Search - No-Man :: Flowermouth

Remastered 'Flowermouth' is an Excellent Purchase

Anthony Morelli | Montreal, Canada | 11/22/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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! ;)"

"You grow more beautiful as I fade away..."

spiral_mind | Pennsylvania | 01/08/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Imagine Depeche Mode if they weren't so dark, imagine Pink Floyd if they'd had an incurable romantic streak, and you've got an idea of what you're in for with Flowermouth. The liner notes use phrases like "a glorious pop netherworld" and despite the hyperbole, it's no exaggeration - here, No-Man created a blissful smorgasbord for the ears that still stands as one of the most underrated discs of the 90s. Think of it as a much-needed answer to Morrissey or the Cure.



At heart the songs are basically pop melancholia, but with such a breathtakingly lush sound that it would make angels weep. Tim Bowness's rich voice deserves mention in the same league as David Sylvian, while the instrumental part of the equation is absolutely stunning. It would be stunning even if Steven Wilson had handled everything by himself, but this record also benefits from Robert Fripp, Richard Barbieri, Ben Coleman, Mel Collins and Ian Carr. It's practically worthwhile for the guest list alone.



Ultra-lush pop is the basic framework, but the music also shows an ambient sensibility, a taste for electronica, a touch of minimalism, a quiet-jazz attitude and the occasional emotional-rollercoaster guitar solo. Underlying everything is a bewitching bed of electronic beats, ranging from catchy danceable techno - just try not to bang on something during "Teardrop Fall" - to minimal chill-out groove. All their strengths are summed up in the myriad of lovely textures of "Angel Gets Caught in the Beauty Trap," hands-down one of the most incredible No-Man songs ever. It's an exquisite ten minutes of gorgeous synths, guitar, sax and violin, each contribution more lovely than the last.



Granted, in spots the production can sound a tad close to 80s synth-pop. But trust me, no one hates 80s music more than I do, and I say the sheer loveliness of the whole experience overrides any of those complaints. Even better than the original, this reissue has a fuller, warmer sound and 20 minutes of bonus material (drawn from early jams of "Angel Gets Caught..." and "Simple") featuring some wondrous Frippertronic guitar. The packaging is worse than before, but I guess you can't have everything.



This is a perfect time to discover this gem of an album. You want it. Go buy."

Gorgeous power pop with seriously annoying vocals

Richard Lewington | Fremont, CA | 08/26/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"For Porcupine Tree fans:

Move along, nothing to see here. This is not a Porcupine Tree album by a different name. Get one track: "things change," if you must.



For everyone else:

Glossy power pop, beautifully recorded. Mike and the Mechanics would be proud of this. (That's not intended as a criticism.)

The loss of two stars comes from the affected, breathy vocals. They get seriously annoying after a couple of tracks.



Steven, if you're listening, how about an instrumental version, or one with you singing? That would be much better."