HOUSEWIVES HOOKED ON HEROIN

Unlikely to appeal to members of this site.

The title track is one of the better tracks from NO-MAN's 1996 album 'Wild Opera', but for once the supporting songs lack weight. Even recruiting 'telephone terrorist' SCANNER to provide a drum 'n' bass remix of the title track does not lift the single. 'Urban Disco' is ironic fun, but it is featured in 1997's 'Dry Cleaning Ray' and so does not make this release any more compelling. 'Where I'm Calling From' is a typical minimalist NO-MAN record closer, melancholic without the menace of a 'Sicknote' or 'Born Simple'.

Competent single release, but that's all.

This could have been so much better.The opening and closing tracks are very good songs but the three in between really bring this EP down to where I can't even recommend it.

"Housewives Hooked On Heroin" opens with vocals as the sound slowly builds. It kicks in before 1 1/2 minutes then settles back as this contrast continues. Some guitar 3 1/2 minutes in. Great lyrics on this one. "Hit The Ceiling" is an uptempo song with a heavy beat throughout. Female vocal melodies come and go. "Housewives Hooked On Methadane (Scannes Mix)" is like a dance mix of the title track and is a failure in my opinion. "Urban Disco" continues the dance beat, it gets a little heavier 2 1/2 minutes in. "Where I'm Calling From" features Robert Fripp doing soundscapes and Ian Carr playing trumpet. Two freaking legends right there folks. This is a fantastic song and it almost makes me forget the previous three tracks.

Fans only for this EP.

This is a 5 track EP released in 1996 to support the No-man album "Wild Opera". It starts off with the somewhat threatening sounding track from that album, the name sake of this EP. It is one of the better tracks from that album and is the exact same version. The other 4 are miscellaneous songs not found on that album.

"Hit the Ceiling" has a fast, automatic beat and is a bit more experimental. The program notes say that it was recorded between 1 and 2 am in the morning on September 20, 1995. It has a lot of interesting loops and broken up vocals from Tim Bowness and a rousing bass line, but it never really goes anywhere. Following this track is Spanner's remix of the title track which is a few minutes longer than the original and in this case, it is titled "Housewives Hooked on Methadone". It begins mysteriously with slow moving synth chords, and seems quite interesting at first, but when the tinny sounding percussion loops come in, it instantly ruins the track. The percussion is much faster than the extended chords and slower moving vocal melody line would suggest making it a sort of rave style drum & bass track. This is the style of dance music Steven Wilson and Tim Bowness were exploring at the time.

Next up is "Urban Disco" which is also available on the album "Dry Cleaning Ray" released in 1977. This one is quite a bit more interesting with a very heavy drum and bass beat which feels much more natural here. The music gets even heavier as the track continues and vocal effects are added to help boost Tim's vocals for this solid song. Finally, the last track is "Where I'm Calling From" which opens with a steady, medium thumping beat and some soundscapes from Robert Fripp's atmospheric guitar with slow strums from Wilson. The slower melody is quite fitting for Tim's airy vocals. This is a nice song made even more psychedelic with pretty guitar effects and the sultry trumpet added by Ian Carr in the last half of the track. Nice ending.

So, three out of five of the tracks are decent while the two middle tracks consists of mostly annoying dance music. Three out of five of the tracks are unique to this album, or otherwise on rare collections. The problem with the best tracks is that they are too short, especially the last one which could have developed really well if it were longer. But it's a pretty good EP/single from that era which would be good for anyone collecting Steven Wilson/Tim Bowness albums.