1.Outside: The Nathan Adler Diaries: A Hyper Cycle by David Bowie

1.Outside, released in September 1995, put David Bowie back in the studio with Brian Eno for the first time since their Berlin Trilogy, and the pair came out with a murder mystery. Built in the shadow of Twin Peaks, the story trails detective Nathan Adler through the fictional Oxford Town, New Jersey, as he investigates the killing of a 14-year-old girl in a world where murder passes for art. Songs speak in the voices of its characters, spoken-word segues stitch them together, and the music skids from art rock and industrial grind to jazz, electronica and ambient drift.

Critics split, most loving the sound and rolling their eyes at the plot, though plenty called it his best since Scary Monsters in 1980. "The Heart's Filthy Lesson" flopped as the lead single, but "Strangers When We Meet" and a Pet Shop Boys remix of "Hallo Spaceboy" fared better in Britain. The promised sequels never came, so Adler's case stays open.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.