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David Bowie
By the time Bowie released Low, he already had a reputation for releasing odd, futuristic music. Low raised the ante considerably, moving headlong into expressionist tone poems that evoked futurism without the deliberate affectations of his various personas. The album’s packaging is incredibly austere, consisting solely of a profile shot on the front cover, with the rear panel totally blank. Such simplicity suits the contents well. Taking into account all that Bowie had done previously, Low is a unique artistic statement.
The brilliance of Low lies in its ability to convey a sublimely unconscious form of expression. Each song sounds as if it could be the product of a daydream. It sounds as though Bowie were able to tap into the inner workings of his thought patterns and follow them wherever they led, whether the result appeared logical or not. As a result, the imagery bounces from place to place, like thoughts formulating before they are formed into words. They are cacophonous, mischievous, distracting, exhausting. "Breaking Glass" is only one sublime example of this: "Lately I’ve been breaking glass in your room again. See. Don’t look on the carpet. I’ve done something awful on it." What in the world could that mean? "What in the World", "Always Crashing in the Same Car" and "Be My Wife" all follow similar methods of surreal expression, while sounding thoroughly unique from one another.
The album’s instrumental tracks are more plain in their evocations, since they each seem to capture a specific frame of mind. The entirety of side two is instrumental, as are the opening and closing tracks of side one, putting heavy emphasis on atmospherics over literacy. I don’t intend this to sound derogatory to either party (although both might consider this objectionable), but Low’s instrumental tracks sound as though they would provide perfect accompaniment to Walt Disney’s Epcot Center, especially in the morning near the arrival gate, or later in the evening after the fireworks display, as people wander back to their hotel rooms. I mention this because I want to point out the universality of Bowie’s instrumental music, and its ability to capture the imagination. Rarely is music so provocative and yet so peaceful at the same time.
Grade: 
 
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