordinary". On first hearing the album, it sounds like rock's oldest futurist has dusted down his saxophone and "gone jazz", says McCormick.
But what Bowie has created is not something any jazz fan would recognise "and is all the better for it", adds McCormick, who says Bowie's "intriguing experiment" takes the wild, abstract form of free jazz and tries to turn it into songs.
McCormick sums up by calling Blackstar a "rich and strange" album that "refuses to yield in a few listens". It suggests, he says, that like a modern day Lazarus of pop, "Bowie is well and truly back from beyond".
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'Voters know Biden and Trump all too well'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Is the Gaza war tearing US university campuses apart?
Today's Big Question Protests at Columbia University, other institutions, pit free speech against student safety
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
DOJ settles with Nassar victims for $138M
Speed Read The settlement includes 139 sexual abuse victims of the former USA Gymnastics doctor
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
The Westbury Hotel review: stunning suites in charming Dublin
The Week Recommends This hotel is the perfect spot to while away a weekend in Ireland's capital
By Kaye O'Doherty Published
-
Drama movies 2024: new films out this year
In Depth Latest reviews include The Boys in the Boat, One Life and Tchaikovsky's Wife
By The Week UK Last updated
-
Best new hotels and places to stay in 2024
The Week Recommends Featuring stylish island resorts, historical properties and wilderness retreats
By The Week UK Last updated
-
Albums of the year: best music of 2023
The Week Recommends A look back at the best pop, rap, jazz, dance, classical and rock releases
By The Week UK Published
-
Savoy Grill by Gordon Ramsay review: an institution reinvented
The Week Recommends Traditions are maintained and the tweaks are clever and modern
By Neil Davey Published
-
Tulum: a Mexican beach town of 'two halves'
The Week Recommends With the 'pueblo' and 'Zona Hotelera', Tulum is home to great hotels, restaurants and beach clubs
By William Leigh Published
-
La Zebra review: beach chic, perfect tacos and secret cenotes
The Week Recommends Enjoy a stylish stay in Mexico at this family-friendly beach hotel and restaurant
By William Leigh Published
-
Atlantis Paradise Island Bahamas review: a mythical beachside resort
The Week Recommends Combine the classically simple pleasures of sun, sea and sand with upmarket fun and food
By Adrienne Wyper Published