(album review originally published by The Student ) As if the total absence of the 2012 apocalypse was not surprise enough, David Bowie’s decided to augment the world’s collective blood pressure even more by finally coming out of hiding. Bowie’s ten-year séjour in the US saw critics and observers worrying for his health and wellbeing, but it is astonishingly clear that he is more than alright. Bowie is having fun. What arrived back in the new year was the best-kept secret in music, the least-anticipated but most welcomed come-back single in years. The recording of The Next Day was shared not with the press, not with the record label, not even with the artists’ families, until the night before its release. “Where Are We Now”, that delicious gift given to the world on Bowie’s 66th birthday, was chosen as the first single, with the details of its release in mind. This, the mellowest song on the album, still exploded unannounced onto all corners of the internet within