* En anglais uniquement
As
No-Man is an island, vocalist and lyricist
Tim Bowness (b. Warrington, England) met multi-instrumentalist
Steven Wilson through an avid interest in all kinds of music. Cross-breeding is a particular forte; for example, it is not uncommon to hear a dance beat, a violin, and a sprawling guitar solo on the same track. Influences range from
Arvo Pärt to
Talk Talk. For a time, the duo were complemented by violinist
Ben Coleman. Although several minor releases came in the mid-to late '80s, it was really in 1990 that the
No-Man catalog begins with a cover of
Donovan's "Colours." Next was the "Days in the Trees," now long since deleted, this remains one of
No-Man's most memorable recordings. In 1992, the band found themselves playing live shows with ex-
Japan maestros
Steve Jansen,
Richard Barbieri, and
Mick Karn; the latter also guests on much of
No-Man's output beginning with their 1993 debut Loveblows & Lovecries. For their second album, 1994 masterpiece
Flowermouth, help was also enlisted in the form of
Robert Fripp, his old colleague
Mel Collins, and jazz musician
Ian Carr. A remix edition entitled Flowermix was issued the following year featuring a stunning ten-minute reworking of "You Grow More Beautiful," retitled "Faith in You." More experimental was their next outing, Wild Opera (1996) with titles such as
Housewives Hooked on Heroin and Infant Phenomenon (seemingly a cousin to
David Sylvian and
Fripp's
Darshan). The band were obviously not concerned with the realm of commercial activity; however, the album did contain moments that were more radio-friendly, notably stand-out track "My Revenge on Seattle." Wild Opera also spawned an off-shoot semi-album,
Dry Cleaning Ray. Both members have also pursued their various side projects:
Porcupine Tree/
Bass Communion (
Wilson),
Darkroom (
Bowness, who also recorded excellent album Flame with
Richard Barbieri, and World of Bright Futures with Samuel Smiles).
Wilson was also engaged in production activities with
Fish and his former colleagues
Marillion, but these projects all lend to clogging up the progress of
No-Man; apart from the 1999 EP,
Carolina Skeletons, and the reissue of late-'80s work Speak. ~ Kelvin Hayes