6. Watching The Detectives Elvis Costello
Lurid, layered, lo-fi brilliance from Napoleon Dynamite, who slithers with his signature sleaze through some of his most complex verses verses so good, in fact, that the chorus feels poky in comparison. Fortunately it doesnt stick around too long, so we still get a weighty slice of Costello magic to indulge over before we have to put up with the plodding refrain. If only the Little Hands of Concrete could have welded something a little more consistent. 5. Ashes To Ashes - David Bowie
The best song on Scary Monsters and one of Bowies most iconic post-Ziggy hits, Ashes to Ashes is a superbly structured and somewhat disquieting return for Major Tom in a drug-themed purge of creativity. The central riff is mind-blowingly catchy and the verses are delivered with a fractured, desperate grace that Bowie embraces so convincingly that I simply wish it could just go on forever. The introduction of a chorus is not an unwelcome change of course, it has to go somewhere but its something which could never match such wonderful verses. That said, the way it trickles back into the verses is exquisite; Bowies rhythmic moaning of hitting an all time low as the riff weaves its way back in is spellbinding.
Jack Haworth
Contributor
A mythical hedonist, a chronic solipsist, a poet armed with a mouth full of adjectives, a brain full of adverbs and a box full of laxatives. Writing words in a language that isn't real to impress people that I invented since The Big Bang.
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