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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
You little wonder, little wonder you....,
By
This review is from: Earthling (Audio CD)
I am always constantly impressed with how David Bowie easily slips out of one form of music and into another. In a day and age when techo beats are popular but lame, and I spend hours cowering in my room stuck musically in the 70's, this album pops out and suddenly I am back in the 90's again. Bowie flirts heavily with a Trent Reznor-like sound, but with his amazing voice, this experimental album works very well. The best track is "I'm Afraid of Americans." It just starts off and builds to this LOUD chorus. This is a good album to get if you are like me, not really into the 90's sound, but still are able to appreciate genius when you hear it (although I will always love the 70's Bowie glam more).
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Better Than Sales Figures Indicate,
By
This review is from: Earthling (Audio CD)
If I were a cynical little bugger, I might be inclined to say that Earthling finds Bowie in reactionary mode, hopping onto a trend instead of culling one of his own. I am not, however, a cynical little bugger. I fancy myself an open-minded, fair individual who judges things on their actual merit instead of first impressions. Therefore, being the wonderfully insightful person that I am, I am willing to accept that Bowie came about his obsession with the drums-and-bass branch of techno in a less than cynical manner, immersing himself in this style because he genuinely liked it, and not because it was perceived by other critics (much more cynical than myself) as the latest and greatest, bound to be next-big-thing.
Needless to say, `drums `n' bass' never was the next big thing. In reality, it barely got off the ground, since it appealed only to club-fiends with dilated pupils, who liked their music to be as underground as possible. That's quite a shame for them, though, because Earthling just might be one of the best drum-and-bass-style techno albums ever made. Unlike the huge majority of artists who dabble in the blips, bleeps and hyperkinetic rhythms that define this style, Bowie does not choose to neglect other more fundamentally sound ingredients, such as a real `song', or a genuine `melody'. In the rush to be the hippest DJ on the block, most purveyors of drums and bass don't even try to create `songs' or melodies, with the end result sounding as though it was created by some kid who forgot to take his Ritalin. Bowie was and always will be primarily a songwriter, and this album is all the richer for it. More than half of Earthling consists of near spastic syncopations, all of which are imaginatively constructed under some very good songs. `Under' is the key word here, since the songs could exist without the production and still sound pretty damn good. The arrangements here are genuinely fun, though, with sounds panning left and right, stopping and starting on the head of a pin, all in service to the song. To hear what this could sound like without the context of a talent like Bowie at the helm, check out just about anything by, say, Aphex Twin. There, the rhythmic skeleton exists for its own sake. Here, Bowie provides meat for the bones, giving you something to hum and think about while contorting yourself. A song like "Little Wonder" is a little wonder of its own devices, as is "Dead Man Walking". The songs that aren't so kinetically inclined are just as interesting; "I'm Afraid of Americans" is a humorous depiction of paranoia, with Bowie recoiling from a culture that inspires instant gratification and consumerism (as well as a free pass to the next big thing). Of course, Bowie's tongue is buried deep in his cheek here, especially considering that he remains one of the best purveyors of contemporary culture that we have. God bless him. A- Tom Ryan
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
No Small Wonder!,
By Martin A Hogan "Marty From SF" (San Francisco, CA. (Hercules)) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (2008 HOLIDAY TEAM) (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
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This review is from: Earthling (Audio CD)
Bowie's late 90's techno-pop experiment was a large departure for the chameleon king. Considering that nearly the entire album is drenched in programming and drum loops, it's nearly mechanical with no soul. Even so, there is an addictive quality to its musical presence. The opening track, "Little Wonder", is a hypnotical dance number that has drum patches bouncing around the speakers like gun spray. "Seven Years In Tibet" presents a much needed relief from the frenzy, until the chorus kicks in with a serious graveness. The layering of guitars and keyboards is fantastic. However, the lyrics in "Telling Lies" and "Looking For Satellites" are grating, repetitive and tiresome. A great standout cut is "I'm Afraid Of Americans", with a heavy bass-laden nastiness and some keyboard work with old buddy Brian Eno. The lyrics are funny and shocking at the same time. It's no little wonder that Bowie used this song as the album's representative cut on his collection set.
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