Artiste: No-Man
Nationality: British
Album: Flowermouth
Year: 1994
Label: One Little Indian
Genre: Dream pop, Progressive Rock, Ambient
Tracks:
Angel gets caught in the beauty trap
You grow more beautiful
Animal ghost
Soft shoulders
Shell of a fighter
Teardrop fall
Watching over me
Simple
Things change
Chronological position: Second album
Familiarity: I've heard
Schoolyard Ghosts, and some of Wilson's material, with and without Porcupine Tree.
Interesting factoid:
Initial impression: A wistful, dreamy opening that immediately pulls you in
Best track(s): Angel gets caught in the beauty trap, You grow more beautiful ... ah hell, just everything!
Worst track(s): Not a one.
Comments: A lovely rippling piano which reminds me of a faster version of Peter Gabriel's “San Jacinto” opens the album, with another, more stately piano joining it before the clear voice of Tim Bowness invites us once more into his ethereal world. Actually, that could be a loop, courtesy of King Crimson's Robert Fripp and his Frippertronics. A very clever line I find is
”I cannot scream for the dust in my throat”, which at once gets across the idea of drowning in the urban sprawl, choked by smog and exhaust fumes. Some beautiful violin and trumpet, with a superb sax solo from the great Mel Collins. And of course Steven Wilson does not disappoint either (does he ever?), handling various instruments and writing all the music. When these two get together, the result is never anything less than astounding. No-Man are one of the bands you can start playing and just know --- just know, with complete certainty --- that it's going to be an enjoyable experience at the very least.
At almost ten minutes for an opening track, Bowness and Wilson show here how to ensure a song this long never gets boring, repetitive or seem overstretched; in fact, when it eventually fades out you wish there was more. Luckily, there is, as we head into “You grow more beautiful”, with a sort of funkier upbeat feel, sort of reminds me of George Michael around the
Faith era. Great guitar from Wilson, has a real kind of growling edge to it, and we have another standout already. And now the inimitable Collins sighs in with a smooth flute solo against kind of jungle percussion and a rolling, sprinkling piano, all perfect backdrops to the voice of Bowness, which really can only be called heavenly or angelic. Throw in some more beautiful violin and you're there. And if that wasn't enough, Fripp is back on guitar.
It's kind of hard to review this, as I keep feeling myself just laying back on the bed, closing my eyes and threatening to drift away... have to shake myself into action. Low, echoey drums usher in a funky beat driven on lush organ as we head into “Soft shoulders”, with gentle violin and an echoing vocal which reminds me of Soft Cell, though this song is another slow, laidback one, tempting me back to the embrace of the pillow... Okay... there's slightly more of a bite to “Shell of a fighter”, though nobody would call it uptempo. Great synth in it and a very Arabian idea in the riff. More great Frippertronics and a kind of mechanised vocal too.
There's a nice move towards something a little more upbeat, paradoxically perhaps, with “Teardrop fall”, nice electro/dancy beat, reminds me of Ceronne and Donna Summer. Vocal is perfect of course, great guitar from Fripp and more flute from Collins. Lovely. “Watching over me” takes us back to soft, gentle territory with acoustic guitar and very low-key percussion, while “Simple” ups the ante slightly with a more dancy number while still keeping the overall atmosphere going. Some pretty harsh guitar, it must be said, courtesy of Fripp, and some pretty mad effects to end, then “Things change” wraps the album up with a soft organ-driven tune, Bowness's gentle vocal whispering the album out as softly as he breathed it in. Sublime. Absolutely gorgeous guitar outro. Stunned, but not surprised to be.
Overall impression: As expected: another perfect album from the duo who seem unable to put a foot wrong.
Hum Factor: 8
Surprise Factor: 0
Intention: Listen to more