David Bowie’s new track is experimental jazz taken to the extreme. Listen to his latest effort here.
David Bowie has been called the chameleon of music, and he definitely lives up to the title in his new song “Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime).”
Yes, it’s a jazz song. More than that, it’s an unhinged jazz song from the same man who brought us “Ziggy Stardust.”
If you imagine the type of smooth, easy jazz played at 2 a.m. in a classy cocktail joint, you’ll be sorely disappointed here. Bowie’s latest release embraces a more experimental jazz style, featuring odd melody combinations and loose, complicated rhythms.
Bowie’s voice is nearly unrecognizable on the song. “Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime)” opens with a horn section and swishing drums you might hear on an AM jazz radio station. When Bowie finally comes in, his words croon over the brass section with a warbled, emotive moan. While the vocals seem out of character for Bowie at first, they still have his signature quirkiness that makes his music so engaging and memorable.
The song might not sound anything like Bowie’s more classic, well-known hits, but it will be included on his upcoming release Nothing Has Changed. In many ways this sentiment is true. Bowie has never shied away from the strange and unusual. In that sense, nothing really has changed since he first came on the music scene in the 1960s. Where most artists stick to their shtick, Bowie has made an expansive career out of evolution. He rewrites himself on every record, changing his style to follow his latest musical interest.
Nothing Has Changed will follow this creative process. The album is a career retrospective that takes listeners on a tour of Bowie’s many musical hats. “Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime)” is one of many songs set to be released on the record. The official release date for Nothing Has Changed is set for November 28 this year.
Like many of the jazz classics that came before his time, Bowie’s newest track is a long one. Clocking in at more than seven minutes, you’ll need to dedicate a solid chunk of your free time to it. While the song is long, you can put it on in the background to get the same feeling from it. This is music designed to be atmospheric. It carves out a melodic nook to swirl around, rather than taking you through the formulaic verse-chorus-verse.
Take a listen to “Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime)” below:
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