Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Like Bob Dylan, David Bowie seems to have been re-invigorated by a lengthy period with a stable band: Reality appears with almost indecent haste a year after Heathen, and features the same line-up of Gail Ann Dorsey, Mike Garson, Earl Slick, Gerry Leonard and Sterling Campbell. Equally importantly, it also extends Bowie's reunion with co-producer Tony Visconti, who brings a satisfying, chunky solidity to songs such as the title track and "Looking for Water". The single "New Killer Star" opens proceedings on a high note, its rolling riff carrying Bowie's typically urbane form of alienation. With such great lines as "like seeing Jesus on Dateline" and faint echoes of his earlier "TVC15" in the chorus melody, it's head and shoulders above the rest of the album, which swings between the declamatory warnings of "Reality" and "Fall Dog Bombs The Moon", with their references to "tragic youth" and "devil in the marketplace", and the more reflective melancholy of "The Loneliest Guy" and "Bring Me the Disco King". The latter, employing brushed snare and spare jazz piano chords beneath Bowie's musings upon "killing time in the Seventies/ smelling of love in the wet wind", makes for a somewhat draggy conclusion to an album which, for the most part, bears out his assessment of it as "a bit thrusty". Alongside the nine original songs are a couple of covers from Bowie's ongoing, informal extensions of Pin Ups: a ponderous version of George Harrison's "Try Some, Buy Some", and a more persuasive rendition of Jonathan Richman's "Pablo Picasso", to which the band's punchy groove brings momentum.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments