Review Summary: Don't believe for just one second I'm forgetting you
Who else? Who else drops a 10-minute satanic-hymn-turned-pop song as a first single in 2016? Especially when said album is otherwise composed of four-to-five minute jazzy rock tunes? You all already know the answer. From the foul-mouthed punk rock spirit of "'Tis a Pity" and "Girl Loves Me" to the soulful croons of "Dollar Days", there are traces of everything from
Young Americans to
Outside in
Blackstar. In actuality, it is structurally reminiscent mostly of Bowie classic
Station to Station, with a labyrinthine beast placed at the head of the album leading into its more easily accessible body. However, unlike the cocaine-fuelled mania of the 70s, 2016 sees a slightly more circumspect Bowie developing his ideas with care.
Bowie's talent as a songwriter and vocalist is pretty obvious at this point in his career, and the plethora of influences from Kendrick Lamar to free-form jazz makes evident his skill at re-purposing the tropes of pretty much every genre. However, his lyricism is often something that goes unappreciated. Apart from the obvious choice of "Blackstar"'s
Space Odyssey-esque journey of transcendence, one of Bowie's best ever lyrical endeavours lies in the post-punky "Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)". The pathos of the narrator explaining to his apparently mentally unwell wife what's happening as they move to a new home, and his rage at finding her unfaithful, combine with Bowie's eerie delivery to create a surreal revenge fantasy. Did he really hold Sue's head "beneath the weeds" in the bloody Nick Cavean finale? Is his remorse real? The reinterpretation of the mournful, offbeat jazz "Sue" into a song with much sharper teeth seems to add a red cloud of anger and shame over the proceedings, which makes its pulse-pounding conclusion all the stronger. Meanwhile the one-two punch of "Dollar Days" and "I Can't Give Everything Away" concludes the album with a smooth transition that recalls the suites of
Diamond Dogs, albeit with the Orwellian paranoia replaced by cheesy sentimentality.
In truth, if
Blackstar will be remembered for anything it will be for landing in the upper echelon of albums released by artists in their sixth generations, rather than breaking any new ground or recapturing glory days. Restricting himself to seven songs may not be as smart of a move as it was in 1976, considering that unlike
Station to Station there are notable dips in quality on
Blackstar; and having 60% of those songs released in one form or another before the album dropped didn't do the listener any favours. But the truly great songs here - "Blackstar", "Sue", "Dollar Days" - give us a fresh and energetic Bowie which, considering his age, is worthy of no small praise.
