Blackstar

I’ve never been one to feel particularly attached to celebrity, but that day in 2016, waking to the news that David Bowie had died, I was deeply saddened. During my stop for coffee that morning, the look on my face must’ve said it all…the cashier handed me my coffee and said “Today’s kind of a bummer, isn’t it?” “Yeah…I loved Bowie. It sucks,” was about all I could muster and the clerk nodded in agreement. In retrospect, it was a nice moment: Being brought together with someone I only had a casual acquaintance with over David Bowie, even if only briefly, was a testament to Bowie’s unique greatness. I did all the things that day that you were supposed to do: I listened to Bowie on the way to and from work, talked with coworkers about our favorite songs, watched the videos of people gathering all over the world to celebrate his life and posted photos and video of my Bowie vinyl collection to instagram. The one thing I didn’t do, was listen to Blackstar. It had come out only a day or two earlier and was cast in an entirely new light after the news broke. I just couldn’t do it, I wasn’t ready. I needed to spend more time with my favorites before I could say goodbye. I must have listened to Station to Station, Low, Scary Monsters a dozen times each that week. Well, weeks turned to months, months to years and here I am, more than 6 years later…really, truly digesting Blackstar for the first time. That’s not to say I haven’t heard it before. I’ve listened a handful of times in the last few years, but it’s been difficult to want to come back to it, to confront it for what it is: David Bowie saying farewell. It’s a difficult record: musically, lyrically and, for me, emotionally. Blackstar is a record that you need to come to terms with. I’m not sure it’s a record I’ll revisit frequently, even after spending the day today replaying it. Ultimately, it is a rewarding listen, ranking among his best, and I suspect that as sad as I was to say goodbye, the same went for David Bowie.

Ah yes, the classic "artist has recently died so let's pretend that their weird-ass, self-indulgent final album is actually a genius masterpiece".

Meh. If the man didn't die a couple days after the release, would it really be praised as much as it is? No disrespect to the Bowie. The response to this album is inflated. It's a mess IMO

What is there to say about this project? It's one of the best swansongs in popular music, and is a personal favorite on top of being my de facto introduction to Bowie qua Bowie (the absolute introduction was the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack, but that was Ziggy). It's jazzy without being incomprehensible, but also avoids going pop: This thing is incredibly depressing. Repeated listens have only revealed more depth. As a musical idea, it's probably slightly less than perfect. I believe, though, that it's better as an album for it: It's only fitting that Bowie went out stretching a bit. And while we're talking about perfection, Lazarus is without question a perfect song.

What a legacy from a genius artist... the atmosphere of this album is haunting but beautiful!

Awesome album, and the context around is next level. Releasing a track called Lazarus with lyrics like "Look at me, I'm in heaven", on an album released 2 days before you die? Very meta.

Less a swan song and more a swan opera. But it's not maudlin. It's reflective of a life being one of the defining voices in both the art and music of the 20th century. It's a man coming to terms with his legacy. A star slowly fading but still there in the sky, glimmering. You can't quite see it. But it's in heaven. It can be a hard listen, but an important one.

Lots of artists talk about death. None have presented their journey, emotions, or physical experiences, as honestly and vividly as Bowie did while the horizon approached ever closer.

Zero bad tracks - Lazarus and I Can't Give Everything Away are tops

Almost immediately - and I hate having a knee-jerk reaction - I come back to my usual Bowie thoughts: I really don't like him as a singer at all. It's not just his voice, it's the affectations and the style. Obviously a personal taste but it has always been nearly-impossible to get around. His album "Low" was a rare project where his voice didn't seem to be the main instrument and was more a part of the environment, which resulted in a different sort of album I enjoyed. This one had hype upon its release (because of Bowie's concurrent death) but I'd never listened before. And yeah - his vocals are often horrible. Apologies if you loved the dude. Music is wild but too often in a bad way. e.g. "Sue" is difficult to get through. Also stop already with the yodeling on "Girl Loves Me" Positive: I actually like "I Can't Give Everything Away" - would have loved more of this. I just have to settle on the fact that I don't really like Bowie's music overall and I look forward to the next 74 albums I'll have to listen to of his on this list... 4/10 2 stars.

A haunting vision of mortality. This is one of those albums that gets better and better with repeated listens. Best track: I Can't Give Everything Away

I expect a lot from David Bowie. I know that this was his last album and he was dying while making this record, but I am just not a fan of this one. This doesnt even come close to Ziggy Stardust or some of his other albums. Girl loves me was a solid song. I liked the ending of the last track too. A lot of different noises and sounds on this record. He was a special artist. 3/10 he has much better albums.

Bowie's farewell album. I hope he's had a safe journey back to the far away galaxy he came from.

It’s rare to find an artist that is consistently making incredible and forward thinking music this far in their career. With David Bowie’s last album, he once again reinvents himself and comes back with an album that is musically interesting and lyrically mysterious. His death in the wake of this album release may have given context to the lyrics, but this album stands on its own.

Cancer, very sad.

So bad, I never want to hear any of this crap again

Nope. I never got the whole Bowie thing. I find most of his stuff dreary and droning. I quite literally fell asleep trying to listen to this. There are some interesting song ideas here, I guess, but then Bowie drones all over them. I still don't get the Bowie thing.

If you turned your life into art, then why not do the same with your death?

