Flowermouth [Original recording remastered]

An album far "advanced" for it's time. Originally released in 1994 on the "One Little Indian" label, the 2005 remastered version pumps out Steven Wilson & Tim Bowness' purely genius 'Elegant Dreaminess' talent. Both my '94 and 2005 versions of 'Flowermouth' are sitting here in front of me at my desk as I type (for easy reference). In my opinion, "Flowermouth' and 'Wild OPera' are No-Man's 2 best recordings to date. 'Flowermouth' takes you on that mesmeric rollercoaster ride of Euphoric and dramatic music, making it a very moody & brilliant album.

Personally, if anything had to be corrected (perfected), I would've re-recorded "Simple" with a completely different ending. There's 90 seconds of that delerious keyboard and the ending goes nowhere to the imagination. But's it's a delight to hear Lisa Gerrard (of Dead Can Dance) on 'Simple'. Her voice is a great touch to this song...which happens to be one of my favorites, among many on this CD. My absolute favorite is 'You Grow More Beautiful'...with it's lush and elegant arrangements. My 3rd favorite track has to be 'Teardrop Fall'...for it's mesmeric & fluid, yet leaves you floating there in the atmoshpere like many of No-Man's songs do. If your ears are sensitive to the subtle & obvious changes between an original issue and a remastered issue, you'll notice the sharpness of the effects & sound on 'Flowermouth'.

Tracklisting:

01- Angel Gets Caught In The Beauty Trap - 10:33 (36 seconds longer than 1994 version)

02- You Grow More Beautiful - 5:26

03- Animal Ghost - 6:09

04- Soft Shoulders - 3:59

05- Shell Of A Fighter - 7:50

06- Teardrop Fall - 4:39

07- Watching Over Me - 4:43

08- Simple - 7:03

09- Things Change - 7:31

Bonus Tracks

10- Angeldust - 9:11

11- Born Simple - 12:09 (the most atmospheric 'Steven Wilson' influenced track on the album)

Packaging & Features:

- Booklet is actually a booklet, rather than a gatefold pamphlet

- Booklet & digipack are printed in a soft matte

- Fully Lyrics are included in booklet

- This appears to be the corrected re-issue with the right year & packaging...unlike the pre-order "error"

- CD tray features the "feet in the flowers" image

- Inner cover features Steven & Tim (same image also found in inside last page of booklet)

- Booklet features an interesting 4-page 'Story' behind the album & re-issue

- CD is silver, minus the floral print. Titling is in white

- Included insert featuring all the "Snapper" label re-issues of Porcupine Tree, No-Man & Blackfield

Buy this CD for you won't regret it. I recommend it to anyone who truly appreciates what beautiful music is all about.

To Chellie...I highly recommended 'Flowermouth' to you! ;)

With its lush textures and warm, gentle vocals, 'Flowermouth' is not instantly sonically abrasive. Despite this, it is not a record that benefits from great immediacy. The melodies are subtle and hypnotic, while a lot of the tracks, while built around a melodic motif or simple rhythm, possess a trance like quality that sees them unfold and expand around the listener.

No-Man is a project of Steven Wilson and Tim Bowness. Wilson is widely known for his work with Porcupine Tree, and while some facets of Flowermouth recall his work there, notably the vocal engineering, No man is quite a different band. 'Flowermouth' is a delicate balance of post-rock texture and mood, pop vocals and simple, carefree lyrics, coupled with a hint of dance ambience. Each track is very carefully crafted and is crammed with ideas. The more upbeat, catchy numbers like 'You grow more beautiful' or the superb 'Teardrop fall' have a soothing, dreamy quality, with Bowness excellent vocals giving the songs accesibility. Both would almost serve as pop singles. No man really flex their muscles on the exteneded experimental pieces, like the glorious opening shot 'Angel gets Caught in the Beauty Trap' (best title and song ever!). Here Robert Fripp contributes a guitar loop thing, and the duo paint a gorgeous exercise in texture, tone and subtle melody over it. Each track is well crafted and executed, and each contributes well to the overall flow of the record.

No Man seem to be quite underrated and not widely known, even considering Wilson's other projects, which is a shame, as this album is a gorgeous exercise in texture and its also really accessible, after a couple of listens. I recommend it highly.

What a pleasure to hear an album as refreshing as this one. The blend of electronic, acoustic (or analog) instruments, and a nice collection of guests on this album make Flowermouth one of the best No Man albums. The songs are incredibly original, and have the presence of guitar guru Robert Fripp - as guest - on 80% of the record.

At first listen I couldn t believe ther interplay between former King Crimson sax player Mel Collins, Robert Fripp and the voice of Lisa Gerrard (of Dead can dance). Steve Wilson shows maturity (considering this was 1994) in comparison to his full time project Porcupine Tree - which also is wonderful. Tim Bowness is the singer and although I haven't heard many more records by No Man, has a voice that fits this band s sound perfectly. On the first song, 'Angel gets caught in the beauty trap', we hear him sing "In my dream I feel you breathing..In my dream I feel you breathe". These are very deep and beautiful words.

I beleive this band will continue to release excellent records (as they have since Flowermouth), and that the other projects that the members of this band partake in, will continue growing.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 12 reviews  4.5 out of 5 stars