David Bowie has officially confirmed that his new studio album Blackstar will be released January 8, on Bowie’s birthday. The first single is out November 20, and expectations are high.
Though Bowie has been busy working on Lazarus, his upcoming stage show based on the interstellar sci-fi 70s film The Man Who Fell To The Earth, which featured Bowie in his first starring role, the artist has apparently found time to record a 7-song LP that may be amongst his strangest to date.
The album was reportedly recorded at The Magic Shop studio in New York City with the help of local jazz musicians. According to London’s The Times, the album is his “oddest yet” and “completely bonkers,” comparing the music to Krautrock pioneers Kraftwerk.
The single will be released without a radio edit, and is said to contain “Gregorian chants, a soul section, various electronic beats and bleeps, and Bowie’s distinctive vocal.”
While The Next Day, Bowie’s 2013 full-length and return to recording after a silent decade, featured a fairly streamlined and predictable sound that recalled his classics, Blackstar may be a sign that Bowie’s creativity is thriving as ever, a promising sign for fans of the eclectic artist.
Whatever may come as the single on November 20, I have no doubt it will be amongst the most interesting songs released this year.
