David Bowie made a surprise announcement on his 66th birthday that March would see the release of The Next Day, his first album of original music since 2003's Reality. Produced by Tony Visconti (one of Bowie's oldest collaborators, first working with him on 1969's Space Oddity), The Next Day will feature 14 brand new songs, with three extra songs available on the album's deluxe version. It will be released by Bowie's own imprint Iso Records on March 12th.
The album's first single, "Where Are We Now?" is already available for download at iTunes, and a music video directed by New York-based installation artist Tony Oursler is streaming at Bowie's official website. The song is a languid ballad with sweeping, Lennon-esque chords and melancholy lyrics invoking Berlin landmarks, such as the KaDeWe department store, that were regular spots for Bowie and Iggy Pop to go nightclubbing during the making of his late-seventies 'Berlin trilogy' (Low, "Heroes" and Lodger).
The press release does not mention any forthcoming tour dates, but does suggest that Bowie's got a few more tricks up his sleeve, saying "...David is the kind of artist who writes and performs what he wants when he wants...when he has something to say as opposed to something to sell. Today he definitely has something to say."
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