In Depth Preview Of Bowie's Record The Next Day!

While there have been rumors that rock icon David Bowie, had retired from music, he is now back on the music scene. The living legend has produced a beautiful single 'Where Are We Now?,' which will be on his new record 'The Next Day.'

According to rumors, 'The Next Day' consists of contemplative tracks, like the single. However, the rest of the songs should be faster. The producer of 'The Next Day' and 12 of Bowie's previous records, Tony Visconti, confirms the rumors in an interview to the Guardian. The new record is going to have 5 blistering tracks, followed by some mid-tempo songs that have mysterious sound to them.

Listening to the single 'Where Are We Now?,' you might think that Bowie's music has evolved into a more mellow tune, and that his voice is going to sound old on the new album. Following Tony, that's not the case. However, Bowie wanted to show a more vulnerable side with the first song. So, while 'Where Are We Now?' sounds very low-key, elsewhere on the album Bowie is going to sing in full voice like on the epic 'Heroes' album. According to Tony, Bowie sang so loud on the new album that he sometimes literally had to step away from Bowie in the studio.

The recordings of 'The Next Day' took two years, and was done in NYC's Magic Shop Studios. Following Tony, the people Bowie worked with were all old friends from previous studio recordings and tours. The closed circle made it possible to keep the project secret, quite an achievement in a modern society that gets information through the internet and smartphones.

Earlier, Bowie had told Tony that he didn't want to make music anymore. However, when David Bowie contacted him to record a new album,Tony wasn't surprised. With Bowie being a creative artist, Tony thinks, that Bowie after 10 years of silence needed to be creative again.The songs that Bowie created in the studio sounded fantastic, and he was extremely productive. While, there are 14 songs on the album and even 17 on the deluxe edition, they recorded an impressive 29 tracks in the studio. Although, they all were stunning songs they didn't all fit the new album. This also means, that we can expect another new album from Bowie. While, he isn't sure exactly when, Tony thinks, that Bowie is going back to record in the studio later this year. This sounds promising, also considering that 'Where Are We Now?' already has received great reviews from established critics.

Neil McCormick, who is a music critic at The Telegraph, argues that Bowie's new single could be the most surprising and perfect comeback in music history. The song is perfect structured and has a unique mysterious sound, and it makes you want to listen the other songs on the coming record.

NME Track Reviews calls Bowie's single an addictive song. NME Track Reviews describes it as perfectly structured, and a song that should be on future Bowie greatest hits records.

While, Ultimate Classic Rock thinks that Bowie's voice is heartening, and the that the song is a ear worm.

I have to agree. I have heard the song many times, because I had to press repeat - again and again. The song really grows on you, and it is impressive, how it crawls under your skin.

If you are a hardcore Bowie fan, you would know that the front cover on 'The Next Day' album is from 'Heroes.' In a recent interview on the website Ultimate Classic Rock, front cover designer Jonathan Barnbrook told, that with the 'new old' cover Bowie refers to the album title 'The Next Day.' The use of old material in new material is in the music industry often associated with a greatest of record. Not so with this cover. With 'The Next Day' cover, Bowie wanted to express the spirit of great rock music, "which is 'of the moment,' forgetting or obliterating the past," says Barnbrook. However, we never succeed escaping our past. Especially, artists like David Bowie are always, in some way or the other, judged by their history, Barnbrook reasons. At the same time, human conditions paradoxical pushes us forward as human beings, forcing us to leave our past, because we can't chose not to. Barnbrook argues, that Bowie wanted to illustrate this by obscuring the cover from 'Heroes' and overwriting the original text.

'The Next Day' will be on the streets the 8th 2013 in Australia, the 11th in the rest of the world, except USA, where the album is available the 12th.

Read the full preview of the new Bowie album + bonus info and a review of the single at The Next Day Preview.