I walked into this one blind with the preconceived notion that it's impossibly overrated due to the fact that Bowie shuffled off his mortal coil just days after it was released. Obviously Bowie knew he was dying as he was making this, and many made a big deal about the "Look up here, I'm in heaven" line that opens "Lazarus". And realizing that the opening title track was close to ten minutes long didn't help create any excitement for me as I dove in. I was elated to find out all of this album's praise is well-deserved, and I ended up listening to the entire album in its entirety multiple times. As far as Swan Songs go, it's not quite Abbey Road, but it's a perfect send off for Bowie and right up there with Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust as his best albums. It's a beautiful and haunting - and yet somewhat not depressing - final bow. I'm not crazy about the album cover. It would have been poetic to instead have that final photo ever taken of Bowie, the one his wife Iman took of him smiling and holding a cigarette.

Pure unadulterated genius. Quietly and secretly taking the time to construct a final masterpiece before an unexpected and unannounced departure is something only Bowie could pull off. And it is a masterpiece, no doubt about that. What a badass baller move, man. Fucking Bowie. Even in death he's an innovator far ahead of our time, the likes of which we'll never see again. A rare, perfect gem, that blazes (that's right, BLAZES, not shines) brighter than any other. Thank you.

The word "genius" is thrown around too easily in music, but there's no other word to describe Bowie. This is dying as performance art. Should we have expected anything less from him? Not only that, but how many musicians are still transforming themselves on their 26th (!) album? Every track is brilliant and all the more deeper for the fact that he knew he was dying (although a few of them predate his cancer diagnosis). The song "Blackstar" is haunting - the 10 minute video is worth watching - disturbing and cool at the same time. "'Tis a Pity She was a Whore" - frenetic jazz over a driving bass line (that makes me think of "The Talking Drum" by King Crimson every time). "Lazarus" - this was the first one I heard off the album, seeing the video just after he died. Watching/listening to him sing "Look up here, I'm in heaven" was eerie (and still is). Again, death as performance art. "Sue (Or In a Season of Crime)" - the lyrics are a fun (?) descent into darkness. Almost like Poe - it also reminds me of some of the music on his album Outside (one of my favorites). "Girl Loves Me" - love the lyrics using words from A Clockwork Orange. Just another incredibly cool track (like all of them - let's also take a moment to acknowledge how awesome his band is on this album - also, how powerful is his singing on this album??). "Dollar Days" - this one is really tough to listen to, knowing that he was dying - the line "I'm dying to..." meant to be heard as "I'm dying, too." Is it a wail of despair or a cry of effort to make his last statement? Plus, that ending is so majestic with the combination of the sax solo, guitar line, and Bowie repeating "I'm trying to, I'm dying to." Man. Finally, "I Can't Give Everything Away" is just a beautiful ending to an amazing album and life. RIP genius and thanks for this beautiful, dark coda.

Where do I start with this wonderful parting gift Bowie left us with? What a wonderful fusion of modern electronic, rock, and jazz. How wonderful to hear wind instruments in contemporary pop. How great to listen to lyrics that aren’t afraid of non political correctness yet are also meaningful. Truly original and creative, and probably the best album of its decade. Blackstar the song is easily the best of its decade. Thank you, Bowie. I miss you

“And the clock walts so patiently on your song” Listening to him sing Lazarus is so sad. We love Bowie and he made this album for us on his deathbed. I've been trying to learn Bowie's "Soul Love" on guitar recently so I have been listening to it on Spotify. It has only half the number of plays that the song Deathstar does. If I could put my objective hat on, I would question if Bowie fans really don't like Soul Love as much. But I can't get my objective hat on today; it just doesn't fit. Rather than spending his last 6 months with his loved ones he spent the time making an album for us.

Qué brutalidad de disco. Qué brutalidad el momento en que se estrenó. Nunca he sido mucho de comprender las letras de las canciones y acá no va a ser la excepción pero qué brutalidad la de David Bowie. Hasta las palabras tienen melodía. Qué brutalidad los brasses y las percusiones. Los poquititos riffs bien selectos. Qué pinche discazo. Brutal.

i haven't the faintest idea how to write about this, so i'm giving myself a break and kind of deciding not to. at least not a proper review. for one: this thing's highly self-referential, if not to specific moments and bits of iconography from Bowie's career, then at least to Bowie's status As a career artist. i don't know anything about Bowie's work, not really. i've heard some singles. i'd heard spiders from mars before. and that's like it. yeah, lack of background knowledge hasn't stopped me from providing real write-ups to other records—i got the last (real) Doors album as my First Doors album and i managed that just fine. but man, this is different. the man's dying. so look, i'll just say i like this a lot. i can't give everything away coaxed some very real tears out of me at nine am on a monday. and that's that. … okay, but look, while we're here, the idea that an artist's death leads to their work being OverHyped or something feels extremely Foolish. there's already this arbitrary purist tendency among critics and more snob-adjacent music fans to try to Pull music from its context as much as possible. you see it when a negative review claims an album "aged poorly," and you see it all the time in whatever follows "people only like this because []." but like. music isn't Just music, right? the story Matters, the artist's charisma and their background and politics and the musical landscape the record was released in and the Fucking album title and the cover and the promotion—all that shit matters, because why the hell Wouldn't it? like it or not, You're bringing a lot of baggage from outside the music itself into your listening experience as well. your own background and taste, the setting you happened to hear the music in, your choice of medium itself (headphones? knockoff earbuds? speakers? vinyl? streaming? are you a sit-still-and-close-your-eyes style listener or a pace-outside-or-around-the-room style listener? do you check your phone? it's not a sin to check your phone!) this shit Matters. an artist up and fucking dying after releasing an album changes the context because art is fluid and squishy and weird. that's, like. a Lot of the appeal, honestly. i continue to not understand why anyone expresses interest in this form at all if they're going to approach it with such rigidity. how do you enjoy music? this art form, even more than Most, defies that kind of thinking! what is in this for you? …that's a rhetorical question, and i don't actually think it's that complicated. i don't think someone is, like, evil, or stupid, for approaching art differently than me. it's just music. who cares. but it does also, honestly. makes me a bit uncomfortable. that's all. i'll get off the soapbox now. y'all do y'all, it ain't serious.

