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""Love You To Bits" doesn't let itself be tamed from the very first encounter. It takes time to grasp its charm, richness and subtle complexity."
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4/5
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Of all Steven Wilson's many projects, No Man is the oldest. At the end of the 1980s, Porcupine Tree was just a solo project of the Briton's and it was his association with Tim Bowness under the name No Man that sealed the beginnings of the British genius's prolific recording work. We know the rest. Steven Wilson's growing success, especially as a soloist, gradually overshadowed the duo, so much so that "Love You To Bits" came eleven years after No Man's previous studio production, "Schoolyard Ghosts".
The demo of "Love You To Bits" was composed 25 years ago and was originally intended to be a sequel to "Flowermouth", released in 1994. It is therefore logical that the album sounds like a return to the electro / synthpop roots of No Man's music. Except that the two men have come a long way since then and put all their current know-how in the rewriting and development of the initial draft. In fact, the album proves to be the most ambitious work of the duo.
"Love You To Bits" was designed for the vinyl format: two sides, one piece per side, each cut into five parts and only 36 minutes on the counter, like the vast majority of records from the 70s. Beyond its obsolete format, "Love You To Bits" is a confusing album at first sight and only distils its richness and addictive power after repeated, attentive and imperatively one-shot listening. Thus the first track, 'Love You To Bits', opens without complex with a nostalgic and catchy disco part that refers to the glory days of the Giorgio Moroder / Donna Summer tandem and installs the main instrumental theme. This is then broken down into subtle variations in different forms, electro ('Love You To Bits, Part 2'), funk ('Love You To Bits, Part 3') and experimental ambient à la King Crimson ('Love You To Bits, Part 4).
The second part 'Love You To Pieces' is much darker. The album tells the story of a break-up and the disintegration of the love relationship is perfectly transcribed in music. This second track is an electro-atmospheric tour de force with a funereal atmosphere and subtle trip hop ('Love You To Pieces, Part 1) and jazz prog (Adam Holzman's magnificent keyboard solo on 'Love You To Pieces, Part 2), on which Tim Bowness' refined vocals become more and more melancholic and desperate, repeating "I Love You" less and less convinced as the musical ambiences become more and more heavy.
"Love You To Bits" doesn't let itself be tamed from the very first encounter. It takes time to grasp its charm, richness and subtle complexity. Its power of seduction is revealed little by little, over time and through the conversations that the listener will be able to have with it. After all, lasting love stories rarely begin with love at first sight. - Official website
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TRACK LISTING:
01. Love You To Bits (Bits 1-5) - 17.03
02. Love You To Pieces (Pieces 1-5) - 18.54
LINEUP:
Steven Wilson: Guitares / Basse / Claviers
Tim Bowness: Chant / Claviers
Adam Holzman: Claviers / Invité
Ash Soan: Batterie / Invité
Dave Desmond Brass Quintet: Invité / Cuivres
David Kollar: Guitares / Invité
Pete Morgan: Basse / Invité
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(0) MIND(S) FROM OUR READERS
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Top of the page
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(1) COMMENT(S)
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READERS
4/5 (2 view(s))
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STAFF:
3.2/5 (5 view(s))
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IN RELATION WITH NO MAN
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OTHER REVIEWS
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OTHER(S) REVIEWS ABOUT NO MAN
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