On his new album, David Bowie does Classic Bowie. Heathen (Sony) is a conscious throwback to Bowie’s classic rock style, blending electric guitars with waves of synthesiser à la his pioneering late-Seventies phase, yet constructing songs that move steadily and satisfyingly from verse to chorus to bridge and back to chorus.
The best sign that Bowie’s songwriting and arranging skills are up to par is that two of the weakest songs here are covers. His version of The Pixies’ Cactus just sounds like it was a Bowie song all along — from about 1970. And churning through Neil Young’s rather basic I’ve Been Waiting for You does nothing for either Bowie or the song.
But it’s the new Bowie-penned tracks that count, and several are certifiable Bowie classics. Slip Away, despite its bland title, is a marvel of odd characters and strange twists of phrase, and Slow Burn is as good a rock song as you’ll find anywhere today. Heathen (The Rays) is an sci-fi epic in miniature, and Everyone Says Hi is touching and delightful. These are anthemic songs, and none more so than the madly hummable A Better Future: it may sound a bit retro in this post-Cold War age, but it is basically what Moby’s hit We Are All Made of Stars wants to be when it grows up.
Andreas Johnson: Deadly Happy (Warner)
Swedish singer/songwriter Johnson returns with a second album of confident pop that is more self-assured and better put together than Darren Hayes’s recent debut Spin, which is modelled on the same formula. Single Shine is perfect radio pop; the rest is as easy to digest. — Riaan Wolmarans
Carl Cox: Global (Gallo)
Big Black Cox turns up the beat for two CDs of live-mixed, relentless tribal and hard beats and bass, including some of his own tracks, such as Dirty Bass (with Christian Smith) and Want a Life. “I give you this album to play loud,” Cox says. It’s not like you can do anything else. Get it soon. — Riaan Wolmarans
Doves: The Last Broadcast (EMI)
Hailing from Manchester, this trio provides a breath of fresh air in the cloud of power melodies that is the current commercial rock scene created by Creed, Nickelback and their kind. Their style is ambient, wistful and almost dreamy Brit-rock, sometimes reminiscent of laid-back Pulp. Mostly without sticking to any obvious formula or plan, the album still forms a coherent and satisfyingly uplifting listening experience. — Riaan Wolmarans
Scooter: Push the Beat for This Jam: The Second Chapter (Sheffield)
Two CDs of this German techno group’s same old dance-floor thumpers in original and remix form, including Ramp! (The Logical Song) and Posse (I Need You on the Floor). A few new tracks are included, such as Habanera, which borrows from Bizet’s Carmen. It gets lively and jump-up energetic at times, but expect a sad smattering of cheese as well. — Riaan Wolmarans