There is a small handful of swan song albums on this list, recorded with the knowledge that their long life was coming to end. They're often very powerful statements. But, true to form, no one ever created a swan song quite like David Bowie. "Blackstar" is a unique album, within Bowie's discography and also within popular music more generally. It's daringly innovative, like much of Bowie's best work. Released on his 69th birthday and a mere 2 days before his passing. The death of an artist is usually a massive boost to both sales and reviews but "Blackstar" was already a critical hit in those last days before the public knew he was dying. What is so incredible about this album is the near lack of nostalgia. Compare to the final outings of people like Johnny Cash and Leonard Cohen, who powerfully delivered conclusive reviews of their lives and careers. If "Blackstar" did the same, we'd still be talking about it but it would hit very differently. Bowie was always at his best when looking forward and it's particularly startling to hear him do that when there is no forward. It creates the effect of starring into the abyss. The whole album feels mystical and cryptic. It's a clear reflection of death but also feels so full of energy and life. The music can best be described as art rock jazz with heavy influence from electronic music and experimental hip hop, which is a hell of a statement from a former glam rock star, let alone one practically performing from his death bed. The lyrics are loaded with references to death but are oddly also feels new and fresh like Bowie is trying to cram as much life as possible into his final moments. It feels as though he has created yet another new persona here, not unlike the eldery astronaut at the end of 2001: A Space Odyssey who is simultaneously dying and having life changingly bizarre experiences in his final moments. There are references to Bowie's youth here as well, though they're harder to spot. The saxophone is a dominant instrument here, calling back to both his early love of jazz and his first band, The Konrads. The highly unusual "Girl Loves Me" contains century-old slang terms from the British gay community (signaling back to his days of sexual experimentation) and the invented language used in A Clockwork Orange (one of his favorite novels and a major influence on his career). This contrasts to the slightly shocking chorus "Where the fuck did Monday go?", suggesting a person who is running out of time and trying to make sense of it. Less subtle is his expression about never again seeing the English evergreens, which feels like a reflection on having left his homeland to settle in New York. I could keep going. There's so much that you can say about this album. In short it was an incredible parting gift from an amazing artist. It's widely recognized as a career highlight, within a decades long career that was filled with highlights. It's also a call to go back and revisit his whole discography, especially the later work which has fantastic hidden gems among the odd duds. Bowie is sadly missed but he left behind a legacy that will endure for decades to come. R.I.P.

I can remember where I was and what I was doing the first 2 times I listened to Blackstar. On release day, I thought it was an interesting venture by Bowie into a more experimental terrain. However, after his passing the lyrics started to make sense and to this day, I still feel amazed by the fact that even in the face of death, Bowie decided to turn his own mortality into his final artistic expression. Truly amazing and it marked me to this day.

5 black stars

This is one of the best albums I've ever heard. I'll never forget the first time I listened to it. A song or two were released prior to Bowie's death, but when the album came out, Bowie had just died or died within days of it. The album is as perfect a mix of who Bowie is than any record I've heard from him. Brilliant musical pieces with depth and lyrics that haunt me to this day. A beautiful, tragic, and complete album that delivers beyond the music and lyrics. I can't say enough about this album.

Bowie has a perfect score with me so far with the albums that have appeared. His last album is as daring and creative as his many others, and it without a doubt cements him as the greatest solo musician in popular music of all time. Creative genius. It is tough to separate the spooky vibe of the album from his death shortly after its release. And because of that, we inherently must praise this album as it carries with it a tribute to all that made Bowie a legend.

This is special to me because of when and how it was released, two days before his death, like a gift for us all. Maybe not his most immediately memorable tunes, but the jazz guys playing rock, lush production and the lyrics imbued with depth and sense of mortality make this very special. A last loving note to us, his fans.

This album immediately reminded me of another on this project: "You Want It Darker" by Leonard Cohen. Like Cohen, David Bowie seems to have a level of premonition about his own lingering death. The music, lyrics, and tone are all a bit eerie, even for Bowie, and possess a certain level of gloom throughout the album. Hearing a heavier than usual jazz flair from Bowie was also quite interesting. I tend to prefer Bowie more in the glam sphere, but the decision to go more jazzy was certainly intriguing, and what I believe to be an intentional decision to create some artistic contrast and dissonance. Bowie was no stranger to experimenting, and I feel like this album is no exception. This album defies falling into any one sound or genre. This album is also busy, and not necessarily in a bad way; there are many things going on in the tracks that paint a bizarrely beautiful picture. This is not my favorite iteration of Bowie, but it's certainly a captivating iteration nonetheless. Bowie went out on a high note with this album, reminding us why he was and continues to be a king of the weird.

