I first came across Tim in the band No Man is an Island (Except the Isle of Man), where he was vocalist and co-writer with Steven Wilson. They soon shorted their name to no-man, and I reviewed various of their albums back in the Nineties, and Tim worked with various different musicians until he finally released his own debut back in 2004, ‘Hotel’, which I also reviewed. A short ten years later, and 2014 saw Tim release his second solo album, ‘Abandoned Dancehall Dreams’. There are a host of other musicians, including of course Wilson, and colleagues from no-man, with plenty of other incredible talents such as drummers Pat Mastelotto and Andrew Booker. But this album is not really about the music, as that is always very much the accompaniment for Tim’s wonderful vocals.
Anyone who has come across no-man will have an expectation for what is being delivered here, and they will not be disappointed. There is a whimsical melancholy about Tim’s material, and an honesty and genuineness that other bands aspire to but rarely achieve. Tim’s relationship with guitarist Michael Bearpark goes back many years, not only with no-man but other outfits, and his use of different guitar techniques to emphasise the emotions in the voice is sublime, with Stuart Laws providing bass that has the right amount of delicacy and warmth. There are times when the music feels quite twee, such as on “Smiler at 52”, yet the emotions and reality of the vocals take the song in quite a different direction from the electronic backing which is behind it. This is an album which bears repeated listening as there is a great deal to be taken from it, by singer who has been at the front of the game for many years. Kev Rowland 8/10
Since 2015’s ‘Stupid Things That Mean The World’, Bowness has released two more solo albums (plus one with no-man and one with Peter Chilvers) and is now back with the third solo release ‘Late Night Laments’, so his sixth to date. Mixed by Steven Wilson and mastered by Calum Malcolm (The Blue Nile, Prefab Sprout), this album is mostly a collaboration between Bowness and Brian Hulse, who provides synths, keyboards, guitars and programmed drums, yet there are also plenty of guests (although not as many as is often the case) including of course Colin Edwin and Richard Barbieri, but a special mention must be made of Tom Atherton, whose vibraphone provides a very different feeling to about half the numbers, while singer Melanie Woods may only be on three songs but has she has a major impact.
This is less dynamic than the last album I heard of is, more focus on softer numbers and beauty, yet is no less powerful for that. The vibraphone provides a strike and delay that is very different to keyboards, and when combined with fretless bass it has a wonderful effect, and then of course at the front we have Tim’s vocals. He truly is one of our finest singers, with a hidden strength, and his knowledge of how to layer the arrangements and yet somehow keeping them simple and allowing his voice to always be at the forefront of what is happening is very special indeed. I can understand why some people may feel this album is a little “samey”, but each one of these numbers is a delight, and the result is something I can play all day. Fans of no-man or Bowness should all be grabbing this as yet again he shows why he is so renowned as writer and performer.
Today Tim Bowness and Steven Wilson, launch a brand new podcast, THE ALBUM YEARS.
On The Album Years podcast, long term friends, collaborators and music nerds Steven Wilson and Tim Bowness regularly meet online to discuss and bicker about their favourite music released during the golden album years, which they reckon to be from around 1965 to the end of the millennium. Each episode focuses on a single year picked at random. At the end of each episode they pick their personal favourites and the album they think had the most long-term impact on music. Can you guess which albums Steven and Tim will pick from 1980, and what would be your favourite albums from that year?
Tim Bowness’ fifth solo album ‘Flowers At The Scene’ is set for release on InsideOutMusic/Sony on March 1st, 2019. Produced by no-man, the album is a vibrant collection of 11 strikingly diverse songs.
With a week to go until the album’s release, today sees the launch of the track ‘It’s The World’, which features the talents of Peter Hammill (Van Der Graaf Generator), Steven Wilson & Jim Matheos (Fates Warning) & Colin Edwin (Porcupine Tree). Watch the video now here:
Tim comments: “This is the outlier on Flowers At The Scene.
I Go Deeper and Borderline are unique to themselves but don’t feel out of character with other songs on FATS. It’s The World is definitely a track apart, though.
It started with me writing a song using guitar and trumpet loops and ended with Brian Hulse fleshing out the chorus, Jim Matheos adding some Metallic menace, and rhythm section Tom Atherton and Colin Edwin taking to the piece like twin Lemmys to whiskey.
I could hear a Peter Hammill shaped hole in the chorus – as you do – so I asked PH to add some backing vocals. In his Rikki Nadir guise, he also played some savage guitars on the chorus.
Steven Wilson beefed up what was there with his usual mixing flair and added a haunting synth towards the end of the song.
The lyric is an account of someone blaming everything external on what might be an internal problem. On some levels, it’s self-pity on a global scale but with the current state of the world it’s not exactly clearcut.
Bob Hodds’ video very nicely captures the paranoia in the lyrics.”
Tim and his live band have also confirmed some initial live dates, including an appearance at Night Of The Prog Festival 2019. Find those dates below:
31st May – De Boerdij, Zoetermeer, The Netherlands (co-headlining with Anneke Van Giersbergen) 2nd June – Wroclaw, Poland 3rd June – Warsaw, Poland 7th June – Dingwalls, London, England (support from Amy Birks) 20th July – Night Of The Prog, Loreley, Germany
Listen to ‘Borderline’, featuring Big Big Train’s David Longdon on backing vocals & flute, as well as Dylan Howe, Colin Edwin & Ian Dixon here: https://youtu.be/qDuOJWLXM28
The second in a series of podcast episodes where Tim gives some background on the new album was recently launched, and you can listen to the first part here: https://timbowness.lnk.to/FlowersAtTheScenePodcast
‘Flowers At The Scene’ will be available as CD, LP + CD & as a digital album, as well as a limited edition red coloured vinyl version available exclusively through Burning Shed. Pre-order now here: https://timbowness.lnk.to/FlowersAtTheScene
Prog Magazine have said of the album it is “literate, heart-aching art rock at its finest”,
Tim comments of the new album: “’Lost In The Ghost Light felt like a conclusion to a particular way of writing and working. In the wake of that, Flowers At The Scene very much feels like a new beginning.
It was an exciting project to put together and it was great working closely with long-term creative partners, Brian Hulse and Steven Wilson plus a talented cast of new collaborators. Steven was initially brought in to mix the album, but very quickly was helping develop production ideas alongside Brian and I. Listening to pieces such as Not Married Anymore, Borderline and The War On Me, we both felt that the project had more than a hint of the spirit of no-man and it became obvious that this was a no-man co-production rather than a Bowness/Wilson one.
Elsewhere, the likes of Jim Matheos, Colin Edwin, Dylan Howe and Tom Atherton delivered some incredible performances and it was a delight to get Peter Hammill, Kevin Godley, Andy Partridge and David Longdon involved.
Peter and Kevin were two of my favourite singers growing up and I’ve been a long-term fan of XTC, so it was genuinely a thrill to hear their excellent contributions.”
Representing the duo of Tim Bowness and Steven Wilson’s first joint production in over a decade, the album features performances from an extraordinary cast of players including Peter Hammill (Van Der Graaf Generator), Andy Partridge (XTC), Kevin Godley (10cc), Colin Edwin (Porcupine Tree), Jim Matheos (Fates Warning), David Longdon (Big Big Train), co-producer Brian Hulse (Plenty), Australian trumpeter Ian Dixon, and drummers Tom Atherton and Dylan Howe. The Curator, David K Jones, violinist Fran Broady and Charles Grimsdale also guest.
Mixed by Steven Wilson and mastered by The Pineapple Thief’s Steve Kitch, the album’s artwork is by Jarrod Gosling.
The full track-listing is as follows:
1) I Go Deeper (4.15) 2) The Train That Pulled Away (4.04) 3) Rainmark (4.15) 4) Not Married Anymore (3.30) 5) Flowers At The Scene (3.04) 6) It’s The World (3.03) 7) Borderline (3.45) 8) Ghostlike (5.08) 9) The War On Me (3.47) 10) Killing To Survive (3.59) 11) What Lies Here (4.00)
Tim Bowness is primarily known as vocalist/co-writer with no-man, a long-running collaboration with Steven Wilson.
In addition to releasing six studio albums and a documentary DVD with no-man, Tim has worked with popular Italian artist Alice, Mercury Prize nominated Banco De Gaia, Robert Fripp, Peter Hammill and Roxy Music’s Phil Manzanera (amongst many others).
Tim recorded the album Flame (1994) with Richard Barbieri (Porcupine Tree/ex-Japan), and co-produced/co-wrote Talking With Strangers (2009) for Judy Dyble (ex-Fairport Convention).
