The Next Day

9/10. Wow. I thought long and hard about giving this one a 10 as well. The first half (The Next Day through Valentine's Day) is one of the best runs of songs in Bowie's entire career, and the rest of the album has amazing songs like I'd Rather Be High, Boss of Me, and (You Will) Set The World On Fire. I love every song on this album honestly, it's all great. Following the heart attack he suffered in 2004, Bowie lived a relatively private life. He had a few acting appearances and a few small live performances, but for the most part, he had retired. Until January 2013. He released the album on his 66th birthday to large critical and commercial success. Sonically, the album serves as a mirror on his career, specifically that late-70s, Berlin sound, though some of that aggressive guitar work from Scary Monsters and Tin Machine is present as well. Thematically, the album serves as a retrospective on Bowie's career. Almost every song pulls from a different aspect of his music. For example, songs like the title song and closer "Heat" pull from his Berlin era, The Stars (Are Out Tonight) pulls from that Scary Monsters art rock, and You Feel So Lonely You Could Die pulls almost directly from Ziggy Stardust. Without these references, it is still a great album, but it's interesting to hear him retrospect on his career.