2016 was one of those years, and Blackstar one of it’s best. Possibly Bowie’s finest moment.

I mean, what can I say about this album? It might just be my favourite Bowie record. It’s him at his most experimental, a great achievement at the end of such a long career. I did not consciously experience Bowie’s passing, but I am of course familiar with the context. Therefore, it does not have such a heavy emotional impact on me as some others have mentioned in the reviews, though I always have goosebumps listening to this album. After the weird, lush opener of the album, we can groove along with the energetic and lyrically graphic ‘Tis A Pity She Was A Whore. Lazarus is a devastating song, but it might be my favourite. Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime) is fast and groovy like ‘Tis A Pity, with some of the craziest drumming I’ve ever heard. And man, that outro. Girl Loves Me might be my least favourite song on here, but I love the electronic aspects of it. Dollar Days and I Can’t Give Everything Away transition into each other and are the perfect way to end this album: they are sad, they are beautiful, they are an emotional goodbye. Fastest 5⭐ I’ve ever given. Absolutely love this album. Love love love. RIP BOWIE

Absolutely brilliant, experimental and challenging. You rarely expect someone 50 years into their career to still be making such flat out weird music, but Bowie delivers as always.

Me gusta el concepto del álbum, la expresión de la vida del artista en sus último momentos y como conectan desde lo teatral. Asi también como los mensajes pueden interconectar entre canciones

What a legend. What a hero. Fun, unique music after such a long career? Hell yes.

This is #day315 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… just yesterday, I got The Stooges' Fun House, and today, Bowie. It's not fun here anymore, though. I'm not sure what else there's to say about this record, except that it was one of my AOTYs back in 2016 (alongside A Moon Shaped Pool and Skeleton Tree). My then-future wife brought me a CD copy from Germany, and I still keep it (along with the other two). I love the confluence of genres on this album, the free-form sax in particular. And then there's that atmosphere of impending doom, the omnipresence of goodbye between the lines. Or… is it even between the lines? Listening to this today, it feels like everything's right on the surface, like Bowie's practically enunciating from one song to the next that he's fucking dying... It's a difficult album to listen to. As great as it is, I don't feel like revisiting it. Kind of like The Cure's most recent effort, Songs of a Lost World... it hits too hard, and sometimes I just can't handle it. Anyway, this is a beautiful yet poignant farewell. My favorites are the title track, "Lazarus," and, I guess, "I Can't Give Everything Away." This is a 5 out of 5. Looking forward to #day316.

This is a very powerful and emotional album. Musically, it is one of Bowie's best (he is variable, for example I really did not like Aladdin Sane last week). Blackstar is really good with lots of influences (jazz and others) and excellent musicians but it is still very Bowie. BUT just listening to the music at face value doesn't do full justice to the album. In Bowie style, he made himself part of the art, not with an alter ego this time, but as his very self. What a way to say farewell as a musician and artist, bringing out such a work and dying two days later. The context transforms this 5* album in a bigger fatter 5* album. What a performance.

Blackstar Where The Fuck Did Monday Go? I don’t think I’ve listened to this since it appeared, and then when he orchestrated his death as part of the artistic statement. I remember thinking it was a great album, but I’ve only rarely revisited since, as it all feels a bit sad. So it’s great listening 9 and a bit years on, and it's clear at this remove that this is a truly excellent album in its own right, irrespective of the sadness and death and legacy. And it’s probably worth 5 stars for the opening track alone (and another 5 for track 2, and trac 3, and so on). But when you do factor in his death and how and when he recorded it, it gives the album a genuinely affecting resonance and fall of light. References to death and existence and mortality are everywhere in the lyrics and, I think, in the celestial harp sound at the very start of and throughout Blackstar. But it’s never maudlin or self indulgent, and neither is it cold or detached, it seems to tread the line between the two, balancing introspection and playful curiosity. Musically it’s dense and weighty but simultaneously ephemeral, it glides and skims as well as anchoring itself, and it feels like there are musical references to his past too, some drum and bass, some Station to Station-ness. The percussion is also incredible throughout, and I love the jazziness, it really suits some of the sombre and discordant tones. The title track is superb, maybe one of his best songs, the skitteriness and synth bass before it moves into the second part with the ‘Something happened’ lyric and nagging refrain. ‘Tis A Pity She Was a Whore is incredible too, it feels strangely disconcerting and creepy, and the agitated playing is fantastic. Lazarus has a slight Roxy Music-ness to it, and a great, mesmeric groove and superb, moving lyric. I like how it shifts slightly with the gritty, funk guitar and slightly echoey, ecclesiastical sounding vocal of Sue, the combination creates a great bit of tension and strain. Girl Loves Me is another amazing song, the hook is extremely catchy and I love the James Murphy assisted funereal-synth feel. Dollar Days of course has the dying to/too pun and despite the melancholy lyrics has a slightly hopeful feel to me, flowing fantastically into the serenity of I Can’t Give Everything Away. It’s a brilliantly sequenced album, moving gracefully from anxiety and restlessness into acceptance and a sense of stillness and peace. I’ve listened to this a lot over the past couple of days, I just kept wanting to come back to it, and to be able to orchestrate this as his swansong is unbelievable, knowing he was dying and making one of his best albums is absurd really, and to make an album about mortality that is so full of life, that makes you want to come back to it. It’s probably only really matched as a eulogy to en ending by Abbey Road. 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤 Playlist submission: Blackstar

