Recently, I approached Matt Bauer about writing a “Songwriter’s Point of View” piece, and to my great surprise and delight he gladly delivered. And, buddy does he deliver. However, what really didn’t come as a surprise was his choice — David Bowie’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.
Now, I can’t say that I didn’t know because Matt told me it would be a Bowie album in his email reply, but he didn’t say which album. And, when he told me this, again I wasn’t surprised because I thought Matt’s songwriting reflects Bowie’s in the sense that it’s highly imaginative. But, whereas Bowie’s work is theatrical, Matt’s is haunting and humble staying close to his Kentucky roots.
So, it is in his concise exploration of one of rock’s most epic and cinematic concept albums, he gives us a songwriter’s perspective of Ziggy Stardust.
When I was asked to write about one of my favorite albums, I was pretty sure it would be a David Bowie record. It could have been just about any one of them up until, say, Lodger. I thought about writing about Low or Heores or Hunky Dory or The Man Who Sold the World. It’s stunning how many ridiculously good albums he’s made. In the end I decided on The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.
It’s basically a modest collection of love songs and little observations on life. Ha! No! It’s a crazy ambitious concept album about a space alien who comes to earth and rises to rock stardom just after earth’s inhabitants have found out they only have five years left to live.
I really love the scope and ambition of the album. Tackling a crazy and unexpected subject, sustaining a story arc through an entire album, describing the making of a star and the destruction of a world in ten songs – I love it when writers really go all in like that.
And as epic and over the top the story of this album is, it’s told with real specificity and often with vivid and intimate moments. An anchorman breaking down delivering the news on T.V., a mother kneeling at her son’s grave, a woman smiling and drinking a milkshake as she still hasn’t heard the news of earth’s coming end, a cross dressing singer taking the stage to laughter only to win over the entire room, Ziggy’s band turning on him and smashing his hands. The album has the sweep and scenery more like a movie or a great television series than a rock album.
Maybe all of this wouldn’t work as well as it does without Bowie’s skill as a singer and actor. His voice and delivery bring real humanity and emotion to such a fantastical story. But as a writer there’s so much to love in words of these songs. They’re crazy and beautiful and not really like anything else.
Matt Bauer: Website; Facebook; Twitter
David Bowie: Website; Facebook; Twitter
Purchase The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
I have never had this much trouble writing about an album, then, again, I haven’t felt this strongly about one in years. “Love” is one of those words that is constantly tossed around losing its meaning and value, and I’m no exception. I’m just as guilty for causally using it especially when it comes to an album or a song. However, that was until I heard Hip Hatchet’s new album, Joy and Better Days. On the first spin of the album, it was love at first listen. And, this time it’s not just a casual love or a semblance of love, but it’s love in its deepest and purest form. Today, I use the word “love” in its intended use — with affection, reverence, and importance.
Before listening to Justin Townes Earle’s new album, Nothing’s Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me Now, you need to listen to his back catalog. There is a subtle progress from his last album, Harlem River Blues, with all of its gospel trappings, romantic desires, and personal remorse, but underneath all of those things is soul. So, on Earle’s latest release we find him still dealing with these issues, but we also find him clearly and easily focusing on his family issues in a soulful way. It’s not this new soul, R&B stuff you’re hearing among the indie crowd, but soul the way it has always meant to be heard — smooth and unadulterated.
Yer Bird Records recently announced that White Pines will be releasing a new EP, Plume of Ash, on April 17. Last winter, frontman Joseph Scott took a job teaching art at a school for the disabled in Akron, OH, influenced by both his students and the misfortune of the once bustling city, Scott created Plume of Ash, a five-song collection that skillfully conveys the resilience and triumph of the human spirit in the face of adversity.
