BLACKSTAR

This may be one of the darkest, most depressing, and layered albums of all time. I love David Bowie, I always have, and like many I waited for months for this album to be released, and when Bowie released Blackstar as a single, my mind was blown. A space jazz/funk/symphonic epic? I thought it was too good to be true, nobody releases a five star album after over 40 years in the business. I was pretty incorrect. The day the album came out I rushed to the music store and snagged a copy, rushed home and gave it a listen. I was in awe of the darker tone of the lyrics and the spacious, jazz inflected grooves of the music. I loved it immediatly, it showed an artist that was well versed in his craft (it sounded like David Bowie) while also being in tune with modern music (this album is very Hip Hop influenced), and it works amazingly well. After avoiding the album for a couple days after the fateful day (you know what I'm talking about), I gave it a listen, and its whole world unravelled itself. The lyrics made so much more sense, the imagery on the disk made so much more sense, and it hit me like a brick. Listening to it over and over again revealed an album that does not decrease in power after repeated listens, it just unveils more. This album speaks to something old, new, and infinite all at once. It's definitely Bowie, it reminds you of his whole career, yet it also points forward and points to something universal and infinite, with its lyrics about mortality and the occult/spacious themes of its artwork. A perfect album, definitely buy the vinyl copy, the artwork and layout is flawless.