LOVE YOU TO BITS

'Love You to Bits' is the new album from No-Man, or the art rock/pop duo of Steven Wilson and Tim Bowness, coming after an 11-year break. They decided to keep it short and sweet with this one, as we can appreciate the album length of 36 minutes. Just two long tracks are present on this album, or if you prefer, two cycles of shorter tracks (five for each composition) pretty much exploring the realm of 'progressive disco' (if such a term exists).

I feel like this album is much more indicative of where Wilson is musically, rather that Bowness who provides all leading vocals on 'Love You to Bits'.

As for the music, I must admit I enjoy listening to this album; it is quite lighthearted when compared with Wilson's past work. You get tons of synths, layered above each other; a drum machine (I guess most of the time) provides the catchy beat that goes on throughout the whole thing; funky bass and a frantic guitar solo which is such a Steven Wilson moment.

The two tracks are essentially conceptual, described perfectly as "Chronicling the aftermath of a relationship from different perspectives". Bowness does a good job vocalizing the supposed characters, as his emotive delivery is quite what this music needs. The songs are memorable but there are moments where it feels a bit forced, almost as if they tried really hard to get to the desired length. This results in passages of ambient intertwining with the main beat-driven dance rhythm of the record. However, this is a good album overall. But nothing more, at least for me.