One record at a time: 289. No-Man - Love You To Bits

By the time 2019 rolled around I'd rather given up on No-Man. It had been eleven years since their last album and both Tim and Steven seemed to be happy pursuing solo projects. 

To be honest I didn't really lament the lack of output from the band as their last efforts had left me feeling a little bored. Whilst the art-rock of "Schoolyard Ghosts" and the ambience of "Together We Are Stranger" might have their place, I longed for something with a pulse. I had no idea what to expect from this new album, but the sound that greeted my ears as I dropped the needle on this blue vinyl for the first time took my breath away.

Not only was there immediately the sound of a pounding bass drum, but it was augmented with analogue percussion that sounded just like "Ice Machine" by Depeche Mode. A driving synth bass rumbles under Tim's distinctive vocals as he sings of loving someone, "like I don't love you at all". "Love Me To Bits (Bit 1)" and its coda "Bit 2" left me dumbfounded and just a little bit emotional at how totally triumphant this record sounded. 

"Bit 3" kicks into life with some excellent drumming and Steven's precise guitar work before "Bit 4" heralds the return of the synths and a new leitmotif. Side one finishes with a reprise of the rumbling Moroder-esque synth bass from "Bit 1" but with a sprinkling of new lyrics.

The flip side opens with the subdued introduction of "Love You To Pieces (Piece 1)" in which Tim sings of a sticky love that left him weak. As the TR-808 style hit hats kick in, I can't help but anticipate the electronic tricks that Steven Wilson is about to pull out of the bag. Yes, we are hearing the same melody that was used on the first side, but the clever arrangement and Tim's constant development of the lyrics mean things never become boring.

"Piece 2" opens with an aggressive bassline and delivers one of the most amazing electric piano solos you'll ever hear. "Piece 3" continues to develop the relentless groove until things disintegrate into the welcome ambience of "Part 4" and "Part 5". For me this return to a more melodic and synth driven sound is manna from heaven. Also not to be missed is the magical "Love You To Shreds 1-3" on the single of "Bit 1". Amazing. I want more. 5/5

A forgotten gem

Five years ago I wrote a post about the remix 12" of "Inside Out" by Electribe 101. In my missive I complained this record seemed to have been miss-pressed as it had glitches, pops and all manner of background noise that ruined one of the best records the band released.

So imagine my excitement when lead singer Billie Ray-Martin announced the release of a four CD box set of parent album "Electribal Memories" that included the "MCM Mix" of Inside Out - my prayers had finally been answered. 

I did actually succeed in creating my own recording of the track with all of the artefacts edited out, but it took many weeks and I was never one hundred percent happy with it - but in the absence of the mix ever being released digitally, it was the best I was going to get.

So now I own a pristine digital recording of the mix and I only had to wait thirty four years. Patience is a virtue.

One record at a time: 288. Mo-Man - Schoolyard Ghosts

This album is another ponderous beast that explores the musical wilderness between art-rock and prog-rock. My copy is a 2015 remastered version split across 2 LPs.

Opening tracks "All Sweet Things" and "Beautiful Songs You Should Know" are kitchen sink dramas played out on acoustic guitar, piano and Tim's distinctive vocal tones. These song neither offend nor ignite the imagination.

"Pigeon Drummer" begins as a slow and quiet instrumental before suddenly exploding into a sea of tom drums and squealing guitars. This might have seemed like a neat trick when it was conceived but it only serves to destroy the mood for me. 

There's some wonderful strings on the first part of "Truenorth" which eventually combine with a welcome hip hop beat. As Tim sings of surrendering to the night and the orchestra swells, you realise this is one of the best songs No-Man have recorded in many years. Yes, it is overly long at twelve minutes (maybe they could have chopped out one or two of the jazz flute solos), but it will reward those who persevere.

"Wherever There Is Light" lost my interest the second a pedal steel guitar began howling but "Song of the Surf" is much more interesting and has a great melody. There's another trace of a beat on "Streaming" but the pedal steel guitar comes in to ruin any promise the composition might have shown. The final track "Mixtaped" is far too self indulgent and, whilst the band might have had great fun recording it, it's not much fun to listen to. There are three bonus tracks on side four but none of them stand out particularly. All the marks for this album go to the majestic "Truenorth", everything else is fairly superfluous. 2/5

One record at a time: 287. No-Man - Together We're Stranger

"Together We're Stranger" was released in 2003 and here I am listening to the 2015 remastered version. Unfortunately this pressing suffers from an issue with near constant clicks and pops throughout. I am yet to put these discs through my cheap and cheerful Disco-antistat cleaner, but I'm not convinced it would make much difference.

If this were a normal pop record full of rhythms and busy backing tracks, the additional noise wouldn't be of major concern, but as this is an intimate and atmospheric recording, the surface noise detracts from the experience quite considerably.

I think there is something magical going on here but I haven't yet discovered the key to unlock it. Sometimes an album can reveal itself through repeated listening, but I find that so hard to do in this day and age - so I fear I will never fully appreciate this record. "All The Blue Changes" is probably the most immediate track on here and I guess this is because it is also the only track on the album that creeps above eighty beats per minute. Don't get me wrong, not everything has to be a frenetic dance track, but these songs don't do enough to pique my interest so they can be like wadding through treacle. 2/5

One record at a time: 286. No-Man - Returning Jesus

As a number of albums from the No-Man back catalogue haven't been released on vinyl, we are forced to skip to "Returning Jesus" from 2001. Here I am listening to the 2017 remastered version which sounds fantastic.

