New David Bowie Album, ‘Blackstar,’ Reportedly Coming Out in January

Rumors of new music from David Bowie have reached a fever pitch, with reports surfacing today (Oct. 24) of an album that will arrive on Jan. 8, 2016. The record is expected to be called Blackstar, after the theme song he wrote for The Last Panthers.

According to the Times, Blackstar's seven songs clock in at 45 minutes and "may well be the oddest work yet" from Bowie. They called it "an album of long, jazzy jams mixed with the kind of driving beat pioneered by '70s German bands Can and Kraftwerk," and said that it was recorded at New York's The Magic Shop with a band comprised of jazz musicians.

The 68 seconds of the title track that was released three weeks ago is just the tip of the iceberg. It's apparently 10 minutes long and features "Gregorian chants, a soul section, various electronic beats and bleeps, and Bowie's distinctive vocal." Even though "Blackstar" is expected to be released as a single in mid-November, Bowie is not providing a radio edit.

In 2013, Bowie surprised the music world -- also on his 66th birthday -- when he released "Where Are We Now?" and saying that it was from his first album in 10 years, The Next Day, which arrived a few months later.

However, those expecting a tour shouldn't hold their breath. Two weeks ago, U.K. concert promoter John Giddings revealed that Bowie had told him personally that he had retired from the road. Bowie has not toured since 2004, when an emergency angioplasty caused him to cancel a month of European dates.

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This Day in Rock History: October 24