Track Review: David Bowie - Where Are We Now?

David Bowie surprised everyone with the month's best kept secret that he was returning with a new album titled The Next Day. He also decided to drop this song "Where Are We Now?" as the first taste of what is to come from the album. I personally find it hard to really have any expectations of Bowie since I've really never explored much beyond Scary Monsters because drum and bass 90's Bowie doesn't really sound that interesting to me and the 2000-onward releases didn't really indicate as if I was missing out on much.

While "Where Are We Now?" isn't game-changing or revolutionary in any way, it does lend itself some charm with it's sad vocal performance, lush production, and depressing chord progression. It's a pretty tune and it does catch your ear with the subtle hook in the chorus: "Where are we now? Where are we now? The moment you know, you know, you know."

It's a nice, melancholy, and polished song, it doesn't seem like it sets itself to be more than just that and I think most people who are pissed off that this isn't a return to the experimenting Bowie we heard during the 1970's were really asking for more than they deserve. But then again, this is the first single, so perhaps we'll be surprised when the entire album drops. Who knows what awaits? I guess we don't really know where we are exactly...

Wandering thought: It'd be interesting if David Bowie did an entire album in slowcore style with songs that went in 10+ minute lengths that became slow burning epics with amazing production and instrumentation. I'm thinking a tamer The Seer meets Rollercoaster meets Station to Station meets Frigid Stars meets Low. Only in dreams!