MY HOTEL YEAR

The press release for this album captures the feeling behind Tim Bowness' debut solo work really well when it says 'Calling all fans of Bowie, Sylvain, This Mortal Coil and the quintessential 4AD sound, Hammill, Walker, Drake, Tim Buckley, Eno, Marks Hollis and Eitzel, Portishead, Red House Painters and existential introspection set to a smorgasbord of 21st century beats - upbeat, downbeat or simply a heartbeat.' This is an album that is full of emotion and passion, fully laden with atmosphere and a very different take on the musical world. Tim is of course well known for his work with Steve Wilson as no-man (I have a sampler containing a song from the band when they were known as 'no man is an island except the isle of man'!).

Probably the word that best sums up this album is 'reflection', whether it is self- reflection by the listener or by the singer. This is music to drift along to, music that creates a certain ambience. One can imagine some of these songs being used in films, as there is a definite cinematic quality about them. This definitely won't be to everyone's tastes but when the latest shredder has taken away the wits and what was left of your ear drums then this would be the album to chill to.

Originally appeared in Feedback #81, October 2004

'My Hotel Year' is a collection of melancholic songs dripped in sorrow, even spleen on a few occasions, and if I am not wrong this is Tim Bowness' first entirely solo record where he is responsible for the lyrics and the music for the most part. One thing is evident, and this is his unique take on the art rock and even progressive rock; a bit of the alternative scene might have also influenced this particular album, being released in 2004.

The songs are minimally composed without overproduction, carefully crafted, so that each one serves a purpose. The keyboards are the musical backbone on 'My Hotel Year' with some tape recordings, occasional guitars, fuzz bass, and other effects, all placed well in my opinion.

But this is really a record to listen to on a cold rainy night. Tim Bowness conducts quite well the feelings of loneliness, desperation, disappointment with love, and misunderstanding. It feels like a very personal and retrospective record, with some memorable and intriguing art rock numbers like 'I Once Loved You', 'The Me I Knew', 'Hotel Year', 'Making A Mess In A Clean Place'. 'My Hotel Year' is an interesting album but lacks the coherence that, for example, the No-Man albums have, or the Porcupine Tree ones from that same period.