No-Man is the side project of Porcupine Tree mastermind Steven Wilson (instruments) and the multi-dimensional artist Tim Bowness (vocals). You may have heard of No-Man only recently (due to Porcupine Tree's success in prog circles) but No-Man is "no " newcomer. The project has been active for over ten years now, and Returning Jesus is their much accomplished fourth studio release. Vocalist Tim Bowness plays a very integral role in No-Man, as he writes all the lyrics and half of the songs. Steven Wilson is responsible for the music, instrumentation, mix, and production. As on previous No-Man albums, there are several guests contributing to this album (Robert Fripp guested on the band's Flowermouth album), among whom are Ian Carr of Nucleus fame on trumpets, Colin Edwin (Porcupine Tree) on bass, and Steve Jansen (David Sylvian) on drums, among others.
It should be noted that No-Man sounds absolutely nothing like Porcupine Tree, but is perhaps stylistically closer to the poppier Blackfield project. This is a very slow-paced disc, with strong emphasis on ambience, multi-textured song arrangements, introspective songs that are shaped by pop sensibilities, and additional non-rock instruments (violin, trumpet, horn, etc). Touches of soul music, classical, light jazz, and trance abound, with the compositions never sticking out too much or taking away from the songs' ambient textures. Tim Bowness' lyrics create the focal point for the band's romantic love songs, while Steven Wilson is the one who carefully composes the gorgeous and somewhat mournful music. Bowness has a warm voice which is often laid over the delicate synth sounds like a soft blanket. He sings in a very low tone most of the time, kind of like he whispers the words, but the timbre in his voice is full of intensity and emotion.
The songs are essentially 80's styled pop, but they draw upon jazz and experimental influences. The tunes are embellished with saxophone, trumpet, jazz piano, acoustic and electric guitars, and percussion. Slow cadences combine with Floyd-like guitars with slowly descending melodies as Bowness relays his sad, romantic lyrics and lulls the listener into a deep, bittersweet dream-like trance. When you listen to songs like "No Defence" or "Outside the Machine", you'll hear him engaging in utterly emotive vocal melodies (and lyrics), whilst multi-instrumentalist Steven Wilson creates spacey atmospheres and lays down restrained minimalist instrumentation. The eight-minute "Lighthouse" could be the musical apex of Returning Jesus; it's so beautiful I don't even know what to say. Sustained notes are joined by the use of horns and a nice freeform improvisation provides a refreshing tapestry of sound. "Slow It All Down" is the album's only instrumental piece. It's a great song with a rich hypnotic backdrop.
It could be argued that Returning Jesus is too monochromatic, too slow, and too mellow. It may be the kind of music you might want to hear before you go to sleep or put on as a very relaxing piece while reading or working on your computer. However, if you can get into its inner depths like it's meant to be, you can also listen to it on a set of good headphones and get lost in its sheer aesthetic beauty. I once read that Steven Wilson said Returning Jesus, of all the albums he's done so far, is by far his most favourite work. I think this album might be a good point to get into No-Man, but I also highly recommend Flowermouth (because of Robert Fripp guesting on a couple of tracks).
Track Listing
1. Only Rain
2. No Defence
3. Close Your Eyes
4. Carolina Skeletons
5. Outside the Machine
6. Returning Jesus
7. Slow It All Down
8. Lighthouse
9. All That You Are
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