After many years of silence, and rumors about living legend David Bowie's presumed retirement from music, the rock icon has returned to the music scene with the beautiful single 'Where Are We Now?' from the coming album 'The Next Day.'
When I heard Bowie's new single on Vimeo, I was pleasantly surprised. While, 'Where Are We Now?' is low key, it is a beautiful single. I'm very excited to hear the rest of the album, will it live up to the single? Let's do a preview of the coming album. In this 'The Next Day' preview, I go through essential facts and gossip about the album, and analyze the single 'Where Are We Now?.'
According to rumors, 'The Next Day' consists of contemplative tracks, like the single. However, the rest of the songs should be faster. The producer of 'The Next Day' and 12 of Bowie's previous records, Tony Visconti, confirms the rumors in an interview to the Guardian. The new record is going to have 5 blistering tracks, followed by some mid-tempo songs that have mysterious sound to them.
Having heard the single, one could think that Bowie's new album will be more mellow. According to Tony, Bowie is not going to sound mellow or as an old man, on the contrary. In the studio, the singer often sang so loud that the producer had to move away from the singer. On the single, Bowie just wanted to show another musical aspect - a softer side.
'The Next Day' album was recorded secretly over a period of two years in the famous NYC's Magic Shop Studios, says Tony Visconti. It was made by a closed circle of Bowie's old friends. All, with a few exceptions, they are people that Bowie has worked with before on tours or in studios. This is also the reason, why it was possible for Bowie to keep the album release a secret until the last minute. A quite remarkable achievement these internet days, where almost everyone carries a smartphone.
While, Bowie previous had told Tony that he didn't want to sing anymore, Tony wasn't surprised when Bowie called and said that he wanted to record a new album. Tony thinks, that Bowie's creative mind made it necessary to express himself again as a musician - after 10 years of silence. 29 stunning songs were recorded in the studio, but not all of them fitted the album, which ended up having 14 track, with 17 on the deluxe edition. This means, that Bowie most likely will record a second album later this year. However, the producer doesn't know exactly when. Considering the great reviews 'Where Are We Now?' already has received, this looks good.
Neil McCormick, music critic at The Telegraph, thinks that 'Where Are We Now?' with its beautiful strange, perfectly orchestrated, sound might be one of the most surprising and perfect comebacks in rock history. Following McCormick, the poetic song has a mysterious sound to it, and it makes you want to hear more from the upcoming album.
NME Track Reviews calls Bowie's single an addictive song. NME Track Reviews describes it as perfectly structured, and a song that should be on future Bowie greatest hits records.
While, Ultimate Classic Rock thinks that Bowie's voice is heartening, and the that the song is a ear worm.
I have to agree. I have heard the song many times, because I had to press repeat - again and again. The song really grows on you, and it is impressive, how it crawls under your skin.
With 'Where Are We Now's?' opening line: "Had to get the train, From Potsdamer Platz," one intuitively thinks back on Bowie's younger years, and his time in Berlin in the 1970's. Between 1976-1979 Bowie lived in Berlin in Germany. In this period, he made his three Berlin albums: 'Low'(1977), 'Heroes' (1977) and 'Lodger' (1979), often referred to as Bowie's 'Berlin Trilogy.' However, on the new song, Bowie reflects on Berlin when the Berlin Wall fell, and Berlin today. One verse, thus, goes like this: "Twenty thousand people, Cross Bosebrucke, Fingers are crossed, Just in case, Walking the dead."
As one of Berlin's seven border crossings during the Cold War, Bosebrucke was used when citizens of the Federal Republic of Germany crossed into East Berlin. The day that the Berlin Wall fell, officially, the 9th. November 1989, the Government of East Germany had given their citizens permission to travel to West Germany. That day East Berliners' gathered in a large crowd, and began crossing Bosebrucke: "Fingers are crossed, Just in case, Walking the dead."
That being said, the song is probably also about Bowie's more personal experiences with Berlin. The music video to 'Where Are We Now?,' therefore, shows the auto repair shop below the apartment, where Bowie lived in the 1970's.
Most Bowie fans have probably spotted that the new front cover is from 'Heroes.' When cover designer on Bowie's new album, Jonathan Barnbrook was interviewed on the website Ultimate Classic Rock, he told how the use of the old cover from 'Heroes' on the new album was done to illustrate the spirit of good rock music as something of the moment, forgetting the past. But, we can never escape the past, and certainly not Bowie, who often is judged by his past history, says Barnbrook. Nonetheless, human conditions still pushes us forward, forcing us to leave the past. With the front cover, Bowie wanted to exemplify this.
'The Next Day' will be on the streets the 8th 2013 in Australia, the 11th in the rest of the world, except USA, where the album is available the 12th.
