David Bowie – No Plan

By: Yaki Margulies

Billed as the last recordings of David Bowie, 2017 kicks off with the strong posthumous release, No Plan.  The four song EP, which came out on January 8th – what would have been Bowie’s 70th birthday  and the one year anniversary of the release of his final album Blackstar – continues in the same jazz mold as his last album. These songs were recorded during the same Blackstar sessions, where local New York jazz musicians led by saxophonist Donny McCaslin were used as Bowie’s backing band.

The songs on No Plan have previously been made available to the public in one form or another (“Lazarus” was on the Blackstar album, and the other songs were featured on a bonus disc as part of the original Broadway cast recording of Bowie’s new musical Lazarus), but it’s satisfying to see these powerful songs in a collection of their own (complete with a suitable new album cover that shows Bowie’s back turned to us as he gazes at a New York City skyline, hidden behind the black star logo that appeared on the cover of his previous album).

The EP begins with “Lazarus,” one of the highlights from Blackstar, an album that seemed fairly enigmatic upon release yet became much more unambiguous when its creator died merely two days later.  In “Lazarus,” one piece of a whole about mortality and death, Bowie sings, “Look up here, I’m in Heaven / I’ve got scars that can’t be seen… You know I’ll be free / Just like that bluebird.”  Bowie’s voice sounds as healthy as ever, even as he sings goodbye.  There is some discussion about when exactly Bowie learned that his cancer was terminal, but whether he already knew the severity of his condition or not, clearly wellness and impermanence were on his mind and in his writing.  We were lucky enough that he had the scant time available to him to create one last masterpiece.

The rest of the EP follows suit, exploring Bowie’s meditations on death and his ability to find sufficient peace even as he makes his farewells.  The title track is another beautiful, bittersweet tune with lyrics seemingly written from the great beyond.  “Here, there’s no music here / I’m lost in streams of sound / Here, am I nowhere now?”  The vocals soar majestically above the horns and gentle keys, Bowie’s famous vibrato emoting with great control, expressing gratitude that he has “nothing to regret.”

“Killing A Little Time,” is a more tense, harder rocker as the horns and jazz piano blend this time with distorted guitar riffs and sharp drums.  Here Bowie sounds less at peace and more frustrated with his fate, honest and upset.  “I’m falling, man / I’m choking, man / I’m fading, man / Just killing a little time… This rage in me / Get away from me.”  He spits his lyrics out with venom, still sounding like the master of his own death, but embracing fear and melancholy.

The EP closes with “When I Met You,” a late ‘70s sounding rock song with less grit than “Killing A Little Time,” but still musically aggressive.  The lyrics describe someone who positively impacted the narrator, “You opened my eyes / For I could not see / When I met you… My spirit rose.”  Bowie’s words ring with appreciation, for someone, anyone, who pulled him up from darkness and gave him new light.

One year later, the tragedy of his passing still hurts.  But thankfully No Plan gives us another brief window into David Bowie.  The lyrics and music merge therapeutically to create a blazing song set that proves that even in death, Bowie was an unparalleled artist.  “I was filled with truth / It was not God’s truth / Before I met you.”  Somehow in his final goodbye, he managed to say it all.

Standout track: “No Plan,” with it’s lush, haunting melody, expressive vocals, and serene orchestration, leaves you missing Bowie even more.