David Bowie
Live in Santa Monica ’72
Virgin Records
Chameleon-like David Bowie has never left his fans wanting for material with a steady stream of albums and re-issues hitting shelves over the last four decades or so but, if the release of this stunning live set from 1972 is any indication of what he’s sitting on – let the floodgates open and keep the disc’s coming! In the early 70s, Bowie came to America and introduced his Ziggy Stardust persona to U.S. audiences. This Santa Monica gig, originally recorded for broadcast on a Los Angeles radio station, featured songs (“Space Oddity,” “Ziggy Stardust,” and “Changes”) that would become instant classics. But what can’t be underestimated is Bowie’s raw electric delivery, which showcases one of music’s most enduring artists at the beginning of his career.
Oxford Collapse
Bits
Sub Pop
The Oxford Collapse make music for wise-asses. Their latest album is a soundtrack for sarcastic guys who bandy about words like “over-produced” and phrases like “overtly earnest melodrama” while hanging out in coffee shops and mocking the world around them to mask the fact that they’re too hung-over to do anything productive with their lives.
The music sounds like it was recorded in murk, with the lo-fi charm that’s seen a resurge in dominance lately. The lyrics crackle with wit and a playful love of language. Bits might be too energetic to be the perfect record for those mornings when you want to pull the covers over your head and pretend getting out of bed won’t help you feel better, but it is the perfect record for those of us who feel that sublime mixture of regret and elation, trying to recover the morning after.
—Nate Campbell