Where the fuck did Monday go? -> apt lyric because I'm listening to this on a deadbeat Monday which I'm subbing in as the weekend because I had rehearsals all day during the real weekend. Anyway. I got so into this. The murky, tense grooves of track 4 and 5 are deliciousss. His voice and delivery is perfection. Also at one point my headphones got out of sync and it still sounded good, just even more arty, which is surely the mark of a good song lol. And what a farewell. I Can't Give Everything Away didn't make me cry, instead it gave me a sense of satisfaction, of joy and pride about Bowie's life and what he did. Beautiful and dazzling creative to the end <3

One last masterpiece by Bowie

Day339 - i loved this the day it came out and it just gets cooler every listen

Haunting and awesome.

If I had known that I would die within a day, then this album definitely became the final sketch of my life path. Everything is perfect in it: from the musical part and vocals, to the images that Bowie builds for us. This is a requiem, an epitaph that Bowie left in this world and this is what deserves every minute spent listening to the album.

To the very end of his life (which came just two days after Blackstar’s release), David Bowie was unafraid to dip his toe into new musical waters; long past the point of having to prove anything to anyone, he still drew inspiration from hip hop and electronic music, art rock and jazz, blending it all into a dazzling, deeply emotional sonic symphony that stands with the very best of his work. A beautiful end to a singular life.

Bowie's 26th and final studio album. There has been a lot written on the songs and their meaning pertaining to his impending death. It is pretty clear that a number of them are written addressing exactly that, especially given the timing of the album's release and his death two days later. This album was recorded in NYC with a jazz quartet. As opposed to telling a bunch of studio rock musicians to try and play jazz, this was the opposite, have a jazz quartet play like rock band. Well, I think this is sort of true; they still sound very much like jazz but is one the reasons it has a very unique and great sound. The more you listen to this album, the sadder it kind of becomes but the more you appeciate the orchestrated final act of Bowie. Every song kind of has a majestic feel to it; Bowie's voice with a complex and improvised jazz backing. "Blackstar" has a unique percussion, sounds more like an orchestra and makes allusions to his impending death. Similarly, the lyrics in "Lazarus" stress how one day soon he'll be free and in "Dollar Days" how he'll never get to see the English evergreens hell try to get to. Maybe, my favorite song for the music is "I Can't Give Everything Away" with its improvised jazz. There are so many great last albums for artists to say this is the best but it ranks up there and I don't know if there is one that so specifically conveys it is the swan song.

Black Star is the most perfect requiem ever written. David Bowie knew he was dying and injected that last months of soul searching and reflection into this album. It was heart wrenching to listen to its for the first time a feq days after he had passed away. I one way it felt ghoulish but for the most part it was a fitting tribute and parting gift from an artist that has meant so much to me.

I have bandmates who proclaim this their favorite Bowie record but they also love Tool and Queensrÿche and wish our fun little psyche garage band was more like Tool and Queensrÿche, which tracks. It's interesting, uncompromised, very much feeling like this was his vision out at the rim of the abyss, but like a lot of eras of Bowie (that whole techno decade), it's not what I go to Bowie for.

As someone who’s much more of a fan of Bowie’s 70s work, Blackstar initially felt like a challenging listen. The opening title track didn’t grab me—it’s abstract and sprawling, and that’s usually a turn-off. But once I got past it, the album revealed a deeply emotional and artistically rich experience. The highlight for me is “Dollar Days”—a stunning, melancholic piece that echoes the melodic sensibility of his classic era while embracing the vulnerability of his final work. It’s a powerful farewell, even if not everything here hits the mark.

The ultimate example of a master releasing an important album in their late career. Provoking, relevant and absolutely engaging, not just an aged great crooning over background music. Dylan's Tempest and Lenard Cohen's You Want It Darker don't quite measure up to this.

the final studio album released by david bowie, a quirky and honestly heartbreaking swan song from one of the most known composers in the art pop sphere. bowie wasn't holding anything back, this album is by far his oddest, and after knowing it came out only two days before he passed... it's almost poetic. he was going to pass on stage, the walls crumbling and birds circling his eventually lifeless body. compared to other albums where life and death is talked about straight, bowie almost treats it like he's ascending to the next realm. he sings exactly how he wants to, and the musicians that join him do their own thing as well. it's a haunting, yet strangely cosmic and beautiful mess. at first it throws you off, and depending on who listens to it they might be thrown off the whole time, but above all else, there's a concept. i can almost see his ghost, standing in my room, bursting with one last song before he disappears.

A good album and a sombre feel to it before his death. Some of the songs have a melonic tone and his voice is good throughout. It is just enough to not over egged or overdone.

felt like I was at a party at a New York apartment that had really gorgeous big art and huge sofas and I’ve taken a pill and I’m coming up slowly and then it all went a bit weird and and then it just got really good and I was just moving my body and melting into the sofa.

This man changed my life and sculpted so many of my musical tastes. This album is yet another serving of his endless creativity: unique, exciting, tragic. This heavy dish is not for easy listening.

