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Review:
Since David Bowie spent the '90s jumping from style to style, it comes as a shock that Hours, his final album of the decade, is a relatively straightforward affair. Not only that, but it feels unlike anything else in his catalog. Bowie's music has always been a product of artifice, intelligence, and synthesis. Hours is a relaxed, natural departure from this method. Arriving after two labored albums, the shift in tone is quite refreshing. "Thursday's Child," the album's engaging mid-tempo opener, is a good indication of what lays ahead. It feels like classic Bowie, yet recalls no specific era of his career. For the first time, Bowie has absorbed all the disparate strands of his music, from Hunky Dory through Earthling. That doesn't mean Hours is on par with his earlier masterworks; it never attempts to be that bold. What it does mean is that it's the first album where he has accepted his past and is willing to use it as a foundation for new music. That's the reason why Hours feels open, even organic - he's no longer self-conscious, either about living up to his past or creating a new future. It's a welcome change, and it produces some fine music, particularly on the first half of the record, which is filled with such subdued, subtly winning songs as "Something in the Air," "Survive," and "Seven." Toward the end of the album, Bowie branches into harder material, which isn't quite as successful as the first half of the album, yet shares a similar sensibility. And that's what's appealing about Hours - it may not be one of Bowie's classics, but it's the work of a masterful musician who has begun to enjoy his craft again and isn't afraid to let things develop naturally.
Track List:
1 Thursday's Child Bowie, Gabrels 5:24
2 Something in the Air Bowie, Gabrels 5:46
3 Survive Bowie, Gabrels 4:11
4 If I'm Dreaming My Life Bowie, Gabrels 7:04
5 Seven Bowie, Gabrels 4:04
6 What's Really Happening? Bowie, Gabrels, Grant 4:10
7 The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell Bowie, Gabrels 4:40
8 New Angels of Promise Bowie, Gabrels 4:35
9 Brilliant Adventure Bowie, Gabrels 1:54
10 The Dreamers Bowie, Gabrels 5:14
Log:
Since David Bowie spent the '90s jumping from style to style, it comes as a shock that Hours, his final album of the decade, is a relatively straightforward affair. Not only that, but it feels unlike anything else in his catalog. Bowie's music has always been a product of artifice, intelligence, and synthesis. Hours is a relaxed, natural departure from this method. Arriving after two labored albums, the shift in tone is quite refreshing. "Thursday's Child," the album's engaging mid-tempo opener, is a good indication of what lays ahead. It feels like classic Bowie, yet recalls no specific era of his career. For the first time, Bowie has absorbed all the disparate strands of his music, from Hunky Dory through Earthling. That doesn't mean Hours is on par with his earlier masterworks; it never attempts to be that bold. What it does mean is that it's the first album where he has accepted his past and is willing to use it as a foundation for new music. That's the reason why Hours feels open, even organic - he's no longer self-conscious, either about living up to his past or creating a new future. It's a welcome change, and it produces some fine music, particularly on the first half of the record, which is filled with such subdued, subtly winning songs as "Something in the Air," "Survive," and "Seven." Toward the end of the album, Bowie branches into harder material, which isn't quite as successful as the first half of the album, yet shares a similar sensibility. And that's what's appealing about Hours - it may not be one of Bowie's classics, but it's the work of a masterful musician who has begun to enjoy his craft again and isn't afraid to let things develop naturally.
Track List:
1 Thursday's Child Bowie, Gabrels 5:24
2 Something in the Air Bowie, Gabrels 5:46
3 Survive Bowie, Gabrels 4:11
4 If I'm Dreaming My Life Bowie, Gabrels 7:04
5 Seven Bowie, Gabrels 4:04
6 What's Really Happening? Bowie, Gabrels, Grant 4:10
7 The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell Bowie, Gabrels 4:40
8 New Angels of Promise Bowie, Gabrels 4:35
9 Brilliant Adventure Bowie, Gabrels 1:54
10 The Dreamers Bowie, Gabrels 5:14
Log:
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| Code: EAC extraction logfile from 2. July 2006, 20:04 for CD David Bowie / Hours... Used drive : TSSTcorpCD/DVDW TS-H552B Adapter: 0 ID: 1 Read mode : Secure with NO C2, accurate stream, disable cache Read offset correction : 12 Overread into Lead-In and Lead-Out : No Used output format : Internal WAV Routines 44.100 Hz; 16 Bit; Stereo Other options : Fill up missing offset samples with silence : Yes Delete leading and trailing silent blocks : No Installed external ASPI interface Range status and errors Selected range Filename E:\Documents and Settings\rat.TR-G50KCK082Q78\My Documents\David Bowie - Hours..by.rat.eac-ape\David Bowie - Hours....wav Peak level 99.9 % Range quality 93.7 % CRC 55783275 Copy OK No errors occured End of status report |