Zack Fenech, Staff Writer
Featured image courtesy of Creative Commons via Toronto Public Library
It seems that for once in my life, procrastination worked in my favour. I listened to Blackstar the day it was released, when David Bowie was still alive, as opposed to doing work.
In my mind, Bowie had always been alive. One week after his passing, I had finally adjusted, and his brief, but satisfying collection of swan songs on Blackstar has made the transition of adjusting to such a loss as smooth as Bowie himself.
Although I can say that I am not an avid Bowie fan, his music played a seminal role in forming my music taste from an early age. Hearing his own brand of interstellar glam rock, avant-garde, and art-pop has helped redefine what it means to formulate a song and what an artist is capable of creating.
Blackstar definitely reinvents and continues the tradition of Bowie’s idea of the avant-garde in music, but manages to stay loyal to his sound. This incredibly well-planned album is also a piece of performance art, both in it’s execution of timing and in the album’s thematic content. The ideas of life and death become melancholic, while managing to also be simultaneously energetic and universal. The final record becomes a means of saying goodbye to old fans and hello to new ones.
Bowie’s foreshadowing of his departure could potentially be the driving force behind this final release. Blackstar is hauntingly dark as Bowie’s vocals resonate the feeling of death in his tone and delivery. The vocals and instrumentation alternate between demonic and spiritual, with lyrics that reflect Bowie’s skill for wax poetic excellency and hint at literary allusions that reflect everything from ancient myth to modern day life.
While Bowie’s death begins this musical year off on a sad note, it definitely begins to pave the rest of the year’s mood, making his final release one of the year’s first and best.
R.I.P. David Bowie.
Top Song Picks of Blackstar
1. Blackstar
“Blackstar” kicks off the album in a way that makes listeners question whether it is a Bowie record they are listening to. The hauntingly serenading vocals mix with a ghastly, unsettling sound. The first portion of this song mirrors the sound and atmosphere that would typically be found on a Radiohead record. The transition however, settles the uneasiness, as Bowie’s familiar sound returns with the uplifting and bittersweet beginning of Bowie’s final goodbye to his fans.
2. ‘Tis a Pity She Was a Whore
“‘Tis a Pity She Was a Whore” is my personal favourite track on the album. The song itself is a rollercoaster of emotions, where Bowie’s cool and slangy vocals dominate one of the harsher sounding tracks of Blackstar. The saxophone provides intensity that is an excellent match to Bowie’s baritone vocals.
3. Lazarus
“Lazarus” is another beloved track that can be read as Bowie’s message to all of us after he has gone, making this track especially eerie with its complex, yet rustic sound. The musical darkness that backs Bowie is an excellent mix for his light-hearted and hard-hitting aesthetic.
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