I can’t speak from experience, but I figure it must be very difficult to make a swansong album. On top of knowing your end is at hand (mentally and physically), but you must also leave your fans with something good to remember you by. I remember David Bowie’s passing somewhat well, but never heard that he released an album two days prior to his death. I’m regretfully not well-versed in Bowie’s discography to say whether or not it’s the perfect end for him, but as a stand-alone album, it is a great swan song. Lazarus in itself feels like a proper emotional goodbye to a legendary artist. Blackstar in its entirety presents classic Bowie with hints of art and experimental jazz. The result is an album that as haunting as it is reflective. I can’t say it was perfect, but for what it is, it works well. It’s a very fitting goodbye for someone such as David Bowie. Favorite track: Lazarus Other hits: I Can’t Give Everything Away, Dollar Days, Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime), Tis A Pity She Was A Whore

An exotic, beautiful and haunting trip through the mind of a musical genius coming to terms with his own death, ★ is an essential album to any Bowie fan. In face of extreme adversity, David Bowie managed to succeed in originality, sofistication and emotion in nearly every song. Truly a powerful statement to end a legendary career.

Not sure if this is up with Bowie’s greats, but each of three playthroughs moved me, and I love the atmosphere of this record, circumstances of its making perhaps playing into that. The skittish drums, the sax-playing that calls back to when it was used as an instrument of manic intensity with the Stooges, and Bowie wringing his ghostliest dregs out of his voice are my first notes on what makes this special. I’m reminded of his Berlin records, as this is largely mood music with some exquisite song-songs in between. This was the record that made me realise - belatedly, of course - that his authenticity was in his theatricality, which he maintained to his death, and is still bold. I am excited to see what Simon thinks!

When I first heard the title track on the radio I was stunned - excited for a new Bowie album for the first time since Outside 20 years ago (then)! And so it is, with new ones always viewed as "his best since..", this one was easily the most *interesting* since Lodger. Its (almost immediate) poignancy adds to the mystery. What an unbelievable talent, what a legacy

4 At the risk of coming off as melodramatic, I feel like I have to start this review off by saying David Bowie’s death is still the one that has upset me more than any other famous person to date. I can remember exactly when and where I was when I heard the news - on my way to my morning class at the Psychology building at Michigan State University… and I cried. I previously talked about what the man means to me in my Hunky Dory review, so I won’t get too into that here, but January 11, 2016 was a sad day in history for me (he passed the day before, but the news didn’t break until the next day… no pun intended) Anyway, sorry for the schmaltzy anecdote, but I do believe his terminal diagnosis and eventual death is important context for the listening of this album. These songs were knowingly his final creative offerings, his final testimony, and a final thank you to the world and those who loved him. Musically, it sounds unlike anything of his released prior - I think the closest comparison would be the soundscape of the Berlin Trilogy, but even then this feels distinct in that it relies more on a jazz backdrop than an electronic one. Supposedly Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly was a huge influence, which I’ve always found fascinating. I think it speaks a lot to Bowie’s musical passion that a modern icon of a completely different genre could influence and inspire him this late into his career (reminds me a bit of Johnny Cash and Hurt). Lyrically, the album is filled with introspection and reflection upon a career and life that was unapologetically brazen. However, it definitely adds a certain haunting element to the music - I mean, look at the first verse of Lazarus: “Look up here, I'm in heaven I've got scars that can't be seen I've got drama, can't be stolen Everybody knows me now” Chills. So, that all being said, this isn’t my favorite Bowie album, nor do I find myself picking out individual songs to listen to on it often. I would even say there are some minor misses for me here in ‘Tis a Pity She Was a Whore and Sue (Or in a Season of Crime), which I don’t feel like quite fit the rest of the album tonally. Yet, as a whole, the complete package is a unique piece of art that feels cathartic whenever I decide to listen, like another chance to say goodbye to an old friend. It may not be perfect, but it’s an excellent bookend to the career of an artist who only falls to this Earth once in a lifetime.

I remember the double whammy of having this drop and then Bowie passing shortly after. With that retrospect, it’s clear this LP is both a reflection on and confrontation of mortality. Not all the new instrumental ideas work, but there is an overall feeling of completeness and tempered celebration that makes the album flow despite its rougher sections. Few of us will have the chance to eulogize our own death beforehand, but then again no one was quite like Bowie.

The mythos of this album is something otherworldly; the music is, too, but like much that is alien, it’s at times challenging to fully comprehend.

Very cool very swag I like

It’s weird that it’s been five years already. I’ve never really listened to this one, so far it’s melancholic but 100% Bowie. He knew he was close to the end.

David Bowie delivers again, this was utterly haunting and danced around into at times what felt like 11 different genres. Just experiment after experiment, with every track bringing something unique and I really appreciated it all. RIP Bowie.

Im not sure this is one of the greatest albums ever made. But it is a grand and complex gesture to music and the world from the eyes of a dying icon. Not sure ill ever listen to it again but im glad I did once.

I came into this wanting to find flaws and I just can’t find them. Is it a five star album? Not quite, but it is bold as hell, bursting with freak folk, free jazz, glitch, soul and post rock influence that doesn’t feel forced and featuring some highly affecting lyrical hooks that certainly push it to a four even if you push the heavy context out of your mind.

