David Bowie - ★ [Blackstar]

There's a certain emotional heft to David Bowie's final mission statement that rings all the more potent in the aftermath. There had been a certain dry referential marketing tactic that had been employed with his prior album "The Next Day" in 2013, whose cover art had the artwork for "Heroes" largely obscured. With "Blackstar" the theme continued and Bowie was seemingly disowning his past career highs, whether by the imagery in the video possibly representing a deceased Major Tom, or just the main refrain of this song flipping the Starman's status with a much more morbid reality. It's a harrowing reminder that death gives no special treatment to the rich or poor, the famous or obscure, the good or bad. Life just ends.

The musical intensity in this track really heightens the feeling. Rather than paint over it with sunshine and rainbows, we're treated to unsettling syncopated drum patterns & escalating jazz movements. Bowie himself sounds especially morbid. Personally I find the first half of the song drags just a little, but the closing half is always sonically engaging. Rewarding as a listen and highly important.