HEAVEN TASTE

Heaven Taste is a collection of left-overs and b-sides which didn't make it onto the regular albums from the 91-93 era. Quite ironically it happens to be the first No-man that entirely satisfies me. The fact that it rather sounds like a Porcupine Tree album fronted by Tim Bowness obviously explains a lot.

We get five very different and accomplished pieces here. Long Day Fall is an atmospheric ballad with tasty violin from Ben Coleman. It stays clear of the dub rhythms and funky beats from earlier No-man album and I can't say I regret it. I love techno and trip-hop but the No-man's drum programming used to be a bit too apathetic really. Babyship Blue is a gorgeous space-rock track that sounds like a PT left-over from Up The Downstairs.

Bleed is an ambient piece with lush synths and sparse spacey guitar chords. Underneath sit some nice soft electronic percussion. The song sounds like an early try at No-man's later ambient pop works such as Together We're Stranger. Shortly before the end heavy jungle beats and electronic sounds join. Great track. Also Road is beautiful, it's cover from Nick Drake, arranged with delicate piano and keyboard touches.

The piece de résistance here is Heaven Taste, a lush 20 minute space-rock instrumental with a cool dub-rhythm. No-man is joined by the entire Japan crew, Sylvian excepted. Also Coleman provides some violins again. The track follows the sonic blueprint of the PT instrumental sections of Up The Downstairs and TSMS, so fans of those Porcupine Tree albums should really seek this one out.