Part of me feels like I should've liked this more while the other part of me is surprised I liked this at all in the first place

I can't be the only one who heard Bowie was releasing an album called Black Star and assumed it was about his wife. It isn't, color me surprised. Another surprise is that I actually found myself enjoying the rest of this album much more than I did when it was first released. It can be a little indulgent but the soundscape is awesome, particularly the sax that appears throughout, the guitars on Lazarus and the synths on Cant Give Everything Away. A lot of beauty in the lyrics but its also a little weird hearing a skeletal geriatric sing about looking for ass in the big apple. However, although I know very little about David Bowie's music, this feels authentic. High 3* for me.

Enjoyed Blackstar, Lazarus and Dollar Days. Found some of the other songs a little less enjoyable. It is Bowie so I came into the listen knowing that there were going to be some quirkiness. Probably should be on the list because of influence and last album.

Very dark and eerie album aesthetics. The drums and saxophone shined the most through the large array of accompaniment throughout. Bowie’s vocals show age, but used to unique interpolations across the album. ‘Lazarus’ was a standout for sure, but not an album i’ll be revisiting to top to bottom anytime soon.

I love David Bowie. I really do. And hell do I love glazing my idols' obscure and experimental work. But hell nah. I feel like this record gets way more praise than it deserves because of the guy who made it and what happened to him a couple days after releasing it. The experimentation doesn't sit right with me. The vocals are awkward (even when used to Bowie's unusual singing in other projects), and the songwriting that we see in Bowie's other records is just not there.

Controversial opinion but this would've flopped if Bowie hadn't died like immediately after releasing it

I wonder how well this album would've been received had Bowie not died as it released. It feels like the music and the vocals were recorded without either party knowing what the other was doing. The only well recorded song is Lazarus

Is it genius, or is Uncle David just having a another series of breakdowns? "He's not feeling well! If it makes him happy you leave him alone!" "Yeah, but it's not even like music. It's like 5 chimps in a room of instruments, half the time." "He's on a lot of pain killers and the music represents how he is feeling." "Well I guess I don't understand Cancer or Music, then do I?" "No! You don't. Now back to your ignorance with you!"

Apologies to teary eyed Bowie devotees, especially the enforcers of the Bowie Orthodoxy on BBC 6Music and even R3. This is not very amazing. It's the same formula of 'get some already out of date eclectronic-lite rhythms and then do-a-Bow-eee-voice all over them' that haunts a lot of his later work. It's inoffensive and has it's moments. The eponymous opener does sound like the soundtrack to some as yet unmade space opera, Dollar Days is very nearly a nice song to go out on. I don't know, I was honestly expecting more given the extreme reverence this one gained, I hoped it would be a touching or disturbing goodbye from one of our greatest music icons. Really, it's just more of the same.

Last album by the great. It’s really hard to judge considering how it was written. But it is also hard to listen to

You've gotta be kidding me. A week after one 2010s Bowie album, I get another one. Just as I said yesterday, this list is like 1001 bowie and Morrisey albums, with a few bonus other things. As I said with Bowie's 25th album, there is no reason someone's 26th album should be on this list. Even less. I get that he died right after this, but this isn't like Nirvina Nevermind or something when an artist dies right in their prime. Dimery really needs to douse his fanboy flames on this. Anyway, ranting aside, the albums starts off oddly, but not really off character for Bowie. Some of these tracks sound like Bowie doing a dark interpretation of church choir music. It's not terrible, but it certainly doesn't deserve a place on this list. 1/5 for relevancy/impact. 2/5 on actual listenability.

I am frustrated by the curve on which we as a society grade an aging artist's late-career projects that have no actual cultural or chart impact. It's like the bullshit "lifetime achievement award" to pay your respeks. "Oh wow, so brave, good for you still out there making music." Who honestly wants to this self-indulgent shit instead of a contemporary artists at the top of their game. Listen to his back catalog and then this and tell me they are being judged the same way. I DGAF if he died, this still sounds like shit. I'm sick of everyone pretending this kind of stuff is good just because of the artist's "legendary" status.

Blimey, that was good!

I remember when this came out, it just didn't click for me then. But now, it's exactly what I want. It's fabulous and I'm a dufus for not liking it before now.

There are too many Bowie records on this list. I'd pare it down to 3, but keep this one. Even putting aside the timing of his death... I just feel like I'm listening to music from another planet, like what an alien thinks rock music sounds like. A true treat.

Bowie being utterly brilliant right to his bitter end.

I love this album so much. I vividly remember listening to this for the first time a couple days before Bowie died. Little did I know what was about to happen. Although in hindsight this album is the perfect farewell. And, apropos of Bowie, very different from anything he’d done. Leave it to David Bowie to put out a jazz art rock album then die two days later. I was so excited about the new direction he was taking and I don’t hesitate to call Bowie the preeminent musical genius of our time. This album sums up what he was as an artist and what he wanted his legacy to be. This is one of my favorite albums of all time. It’s heartbreaking and wonderful. 5/5

Blackstar is the most unique Bowie album. It's certainly the most unique sound in his work it's a much more jazz-style album and fits very much within avant-garde styles of music, with lush harmonics and dark, unsettling tones. The album shows that Bowie hadn't lost any of his creativity or his curious approach to music and art. The lyrics are haunting and soul wrenching, with lines like the repeated "Where the fuck did Monday go?" and "I'm dying to". The album is someone coming to terms with their own mortality, and there is something quite Terry Pratchett like in Bowie's view of death. The album reaches its emotional peak in Lazarus. Which when I watched the video for the first time a few days after his death. It had me in tears but at the same time gave me a huge smile, and it still makes me well up whenever I listen to it now. To me, each song seems to be tackling a different stage of grief feeling disorientated in Blackstar, feelings of anger in Sue and Tis a Pity..., depression and self-reflection in Lazarus and Girl Loves Me, And finally, acceptance in Dollar Days and I Can't Give Eveything Away. It's a very special album to any Bowie fan. He was one of the most unique individuals in music, driven by a need to create art. Not everything he made was good, some of his work is terrible (his weird 80s–90s period). It is simply a perfect goodbye.

