Scary Monsters… and Super Creeps

This album feels like the twilight between the nocturnal artistic Bowie and the daytime pop superstar Bowie.

It's firmly rooted in the arty rock era of Bowie, with atmospheric tracks that alternate between melancholia and euphoria, like "Ashes to Ashes" and "Teenage Wildlife." However, unlike the albums that preceded it, this one is by far the most mainstream-oriented of the bunch, primarily due to the bubbling cauldron of new wave music at the tail end of the 70s and the beginning of the 80s, evident in those synths and overall tone.

Even though the album is waist-deep in new wave, it still demonstrates that Bowie had the expertise to distill the best parts from it and create what is probably his last great album until "Blackstar." Maybe Bowie should be the litmus test for evaluating how good an up-and-coming genre is?

I’ve gotta tip my hat to one of my internet friends for this one. I’m a huge Bowie fan, but I prefer his stuff from 1969 through 1977 best. After that, I kind of lose interest in the sound, probably because I have some kind of mental block against 80s music (even though the 80s were my formative years). I don’t know. Anyway, I’m glad I gave this album a chance. “Ashes to Ashes” is such a raw song, so deliciously referential.