Tim Bowness released his fourth solo album, ‘Lost In The Ghost Light’ last year through InsideOutMusic, garnering the best solo reviews he has ever received and reaching #5 in the official UK rock chart. It also picked up Best Cover Artwork at the prestigious annual Progressive Music Awards 2017.
Tim Bowness’ fifth solo album ‘Flowers At The Scene’ is set for release on InsideOutMusic/Sony on March 1st, 2019. Produced by no-man, the album is a vibrant collection of 11 strikingly diverse songs.
Today sees the launch of the album’s first single, “I Go Deeper.” You can watch the video for the track here:
Tim comments: “This was one of the last tracks written for the album. I co-wrote it last Summer with Italian musician Stefano Panunzi for use in a film. The original is in the more romantic tradition of no-man (and Porcupine Tree at its most lush), but I heard something very different in the piece so set about accentuating the differences between the sections and completely changing the instrumentation. Colin Edwin and Tom Atherton make for a formidable rhythm section on this and the soaring guitar solo by Brian Hulse is also a highlight for me.”
‘Flowers At The Scene’ will be available as CD, LP + CD & as a digital album, as well as a limited edition red colored vinyl version available exclusively through Burning Shed. Pre-order now here: https://timbowness.lnk.to/FlowersAtTheScene
Tim added of the new album: “’Lost In The Ghost Light felt like a conclusion to a particular way of writing and working. In the wake of that, Flowers At The Scene very much feels like a new beginning.
It was an exciting project to put together and it was great working closely with old sparring partners, Brian Hulse, and Steven Wilson. Steven was initially brought in to mix the album, but very quickly he was doing far more and developing production ideas alongside Brian and I. Listening to pieces such as Not Married Anymore, Borderline and The War On Me, we both felt that the project had more than a hint of the spirit of no-man and it became obvious that this was a no-man co-production rather than a Bowness/Wilson one.
Elsewhere, the likes of Fates Warning’s Jim Matheos, Colin Edwin, Dylan Howe, and Tom Atherton delivered some incredible performances and it was a delight to get Peter Hammill, Kevin Godley, Andy Partridge and David Longdon involved.
Peter and Kevin were two of my favorite singers growing up and I’ve been a long-term fan of XTC, so it was genuinely a thrill to hear their excellent contributions.”
Representing the duo of Tim Bowness and Steven Wilson’s first joint production in over a decade, the album features performances from an extraordinary cast of players including Peter Hammill (Van Der Graaf Generator), Andy Partridge (XTC), Kevin Godley (10cc), Colin Edwin(Porcupine Tree), Jim Matheos (Fates Warning/OSI), David Longdon (Big Big Train), co-producer Brian Hulse (Plenty), Australian trumpeter Ian Dixon, and drummers Tom Atherton and Dylan Howe. The Curator, David K Jones, violinist Fran Broady, and Charles Grimsdale also guest.
Mixed by Steven Wilson and mastered by Steve Kitch (The Pineapple Thief), the album’s artwork is once again by Jarrod Gosling.
The full track-listing is as follows:
I Go Deeper (4.15) 2) The Train That Pulled Away (4.04) 3) Rainmark (4.15) 4) Not Married Anymore (3.30) 5) Flowers At The Scene (3.04) 6) It’s The World (3.03) 7) Borderline (3.45) 8) Ghostlike (5.08) 9) The War On Me (3.47) 10) Killing To Survive (3.59) 11) What Lies Here (4.00)
Tim Bowness is primarily known as vocalist/co-writer with no-man, a long-running collaboration with Steven Wilson.
In addition to releasing six studio albums and a documentary DVD with no-man, Tim has worked with popular Italian artist Alice, Mercury Prize nominated Banco De Gaia, Robert Fripp, Peter Hammill and Roxy Music’s Phil Manzanera (amongst many others).
Tim recorded the album Flame (1994) with Richard Barbieri (Porcupine Tree/ex-Japan), and co-produced/co-wrote Talking With Strangers (2009) for Judy Dyble (ex-Fairport Convention).
Tim Bowness released his fourth solo album, ‘Lost In The Ghost Light’ last year through InsideOutMusic, garnering the best solo reviews he has ever received and reaching #5 in the official UK rock chart. It also picked up Best Cover Artwork at the prestigious annual Progressive Music Awards 2017.
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