Best ever

A beautiful swansong. Minimalist but brilliant music spread throughout the relatively short final set of songs from the master. I Can't Give Everything Away would probably go on my Desert Island Discs, what an amazing song.

In his final days David Bowie created one of his finest works of art. The lyrics ooze humor and charm. The jazzy instrumentation creates a haunting atmosphere. Just a perfect final chapter. The GOAT.

Imagine turning your impending death into an artistic project? Bowie did, and it is incredible. Mine would probably just be a video of me curled into the fetal position screaming "I want to live!"

Absolutely fabulous

Yes

Rest in peace, Bowie, you are a legend. This album is phenomenal, his aged voice is so rich and adds great texture to the whole album. You can hear how much effort it was taking to sing compared to when he was young - he sounds pretty tired throughout and his (with love) old person vibrato is really pronounced, but he makes it work really well with the sound of the album. The instrumentals are so good. Epic fun fact from wikipedia: "Bowie took inspiration from artists including Kendrick Lamar and Death Grips." Makes a lot of sense. And makes sense the band he used is all local jazz musicians, they are very skilled and do so many interesting lines and textures. Crazy this is his *twenty-sixth* album! Goddamn, I Can't Give Everything Away is so incredible. Anyway this is one of my favorite albums. Maybe someday I'll pay attention to the lyrics a little bit :D

Leave me alone It's a 5

A statement like this is the kind of thing that gets a person piled-upon on social media, but this is my favourite David Bowie album. Every song is fantastic, and Donny McCaslin's playing is the perfect addition. RIP to one of the greatest.

November 8, 2025 Album #798: Blackstar (stylized as ★) by David Bowie Genre: Art Rock, Jazz Rock, Experimental Jazz, Experimental Rock So I’ve finally gotten to it. David Bowie’s final album before his death, Blackstar, was a little bit of a tough listen for me. Bowie passed two days after this album was released from liver cancer, and it’ll forever be engrained with this album. I greatly respect Bowie, and I wish I did more when he was alive, so this album stirred up some emotion for me. Bowie looks back and comes face to face with death on full display with this album, with allusions to and themes of mortality being present throughout the record. The title track and opener is a ten minute epic that doesn’t overstay its welcome. Bowie feels like an enigma here with his sorrowful vocals and its memorable chorus. However, after the more energetic *’Tis A Pity She Was A Whore*, Bowie really shines on the stunning and emotionally resonant *Lazarus*. The themes of mortality are obvious here, and that it can make the song very emotional. The macabre lyricism here reflects those themes so well. It’s a foreboding song that’s just stellar. After the erratic *Sue (Or In A Season of Crime)* and the disjointed *Girl Loves Me*, we get the sentimental *Dollar Days* and its fantastic morbid lyricism. The final track here, *I Can’t Give Everything Away*, feels like a swan song from Bowie, and that term really sums this album up as a whole. Bowie was a genius right up until his death. This album is one of the best of the 2010s, I cannot reccomend it enough. Rest in peace David Bowie. Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, Strong 9 to a 10 Favorite Tracks: ★, ‘‘Tis A Pity She Was A Whore, Lazarus, Sue (Or In A Season of Crime), Girl Loves Me, Dollar Days, I Can’t Give Everything Away

What an amazing story behind this album ❤️ Bowie was the best, the most talented the cleverest and funniest. Faced death with strength and determination and gave us this beautiful gift.

It's impossible to review this album without considering its context. I can understand why people who aren't well versed in his music would be underwhelmed by it. Musically, it's far from my favorite Bowie record, but it is quite good. It's interesting to hear him draw from contemporary sounds. Love the callbacks to Station To Station in the title track, and Low in the closer. It's also intriguing that he came back to the occult themes that were present in his late 70s output. When you view it as a bookend to an incredible career, and a piece that is actively in conversation with his earlier work, it's hard to call it anything other than a masterpiece.

Absolute gold

A wonderful gift from someone that is facing the inevitable. Thank you.

Another record that I cant be objective with. Its a record that means too much to me. I liked Bowie before this but I wouldn't have said I was a massive fan but when he died and put this out I really got it. Its a goodbye to everyone. And that hits like a semi truck. At the time I was going through a change in life and it felt like that part of my life had also passed away. It came at the perfect time and was exactly what I needed. Its been almost a decade since he passed, cant belive it, but it fell out of my everyday listening and this is the first time ive heard it since. I never forgot but it also wasn't in thr forefront of my mind anymore. This was nice to come back to. Its still very sad but also it give me some hope. And thats what music can do sometimes. Sometimes its just music and sometimes its much more than that.