LOVE YOU TO BITS

A pretty good song translated (remixed) into 10 versions, well, yes it is a nice EP, now, writing 100 words about it, is kind of bizarre.

For followers of No-Man, Steven Wilson & Tim Bowness.

All versions show unexpected & creative twists, but if you are already acquainted with these kind of EPs, well, you will eventually find out your top pick.

Mine flows between tracks 9 & 10. Essential as such it is not, good news , yes it is! , but still not essential or a must,.... closer to mere good.

From my side of the fence, when you come to terms with the whole deal, it only left me wondering. Is something else is following this release, as such? That would be great, but this showcase alone? ...Yes it is worth listening to, but as a keeper, or a must? More like a collectible edible, but decent enough to recommend everyone to give it a spin, but then again if you not, well the world is not going to fall down tomorrow (I hope).

As far as rating it .........3 stars, but in PA´s criteria a two is true to rating standars, beyond its possible downgrading implications, but actually it is what it really is .

As commented, maybe you´ll find the one version which may turn out to be a memorable one, even though , you are not in this kind of roads.

**/*

The unexpected revival of the dormant WILSON-BOWNESS collaboration isn't quite the gem people were hoping for. Rather than a complex, multilayered album, or a minimalist set of introspective songs such as NO-MAN have given us before, this is more akin to ten house remixes of the one song. Fun, clever, even poignant in that self-revelatory way TIM BOWNESS has. But it's telling that this was turned out in a mutual break in their schedules, rather than being part of their schedule.

Is it any good? It's OK, but not essential by any means. Is it prog? Not really. It's a curio, rather out of place in the NO- MAN catalogue, but not surprising given WILSON'S chameleon-like tastes. If anything it harks back in form, if not quite in substance, to NO-MAN's earliest efforts. An interesting record by two professionals not trying very hard.

'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.