hunky dory (david bowie)
I liked this one a lot. Ziggy Stardust was good, Hunky Dory is better. The songs are pretty versatile, but they're held together by Bowie's weird, wonderful voice, and a generally weird, charming vision. Bowie explores so many different styles here- a few of the tracks are darker and more philosophical, a few are lighter and more vaudevillian; there are nods to his heroes, and there are a few songs that really capture his soaring, magnificent strangeness.
"Changes" is legendary. An extraordinary opener. "Oh! You Pretty Things" is one of my favorite Bowie songs, it bears an incredible resemblance to the Beatles. "Life on Mars?" really grew on me, the mix of those delicate, almost victorian verses with that spectacular, soaring chorus- off the top of my head, I can't think of a song I've heard this year with a more overwhelming, iconic chorus. "Queen Bitch" simply rocks. The slighter, more upbeat, almost vaudevillian tunes are fun, "Kooks" and especially "Fill Your Heart With Love Today," one of my favorites. And "The Bewlay Brothers," which gives this vibe of a hopeless, hallucinogenic crawl through the desert (it sounds like it could be the soundtrack to some of those miniature Miro paintings) really grew on me… I love the strange instruments, on a versatile and strange album, it makes for a particularly versatile and strange closer.
Lots and lots of good stuff on this one. An eclectic and accessible album.
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