11. Where Does The Grass Grow?
Bowie samples the melody from
The Shadows' 1960 hit
Apache on track eleven but transposes it onto an indie-electro soundscape within which he again references war: "Remember the dead/ They were so great/ Some of them".
RATING: 3.75/5
12. (You Will) Set The World On Fire
Another raucous rocker with an opening riff thats frighteningly reminiscent of
The White Stripes and that makes you sad to think that Bowie said he will not tour this album; it would be a live stormer. The song name-checks several of Bowies influences from the 60s:
Phil Ochs,
Joan Baez,
Dave Van Ronk and
Bob Dylan, celebrating them with the praise Kennedy would kill for the lines that youve written Its the safest song on an album that is characterised by many unusual turns.
RATING: 3.75/5
13. You Feel So Lonely You Could Die
A highlight on a record boasting some colossal tracks, this is the song showcasing Bowies finest vocal that should silence those who doubted that his voice had not survived the years. Epic sweeping strings and a stirring piano arrangement support Bowies anguished croon in a track that could one day be counted amongst his best. Bowies voice appears to nudge a spy or assassin towards an ominous fate amidst some of the albums most impassioned imagery: Buildings crammed with people, landscape filled with wrath/ Grey concrete city, rain has wet the street/ I want to see you clearly before you close the door/ A room of bloody history, you made sure of that
RATING: 5/5
14. Heat
Bowie has never hid his love for
Scott Walker, citing him as idol since his formative years (Bowie produced Walker documentary
Scott Walker: 30 Century Man). That love is apparent on album closer
Heat. Its a haunting hymn that references the ravages of a doomed father-son relationship that you can imagine
Paul Thomas Anderson using on a future movie. I can only love you by hating him more/ Thats not the truth- its too big a word It recalls the the dystopian gloom of
Diamond Dogs
We are the Dead and serves as a fantastic, if unsettling, swansong for the album.
RATING: 4.75/5
The Next Day is a stylish, bold, fiercely intelligent record that not only recalls and references the glories of Bowie's expansive musical past but also matches them (something cleverly conveyed by the album artwork). It's also a record that yields the mysteries of its lyrical artistry further with repeated listening. We should thank god-or perhaps the devil- that The Thin White Duke is back...