In 1965, David Bowie was turned away by the BBC for singing out of tune in
an audition. Legendary DJ John Peel managed to get Bowie another audition, and
he was successful. Bowie's career all comes down to those early years. He
established himself with 'Space Oddity', hit big with 1971s Hunky Dory
and stayed in our minds with the classic Berlin Trilogy that includes Heroes,
Low and Lodger. Concepts with 74s 84-influenced Diamond Dogs
and covers with Pin Ups. Where are they now? You ask, on the vinyl
shelf, readily available to an ageing population of 50 year olds. As Bowie
reaches the tender age of 66 and announces his 24th album, we can be forgiven
for having a little bit of excitement.
Bowie once sang: "time may change me, but I can't trace
time." This self-explanatory lyric has been the key to Bowie's success
over the years. Bowie joins one of his major influences Scott Walker in being a
golden oldie readily embarking on another album. Walker's material is sparse,
but has a long-lasting effect, an effect seen all over Bowie's work. Look at
the still image above taken from Bowie's new video; he looks old, menacing, but
still graceful in every way. Bowie doesn't need the money or the limelight,
he's 66. He's an artist that has lived in every decade since his the 60s, and
he's going nowhere soon. Bowie’s is coming out with a new album because he
wants to, not because he has to.
'Where Are We Now?' sounds like Elton John playing the Cocteau Twins half
blast, while over hearing the latest Kate Bush album. The last highly publicised
material given away from Bowie was on an episode of Extras, so 'Where Are We
Now?' is more than welcome. The lyrics refer to Bowie's time spent in Berlin,
Germany in the 70s. Veteran Bowie collaborator Tony Visconti is back behind the
decks and Bowie's synth material of the Berlin Trilogy makes a return.
The track starts very slow,
with a Vangelis-esque synthesizer and a thumping piano. Bowie sounds old, but
this may be intended given the tracks time motive. As Bowie chorus' go, this is
one of his worst. Not to worry because the actual structure and sound are far more
rewarding than several seconds of Bowie attempting to hit the high notes. The
track doesn't really get going till the later third, where the drums pick up
pace and the electric guitars enter with all the dream pop effects of the 90s.
Bowie raises his character and his voice, the volume picks up and that's enough
for a Bowie song to be complete. It's not his best work but it is however
better than the 90s and 00s material. His album The Next Day will be
released in March.
~Eddie