Things begin with the magical "Only Rain" which recycles the stings from an earlier track called "Watching Over Me". As the song moves through its different phases you can't help but wonder at the invention and beauty on offer. There's some added vinyl noise for the intro of "No Defence" which revolves around Steven's guitar arpeggios and some deliberately listless drumming by Steve Jansen. 

By far the best track on here is "Close Your Eyes" which is capable of sending a shudder down your spine. At the start Tim sings over some basic organ chords and percussion before the synth pads and guitar licks lift the chorus to a new level. In a way this is typical progressive rock as the song builds and builds until it reaches a searing guitar solo that gives way to an extended instrumental - but it sound much better than this description.

"Carolina Skeletons" is a sad and reflective piece that was released on an EP a full three years before the album. The other tracks from the EP are featured on the flip side of the second record and add value to this package. 

"Outside The Machine" centres on jazz influenced piano chords and the superlative drumming of Steve Jansen once again. The tile track, "Returning Jesus" sees Steven Wilson work his genius with tuned percussion and a guitar that sounds uncannily like Mike Oldfield. Songs like "Lighthouse" and "Slow It All Down" give me the feeling Steven is driving this part of the album and as he weaves Hammond organ and Mellotron sounds into the mix, it feels very much like an ode to prog rock. We finish with another single "All That You Are" which once again revolves around Steven's guitar arpeggios and Tim's intimate vocal. Good stuff. 3.5/5

One record at a time: 285. No-Man - Flowermouth

In the summer of 2004 I wrote a long post on my then website about the No-Man album "Flowermouth". It was an unashamedly gushing piece about one of my favourite albums. The original text described the start of the love affair thus:

I bought "Flowermouth" on the back of hearing “Simple” on a demo CD given away with a magazine in 1994. I kept coming back to the song and every time I heard it, I loved it more. I bought the album on a trip into town one weekday and little did I know my life was about to change.

Historically, one of my only laments about this album was that I didn't own it on vinyl. However, I have recently managed to acquire a copy of the double LP at a reasonable price and can review it here. 

The first track "Angel gets caught in the beauty trap" opens with a distinctive harp theme that gives way to the superlative piano and strings which haunt this piece. Bowness’s vocal moves in almost unnoticed like any other musical instrument, “I can not dream for the dirt on my hands”. Ambience and subtlety abound. By the time the songs ends you have just experienced nearly 10 minutes of bliss.
 
"You grow more beautiful" kicks off with beats that will satisfy your yearning for something different. The song moves between dance, rock and the avant-garde in a way no other can. This would have been a great single but I get the feeling One Little Indian had given up on the band by the time this album was released.

Having had your ambient song and your upbeat (ish) single we move on to the kitchen sink drama in the form of "Animal Ghost". Rumbling TR-808 rhythms keep an almost electro edge to a song which even manages to incorporate a flute solo. There's a funky bassline on the brilliant "Soft Shoulders" and the lyrics to "Shell of A Fighter" are endearing and mystifying at the same time. 

One of my favourite tracks is "Teardrop Fall". Electronic riffs move alongside sweeping strings and crunchy guitars. This song is about feelings. Not theirs but yours. Another single that never was. "Watching over me" provides a change of pace and proves that No-Man have more tricks up their sleeve.

"Simple" is the song that started my love affair with this album. Bowness and Wilson felt this was an ordinary pop song until Robert Fripp became involved. Personally I think it would be a masterpiece with or without him. The Lisa Gerrard sample is exactly what you would expect; haunting. The thumping beats combine with the superlative synth lines to make a perfect piece of music. The lyrics are on another level; “No more dreams turn into armchairs again”. The strange thing is, I know exactly what he means; it’s so simple. Things round out with the lament of  "Things change" which is sorrowful and touching.

I love this album and this record is one of the most treasured items in my collection. There hasn't been a repress of this record since it was released in 1994, but I don't love this record simply because it is rare; I cherish it because of the music it contains. More recent CD pressings contain remixes of some songs that were created in 1999. So whilst I pray for a new pressing, I would prefer it to contain the 'right' mixes. 5/5

UPDATE NOVEMBER 2024: So there has now been a reissue of this album (I like to think my pestering of the record company on X had something to do with it), but predictably they have used the 1999 remixes and the credits on the sleeve seem to be wrong in places. On the plus side it is available on red vinyl and comes with a free poster. So now we can all hear this this beauty from vinyl; you have no excuse.

One record at a time: 284. Nine Inch Nails - Bad Witch

I remember that producer Gareth Jones once said he had naively assumed "reverb equalled atmosphere" and he had applied it liberally to a Depeche Mode record in search of a more ethereal sound. 

It seems that for this record, Nine Inch Nails had a similar thought but decided to apply distortion to everything to make their record "sound better" (much like Depeche Mode do today ironically). However, there's no subtilty or dynamics here - "Bad Witch" is just a wall of noise.

The first track, "Shit Mirror" is a terrible piece of nonsense - but at least it doesn't last long. Second track "Ahead of Ourselves" would seem to have some good ideas, but everything is buried in so much distortion it is impossible to discern what is going on.

More sonic saturation destroys the aimless "Play The Goddammed Part" which doesn't even have the decency to be brief. By the time I reach "God Break Down The Door" I am feeling tested and the use of saxophone just about finishes me off.

After a short break I resume with "I'm Not From This World" which is a fine piece of sound design but isn't music. There's a trace of a beat on the start of "Over and Out" and it even sounds like the distortion might have been turned down from eleven to...well, at least four. So the last song is reasonably entertaining but this record is a real low point in the NIN back catalogue for me. 1/5