On the surface, {^Lodger} is the most accessible of the three Berlin-era records {$David Bowie} made with {$Brian Eno}, simply because there are no instrumentals and there are a handful of concise {\pop} songs. Nevertheless, {^Lodger} is still gnarled and twisted avant {\pop}; what makes it different is how it incorporates such experimental tendencies into genuine songs, something that {^Low} and {^Heroes} purposely avoided. {&"D.J.,"} {&"Look Back in Anger,"} and {&"Boys Keep Swinging"} have strong melodic hooks that are subverted and strengthened by the layered, dissonant productions, while the remainder of the record is divided between similarly effective avant {\pop} and {\ambient} instrumentals. {^Lodger} has an edgier, more minimalistic bent than its two predecessors, which makes it more accessible for {\rock} fans, as well as giving it a more immediate, emotional impact. It might not stretch the boundaries of {\rock} like {^Low} and {^Heroes}, but it arguably utilizes those ideas in a more effective fashion. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide