REVIEW: No Man, Loveblows and Lovecries A Confession
- Bob Gajarsky
A dance synth group with a violin? Just can't be, you might say. Well, the English group No-Man break that rule and create some irresistible hooks on their debut album, Loveblows and Lovecries: A Confession.
The violinist mentioned is Ben Coleman; the other members of the group are Tim Bowness on lead vocals and Steven Wilson on guitar, keyboards and drum programming. In addition, the group recruits the help of others (including Richard Felix on cello and Mick Karn on fretless bass) to create one of the top synth albums of the year.
The release comprises recordings made during 1991 to 1993, and includes twelve tracks. Loveblows opens with the instrumental title track, "Loveblow", which sounds a bit like the Cure's opening to their Disintegration album. Things pick up with "Only Baby", which has all the earmarks of a Vince Clarke (Depeche Mode, Erasure, Yazoo) penned tune. Bowness' vocals don't come in your face, but blend in smoothly with the music, in a manner quite similar to Cause and Effect or Anything Box.
Other standout tracks include "Sweetheart Raw", which could have been a U2 experiment; "Taking It Like A Man", which combines the James Brown style of drumming (albeit programmed) with an Ian Broudie (Lightning Seeds) style of singing and "Painting Paradise", which sounds a bit like Seal's "Crazy".
American purchasers of this album receive two extra tracks , including the aforementioned "Taking It Like A Man" and the early U.K. alternative hit "Days In The Trees".
Billy Baudelaire of Seattle Satellite International says that "No-Man is sex, violins and a tale to tell; a magical mixture of dream pop, art rock and moody minimalism". I call it the best synth album of 1994. In any case, Loveblows and Lovecries: A Confession, by the English group No-Man, is definitely worth a listen. Again and again.
