David Bowie - Lazarus... and some thoughts on his death

It's hard to look at Bowie at times during this video. Upon the release of the Black Star video/short film last month I found myself slightly unsettled at how he looked as though he had aged 30 years in the three years since we'd last since him in the videos released for The Next Day. After news of his death first thing this morning I learned of the release of another video after Black Star just a few days ago on the 7th of this month. Lazarus is, as this AV Club article so succinctly posits, a farewell.

The wherewithal and sheer force of will to complete make an album as a final statement, knowing you are dying, is unbelievable. I'm reminded of author Jay Lake, how he blogged his own death realtime, narrating his battle with cancer. As horrible as this is it is also amazing, as death is most inevitably a part of life, and a part that we know little about- emotionally, mentally - because it is private, and hard, and difficult to discuss, even with ourselves. Finally David Bowie died as he lived - bold, up front and totally owning his situation, converting it to Art.

If that's not one of the best ways to go I've ever heard I don't know what is. We often look to musicians and artists as inspiration, role models for how to live. Knowing that I will one day die I hope I can do so with at least a modicum of the dignity and creative force that Bowie died with. It's truly magnificent.

David Bowie's Love is Lost

Released the day before Halloween this one was right on time as it is some spooky stuff. Bowie continues to amaze me even when I'm not in the throws of a Bowie-binge. I watched this with the sound low and Blut Aus Nord on in the background and it fit, what the hell does that say?

That Bowie can still go as dark as anybody out there.

Now, what the hell is this video that I found on Gigwise all about -

New David Bowie Video for Valentine's Day

Via Brooklyn Vegan.

The Next Day has remained a favorite of mine so far this year even though the seemingly endless influx of new records has kept it out of the almost-constant rotation it occupied for about a month after its release. This video is an interesting contrast to the previous two from the record, The Stars (Are Out Tonight) and The Next Day in that it's Bowie without any guest stars, going it alone. I'm normally not a fan of seeing the musician perform in the video because those performances are almost always staged, however I think the point here is not to suggest to us that Bowie is playing, but to give him something to do that is congruent to the song while the directors present us with the strange metamorphosis that the icon goes through while on display. I don't know that this 100% does what they wanted it to do, but it definitely doesn't fail either. And with the photography so strong and the art direction so simple but effective we are treated to enough to make this an interesting and enjoyable watch. Of especial beauty to me was the close-up shot of the guitar strings vibrating, the choice of the guitar because it reminds me of Bowie's late 80's rock group Tin Machine, and the way the directors light the radical facial expressions that come over Mr. Bowie as the song, about song shootings, reaches its soft-spoken conclusion.

David Bowie - The Next Day

image courtesy of http://blog.kexp.org/

What does it say that two of the now most old school guys still making GREAT music released two of their finest records ever this year? First there was last month's marvelous Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' record Push the Light Away and now there's David Bowie's The Next Day. I'm planning on doing a joint review of both records on Joup in the next couple days but in the meantime suffice it to say that tonight I purchased The Next Day on iTunes specifically to receive their particular Deluxe Edition which includes three extra songs that apparently are not on the hard copy. This even though I look at that cover above and absolutely LUST after the Vinyl. Maybe at some point in the future I'll splurge, but for now I'm on my first pass through the album and it is fantastic.

Nothing -Downward Years to Come

This band is seriously awesome. $5 on their bandcamp for the album.

I allotted myself two albums to buy this week; it was originally intended to be the David Bowie The Next Day, which came out today, and last week's How to Destroy Angels. Well, I bought the Bowie but I decided to buy Downward Years to Come instead of the HTDA, which I'll buy soon anyway. I just really wanted to give Nothing my money.