David Bowie – “When I Met You” & “No Plan”
David Bowie released his staggering album Blackstar a few days before his death earlier this year, and the album stands as a powerful final statement. But the songs on the album aren’t the last things that Bowie ever recorded. Bowie recorded three more songs before dying, co-producing them with longtime collaborator Tony Visconti. They all feature experimental jazz musician Donny McCaslin and his quartet, the musicians who served as Bowie’s backing band on Blackstar. All three songs will be included on the original cast recording album for Lazarus, Bowie’s off-Broadway musical, out later this week.
“When I Met You” is a cluttered, claustrophobic song about finding personal salvation in the love of another person. It has a jittery rock lope that seems pretty far removed from the art-jazz excursions of Blackstar, though it’s not really any less intense. As Pitchfork reports, BBC 6Music presenter Shaun Keaveny just debuted the song. You can hear it by heading over here and clicking over to the 51:10 mark.
UPDATE: Another of the new tracks, “No Plan” is streaming here at 46:10.
The Lazarus cast album is out 10/21 on ISO/RCA.