☆ Doppelswän Songs ★

It was while I listened to Dylan sing Long and Wasted Years off 2012's magnificent record TEMPEST that I first thought of the idea. The revelation came on the heels of having been transported to another place or time along the gloaming contours of our mind after hearing Brian Eno's latest, THE SHIP. Both of these albums share one thing in common: they were inspired by the TITANIC. Dylan released his on that ship's fateful centennial—100 years to the day after she sank to the depths of the cold blue sea. I soon realized Dylan has yet to release a bonafide album of his since, due to having instead turned his energies to producing and exquisitely performing two successive slabs of vintage vinyl, both cover albums honoring the bygone era when Frank Sinatra held sway as the indisputable king of the radio. It occurs to me now that based on the merits alone of this masterful album—it would be a fine record indeed for time to transform into a real swan song—but I know I'm not alone in sure hoping Dylan has some more sonic cuts up his sleeve for us, yet. Because it's not exactly a secret anymore that David Bowie set the bar and standard for an artist's Swan Song. His final album Blackstar will continue to be studied and examined by the philosophers of rock'n'roll long after we're all gone, we can rest our pretty little damned faces assured about that much. Now Iggy Pop's latest album POST-POP DEPRESSION is what I call a Doppelswän Song! Because even though we all know he said this could be his last album and tour—and once again, I can't even imagine a more striking album to hang one's hat of a career upon as they exit stage left—we all secretly hope that time, that inexorable Overseer of Chairmans of the Bored everywhere, will spur him on for just one or a few more in the short years ahead. The same exact thing about Dylan may be said. May the albums TEMPEST and POST-POP DEPRESSION and THE SHIP remain mere Doppelswän Songs, so we can have more truly spectacular music from these killer musicians. Of these four stellar examples—DYLAN'S TEMPEST, BOWIE'S BLACKSTAR, IGGY'S POST-POP DEPRESSION, and ENO'S THE SHIP—only one remains the quintessential Swan Song. The rest are Doppelswän Songs.  Feel free to leave your own suggested "Doppelswän Songs" for recording artist's you feel have released latter career albums worthy of classic status in the comments section below this post.