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Saturday, November 14, 2009

DAVID BOWIE

DAVID BOWIE
HOURS... (1999)
320 KBPS

Since David Bowie spent the '90s jumping from style to style, it comes as a shock that Hours, his final album of the decade, is a relatively straightforward affair. Not only that, but it feels unlike anything else in his catalog. Bowie's music has always been a product of artifice, intelligence, and synthesis. Hours... is a relaxed, natural departure from this method. Arriving after two labored albums, the shift in tone is quite refreshing. "Thursday's Child," the album's engaging mid-tempo opener, is a good indication of what lays ahead. It feels like classic Bowie, yet recalls no specific era of his career. For the first time, Bowie has absorbed all the disparate strands of his music, from Hunky Dory through Earthling. That doesn't mean Hours... is on par with his earlier masterworks; it never attempts to be that bold. What it does mean is that it's the first album where he has accepted his past and is willing to use it as a foundation for new music. That's the reason why Hours... feels open, even organic — he's no longer self-conscious, either about living up to his past or creating a new future. It's a welcome change, and it produces some fine music, particularly on the first half of the record, which is filled with such subdued, subtly winning songs as "Something in the Air," "Survive," and "Seven." Toward the end of the album, Bowie branches into harder material, which isn't quite as successful as the first half of the album, yet shares a similar sensibility. And that's what's appealing about Hours... — it may not be one of Bowie's classics, but it's the work of a masterful musician who has begun to enjoy his craft again and isn't afraid to let things develop naturally.

1. Thursday's Child
2. Something in the Air
3. Survive
4. If I'm Dreaming My Life
5. Seven
6. What's Really Happennig?
7. Pretty Things Are Going to Hell
8. New Angels of Promise
9. Brilliant Adventure
10. Dreamers

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am not sure what to think of this album. I played it again today just to revisit and confirm what my original thoughts were when I first listened to it, after all I am Bowie fan since I was in HS in '77. The songs does not kick in until "Seven". Bowie's voice is in fine form. His song writing may be questionable but good. What is left is the production. I feel that the bass is way up high in the mix. Now can someone hum me a melody from any of the songs from the LP? Not a very memorable Bowie album. For fans or completists only.

Emmanuel 626

Anonymous said...

I'm probably a bit one-eyed about Bowie, but pretty much everything he does sounds like genius to me. Even I can admit, though, that this is not one of his better albums -- though still very enjoyable to listen to.

Mr Moodswings said...

Don't tell me you think "Never Let Me Down" is genius! O_O

Anonymous said...

i agree with you Mr Moodswings!!!
"Never Let Me Down" & "Tonight" are two of the least appealing Bowie lps! (at the most, 'loving the alien' & maybe 'blue jean' are interesting on the later, but that's all!)
in contrast, "Hours" (though not a great lp) is a good and pleasant one!