Misc. Day – The Stars Ablaze

What could be said that hasn’t already been said about David Bowie; the man was a singer, songwriter, actor, dancer, producer, poet, and a larger than life musician. His newest album Black Star just recently hit the shelves last week, and actually released on his sixty-ninth birthday. Unfortunately, it will be his last release to ever be produced and recorded by Bowie due to his passing on January 10^th.

Black Star is the twenty-sixth studio album by David Bowie and he surely does not disappoint with it. Long times fans will find some elements of his glam rock days and at parts it uses similar aspects of Young Americans and Diamond Dogs for the really strong and powerful saxophone fills, the catchy and heart thumping guitar and bass work, and Bowie’s trade mark voice that fits seamlessly over the music. Newer fans can find themselves enjoying the Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) and Outside style that was experienced later in Bowie’s studio career with the synth work and atmospheric vibe at work. Both styles blend together to create this firework display of a final goodbye that makes listeners repeat the album just to experience the whole trip again.

Keep in mind, this is a funeral album. This is not saying the album is not upbeat, that isn’t the case at all. Some of the quicker tracks like “Dollar Days” and “I Can’t Give Everything Away” while being at the end of Black Star, finishes strong and both start off very quick with faster, but also mellow riffs and beats. I say this is a funeral album because it is just such a sad concept to grasp; that David Bowie knew his life was coming to the end and it was somehow turning over into a black star. A star that has depleted all energy, every last morsel in his body to produce this record and to give us this final swan song that is honestly one of his best works to date. The impact and understanding that goes into this record and the message that is brought to the table and what the listener is left with after the dust has settled is unforgettable. Bowie has laid down his final thoughts and ideas on Black Star and tracks like “Lazarus” could be an instrumental and still have a painful impact on the listener. This album will hurt you, and it will pull your emotions through the mud, it will show you what loss is like and anyone who has lost someone close to them can say this album will bring back those feelings.

Black Star is easily one of the best albums of the year (and I know it is still early, but it really is an outstanding production by Bowie) and understanding the message behind the music is something that adds an extra ounce of emotion and lets you see what Bowie sees. Longtime fans of his work could have a difficulty dealing with the message, or accepting the fact that he really is gone, but his legacy will live on past our time and the next. David Bowie was one of the biggest names in the history of Rock n’ Roll and was a lead pioneer in music production and innovator in the genres. The experimentation is really quite the show and while the whole album may not be a perfect as no album is; this album is pretty damn close and it’s one of the few albums I have heard in the last two years that I immediately put on repeat and listened to all over again.

Black Star is David Bowie’s swan song to his fans and to the world around him. Through his years of expressing himself and keeping with the times, Bowie has never been scared to
take a risk and this is one where it pays off in the end and it sets a bar for all albums this year and the coming years. Though it only has seven songs, the songs are stretched out but not to the point where the album or songs drag on for the forty-two minutes. While it is a real shame that David’s passing happened, without those experiences and understandings that come with being so close to death, we would not be left with Black Star. This album is truly the best way to go out and will have people saying not just what a great artist he was, but also what a great visionary he was for the past, present, and future of all music.