When I heard Bowie's new single on Vimeo, I was pleasantly surprised. While, 'Where Are We Now?' is low key, it is a beautiful single. I'm very excited to hear the rest of the album, will it live up to the single? Let's do a preview of the coming album. In this 'The Next Day' preview, I go through essential facts and gossip about the album, and analyze the single 'Where Are We Now?.'
According to rumors, 'The Next Day' consists of contemplative tracks, like the single. However, the rest of the songs should be faster. The producer of 'The Next Day' and 12 of Bowie's previous records, Tony Visconti, confirms the rumors in an interview to the Guardian. The new record is going to have 5 blistering tracks, followed by some mid-tempo songs that have mysterious sound to them.
Having heard the single, one could think that Bowie's new album will be more mellow. According to Tony, Bowie is not going to sound mellow or as an old man, on the contrary. In the studio, the singer often sang so loud that the producer had to move away from the singer. On the single, Bowie just wanted to show another musical aspect - a softer side.
'The Next Day' album was recorded secretly over a period of two years in the famous NYC's Magic Shop Studios, says Tony Visconti. It was made by a closed circle of Bowie's old friends. All, with a few exceptions, they are people that Bowie has worked with before on tours or in studios. This is also the reason, why it was possible for Bowie to keep the album release a secret until the last minute. A quite remarkable achievement these internet days, where almost everyone carries a smartphone.
While, Bowie previous had told Tony that he didn't want to sing anymore, Tony wasn't surprised when Bowie called and said that he wanted to record a new album. Tony thinks, that Bowie's creative mind made it necessary to express himself again as a musician - after 10 years of silence. 29 stunning songs were recorded in the studio, but not all of them fitted the album, which ended up having 14 track, with 17 on the deluxe edition. This means, that Bowie most likely will record a second album later this year. However, the producer doesn't know exactly when. Considering the great reviews 'Where Are We Now?' already has received, this looks good.
Neil McCormick, music critic at The Telegraph, thinks that 'Where Are We Now?' with its beautiful strange, perfectly orchestrated, sound might be one of the most surprising and perfect comebacks in rock history. Following McCormick, the poetic song has a mysterious sound to it, and it makes you want to hear more from the upcoming album.
NME Track Reviews calls Bowie's single an addictive song. NME Track Reviews describes it as perfectly structured, and a song that should be on future Bowie greatest hits records.
While, Ultimate Classic Rock thinks that Bowie's voice is heartening, and the that the song is a ear worm.
I have to agree. I have heard the song many times, because I had to press repeat - again and again. The song really grows on you, and it is impressive, how it crawls under your skin.
With 'Where Are We Now's?' opening line: "Had to get the train, From Potsdamer Platz," one intuitively thinks back on Bowie's younger years, and his time in Berlin in the 1970's. Between 1976-1979 Bowie lived in Berlin in Germany. In this period, he made his three Berlin albums: 'Low'(1977), 'Heroes' (1977) and 'Lodger' (1979), often referred to as Bowie's 'Berlin Trilogy.' However, on the new song, Bowie reflects on Berlin when the Berlin Wall fell, and Berlin today. One verse, thus, goes like this: "Twenty thousand people, Cross Bosebrucke, Fingers are crossed, Just in case, Walking the dead."
As one of Berlin's seven border crossings during the Cold War, Bosebrucke was used when citizens of the Federal Republic of Germany crossed into East Berlin. The day that the Berlin Wall fell, officially, the 9th. November 1989, the Government of East Germany had given their citizens permission to travel to West Germany. That day East Berliners' gathered in a large crowd, and began crossing Bosebrucke: "Fingers are crossed, Just in case, Walking the dead."
That being said, the song is probably also about Bowie's more personal experiences with Berlin. The music video to 'Where Are We Now?,' therefore, shows the auto repair shop below the apartment, where Bowie lived in the 1970's.
Most Bowie fans have probably spotted that the new front cover is from 'Heroes.' When cover designer on Bowie's new album, Jonathan Barnbrook was interviewed on the website Ultimate Classic Rock, he told how the use of the old cover from 'Heroes' on the new album was done to illustrate the spirit of good rock music as something of the moment, forgetting the past. But, we can never escape the past, and certainly not Bowie, who often is judged by his past history, says Barnbrook. Nonetheless, human conditions still pushes us forward, forcing us to leave the past. With the front cover, Bowie wanted to exemplify this.
'The Next Day' will be on the streets the 8th 2013 in Australia, the 11th in the rest of the world, except USA, where the album is available the 12th.
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For more bonus info on Bowie's new album and a review of the album when it is released visit The Next Day Preview.
