David Bowie Returns

Davis Bowie announced on his recent 66th birthday that he will release his new studio album The Next Day in March, which will be ten years since his last collection of original material.

Bowie released "Where Are They Now?" as the first single from the album the day of the announcement, accompanied by a music video shot in Berlin where Bowie revisits some of his old '70s haunts.

News of David Bowie releasing a new album came as a shock to the music world, as fans and the media alike began to speculate whether Bowie was officially "retired," since the legend never plays live and hadn't released any music since 2003's Reality. Rumors of Bowie becoming a recluse spread due to the fact that his only public appearances were that of him carrying groceries back to his apartment. Luckily, none of that is the case anymore, and it's marvelous to have one of rock's great visionaries making music again.

While Bowie has yet to speak publicly about his return, longtime producer and collaborator Tony Visconti told the BBC that the pair had been working in secret on the album for the last two years. "We never spent more than two or three weeks at a time recording, and then we'd take off as much as two months," Visconti said. "We'd usually work on one or two songs in an afternoon, and we'd whip them into shape where they'd sound like great rock tracks. At that point there wouldn't be any final vocals or lyrics. This is the same way I'd been working with him since The Man Who Sold The World. He hasn't really changed his approach."

As far as a tour is concerned, Visconti told Rolling Stone that Bowie is "really adamant about not doing a tour," however, he may do one show in New York or London, but "will only play if he feels like it." The Next Day is scheduled to be released in early March.