SOUND BITES

I was going to review this album back in January but, with David Bowie's passing just two days after the album's release, I was having a hard time working out just how to even talk about it considering how drastically and suddenly the context had changed. Given nearly a full year's worth of distance, I'm able to hear  ★ without being bummed out for the duration; there's a sense of accomplishment, even celebration, present here. Make no mistake, it's still somewhat painful to hear, but it's not as harrowing and saddening as it was in the winter. I now hear it as a calming final transmission, the sound of a man who, after a half century in the business and twenty-five albums, was able to find peace and leave this world a true gift; a typically experimental album among scores of experiments in Bowie's often spotty discography, one that could have been a footnote but instead asserts itself as vital listening. January 8, 2016 • ISO/RCA Highlights Blacksta...

For as dry as the last couple months of 2015 were, I'd have expected to be looking at a slew of exciting releases to ring in 2016. As it stands, though, not a lot has been confirmed as of yet. Still, what the release schedule is lacking in certainty is more than made up for in its possibilities for the coming twelve months. Before we head into the murky waters of speculation, let's check out some of 2016's sure things: