The first part of a loosely affiliated trilogy (Heroes and Lodger were to follow), Low is in part a synthesis of 1970's disco, funk and New Wave as well as a brave foray in to wordless electronic ambience. The opening salvo of songs and up-tempo instrumentals contains the single "Sound and Vision", which shudders under the archness of Bowie deadpan vocals. Elsewhere, Bowie inhabits the brilliantly starchy European funk of "Breaking Glass" and "Always Crashing in the Same Car". That Bowie found a like mind in the eternally innovative Brian Eno is no surprise; the success of the four instrumental pieces that close Low can be attributed in no small way to the production contributions of the ex- Roxy Music keyboard player turned ambient pioneer. Bowie and Eno's experiments in a Berlin recording studio would have a massive influence on the music of subsequent decades. For this reason alone, Low is an essential David Bowie album. --James Littlewood
