Bowie’s Past and Future Fuse in Latest Oddity

David Bowie’s reputation as a dilettante and dabbler might make this plunge into the now sounds of techno look like a jump onto the youth bandwagon. But of all the genres the slippery artiste has appropriated through the years, this is one that he can claim with some authority. After all, he pioneered synthesizer sound-scapes on his late-’70s trilogy with ambient guru Brian Eno, and more recently his “Heroes” got the remix treatment from Manchester dance collective 808 State.

Although hyper beats and mechanized tones dominate first impressions of “Earthling,” the techno aspects are ultimately more a dynamic element than a way of life. Bowie fuses them with the direct, aggressive playing of his regular band. The results are sometimes forced and sometimes pallid, but when the frantic tempos and synthetic textures mesh with the current Bowie style, things can get invigorating.

Instead of reinforcing the detachment and alienation implied by the electronics, Bowie frequently counters those qualities with rich, expansive melodies. Evoking the early “Man Who Sold the World,” they trace the contours of a troubled idealism and wary hopefulness, while the cryptic, sometimes purely random imagery suggests a world full of conflict and tension. If nothing else, “Earthling” adds some good miles to the distance from his ‘80s doldrums.

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