Customer Reviews

Loveblows & Lovecries: A Confession

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Impossibly well realised and heartbreakingly original, _Loveblows_ is stunning, a synthesis of well crafted strings, plaintive, refreshingly honest lyrics and dance beats. As unlikely as that sounds, Wilson and Bowness create songs thats seem to incorporate all these disparate elements and still maintain accessibility and churn out intelligent and surprising choruses. Unlike _Flowermouth_ , a masterpiece which delved into more textural and extended territory, _Loveblows_ is more direct, and works well for it, the songs being condensed to manageable length yet losing none of their dreamy potency.
'Sweetheart Raw' is delicate, greating lyrically and very pretty, 'Housekeeping' delves into more abstract washes of sound but remains catchy, while 'Heavens Break' is minimal, well scored and entrancing.
My copy came with a second CD which contains, I believe, early singles. I would recommend getting this version if you can as these singles are very much worth hearing.
This album (in fact, this band) seems to be painfully ignored. Make the effort to get _Loveblows_ would be a good idea though, as this is simply incredible music.

An album that manages to be both oddly timeless and a relic of its era, No-Man's debut, "Loveblows & Lovecries: A Confession" is one of those records that, while barely scratching the surface of the band's potential, is likely for many the only good record the band has put out. Consisting of vocalist Tim Bowness, multi-instrumentalist Steven Wilson (best known for his role as guitarist and singer in Porcupine Tree) and violinist Ben Coleman, No-Man's unique blend of unerring pop hooks, passionate vocals, fantastic instrumentalism and programmed beats drew them a lot of attention and praise. That they'd abandon this sound was no doubt a source of much frustration for many fans and certainly for their record label. Nonetheless, while many, myself included, believe that "Loveblows & Lovecries" barely scratches at the band's capacities, it is a fine debut record.

Exploring any number of textures and sounds, from groove based love balladry ("Only baby") to groove-based band workouts ("Sweetheart Raw", featuring ex-Japan members Steve Jansen, Richard Barbieri and Mick Karn) to explosive dance music (the absolutely fantastic "Painting Paradise"), there's not really a bad song on the album. More remarkable for an album so deeply lodged in pop music is the penchant for standout performances from all partieis, be it the affecting vocals throughout from Bowness, massive instrumental swirls from Wilson (resurrecting the otherwise threatened to be limp "Housekeeping") or Mick Karn's deep bass groove on "Sweetheart Raw". I think pop, especially in the '90s with programmed beats, I think of performance as being de-emphasized.

The American reissue includes two singles released by the band in the album-- "Days in the Trees" and "Taking it Like a Man". The former may be the best cut of the band's early days, with a lovely and melancholy melody, an oddly detached vocal and a superb violin solo. The latter I've never particularly cared for, it's a decent song, albeit a bit lacking in emotive punch that the band's best material has.

By their next album, No-Man would move on (so much so that Coleman parted ways with the band in frustration) to different sounds, leaving "Loveblows & Lovecries" is an interesting portrait. Recommended.

This is by far one of my favorite No-Man CD's, yet I'm surprised that it's relatively unknown.
This CD is comprised of a lot of sweet, up-beat love songs with tons of groove. No-Man fans NEED TO OWN THIS CD.

Over the last couple of years, I have become a big fan of the music of No-Man and have gradually been picking up any of their recordings that I lack. I recently acquired Loveblows and Lovecries: A Confession when I found it here at a reasonable price.
When I played it for the first time I was a little taken aback as this early effort is essentially disco enhanced with elements of electronica. That style is definitely not something I would go for if I knew of it in advance, but many listens later I have come to accept and even enjoy what No-Man has wrought here. As a friend commented, this album is an excellent introduction to the talents of Tim Bowness and Steven Wilson for those not used to something more avant-garde yet it offers enough to satisfy more experienced ears.
Though most songs here can be classified as high-quality dance music, those not into the style will find lots to like in the virtuoso instrumentation. Additionally, the lyrics are light-years ahead of the sort of mindless garbage that usually pollutes the genre. My favorites are Housekeeping, Sweetheart Raw, Lovecry, the easy beat of Tulip, Break Heaven, and what I think is the album's best cut, Beautiful and Cruel.
About the only song I really don't care for is the too-disco Taking It Like A Man.
If you don't like dance/electronica, don't let my comments scare you off. Its because of who is involved that Loveblows and Lovecries is a standout effort. The CD comes with an insert that contains lyrics and pertinent album information. Pick this up before it becomes unavailable.