Tim Bowness (no-man) new album "Lost in the Ghost Light" (Feb. 2017)

Tim's new album "Lost in the Ghost Light" (mixed and mastered by Steven Wilson) is set for a February 2017 release, with a limited DVD edition containing a 5.1 mix by Bruce Soord as well as the 5.1 mix of Tim's previous album "Stupid Things That Mean the World" (previously only as a download with pre-orders of the CD from Burning Shed).

Pre-orders from Burning Shed get signed postcard and download of some alternate versions...)

 

Great news, thanks so much for sharing.

January we get a new Blackfield and now this in February. 2017 is shaping up to be a good year for the no-man family tree.

 

Actually, the Blackfield got another minor delay - Feb 10 release date now....but yes, it'll be a very good month for stuff from SW's extended family.

It's a bit odd though - Steven did the 2.0 mix on Tim's album, and Bruce Soord did the 5.1.

 

And here's the news item/press release note from Tim's page:

 

I don't recall if I confused the release month for Blackfield V or if there was another delay but either way, thanks for the info. Regardless, both of these are welcome news and I'm guessing that we'll also see another SW solo release sometime in 2017.

 

Yeah there was a 2nd delay on the BF album, from late Jan to the Feb date.

There are some vague whispers of possible no-man show(s) in 2017 to celebrate their 30th anniversary but I suppose a lot will depend on how SW progresses on his new record and other projects - I think it's his plan to have the album out for his 50th birthday.

 

definite buy for me, I'm still smarting from missing out on the 5.1 download of "Stupid Things That Mean the World". Fantastic that it's included on the DVD package

 

"You Wanted To Be Seen" from the album has been put up on YouTube by the label as a teaser:

 

A "15 Questions" interview with Tim:
15 questions | Interview | Tim Bowness | Natural Response »

and Tim's album notes on his blog:
Lost In The Ghost Light »

 

another clip from the album - "Distant Summers"

 

With the album release this month, a new interview with Tim, very nicely done.
Tim Bowness Lost in the Ghost Light

 

Cheers for posting, eagerly awaiting the release date!
Gary

 

Tim Bowness releases his new solo album 'Lost In The Ghost Light' this Friday. Pre-order the album now here: http://smarturl.it/timbownesslitgl

"an album of immense ambition, the scope of which is matched only by the virtuosity of its songwriting and musical performances" - Shindig! Magazine... the latest!
"the narrative is bold and witty, the songs a core vision of pathos." - Prog
"Conceptual albums of this lavish quality should come around more often." - Daily Express

 

anyone preorder and get the download link yet?

"The pre-order comes with a signed postcard and - on the day of release - a link to the download release "Songs From The Ghost Light (featuring alternative versions of songs intended for the concept). "

 

just got my email with the link from burning shed, its one 33mb file, a 23:45 single track consisting of 8 outtakes strung together at 192kbps, not great, but the dvd included with the physical product will make up for it.

 

I bought the album (CD + DVD) 2 days ago and it's been in the constant playing ever since

It's a beautiful record, full of great moments. It's very melodic, and even non-prog fans at all can enjoy it
The overall mood is reflexive, and it's well-crafed and performed.


Highly recommended!

 

My extended analysis of No-Man/Henry Fool singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Tim Bowness' latest solo album, the progressive rock concept album Lost in the Ghost Light, today at All About Jazz.

It's a somewhat hidden truth that a sizeable percentage of any musician's fan base believes that the music their favorite artists make is a direct reflection of their tastes. While an artist's music ought, indeed, be a reflection of what moves them, it's another truth that, more often than not, their listening habits run much farther afield.

One way to develop a more thorough appreciation for an artist's tastes, touchstones and influences is to look at their entire discography, assuming they've been around long enough to build one sizeable enough to tell a more complete tale. Still, even looking at discography that is now entering its fourth decade doesn't necessarily tell the whole story, as is the case with Tim Bowness.

Lost in the Ghost Light is Bowness' third solo release since 2014's Abandoned Dancehall Dreams (Inside Out)--his first "real" solo album despite releasing My Hotel Year in 2004, which Bowness describes, in the 2017 All About Jazz interview that accompanies this review, as ..."pieces from several separate projects I was working on in the early 2000s. It's a solo album in name mainly, though I did define its shape and sound,"

Lost in the Ghost Light shares certain unmistakable stylistic commonalities with the British singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist's previous two records, and his work in No-Man, Bowness' longstanding collaboration with fellow solo artist Steven Wilson that, on hiatus since 2008, may well be firing back up in the near-to-mid-range future. At the same time, it represents something completely different in Bowness' discography, whether it's solo, as co-leader of groups including No-Man, Henry Fool (along with Ghost Light compositional collaborator/keyboardist/guitarist Stephen Bennett) and his duo project with bassist/keyboardist Peter Chilvers, or as a guest with groups including Centrozoon, Opium Cartel and Darkroom and singer Judy Dyble.

Continue reading here...

 

My extended review of the album was published today at All About Jazz. You can read it here.

I also did a lengthy interview with Tim, which was also published today. You can read it here: Tim Bowness: Ghost Lights and Life Sentences.

I posted this elsewhere, but in case folks are just following specific threads, I hope you don't mind my reposting here.

Tim also sent me the bonus track, but I didn't get it until too late to add to the review. Sorry, folks!
John
PS: Oh yes, I meant to mention: while you are reading either my long (6,000+ words) interview with Tim or my extended (nearly 2,000 words) review of Lost in the Ghost Light, you can stream the entire album. You'll see a Spotify link to a playlist with the whole album on the right-hand column beside the article text.

 

Oh yes, I meant to mention: while you are reading either my long (6,000+ words) interview with Tim or my extended (nearly 2,000 words) review of Lost in the Ghost Light, you can stream the entire album. You'll see a Spotify link to a playlist with the whole album on the right-hand column beside the article text.

 

Fantastic review!

Thanks so much for sharing

Here's another one

Album Review: Tim Bowness – Lost in the Ghost Light


If somewhere there is a prog rock album checklist, the new Tim Bowness album Lost in the Ghost Light has nearly every box checked off. Tim Bowness is best known as one half of No-Man with that sad little darling of the prog world, Steven Wilson. Over the last number of years Bowness has released a couple of very highly regarded solo albums in Abandoned Dancehall Dreams and Stupid Things That Mean the World. However, Lost in the Ghost Light stands out as not only his most distinctive release but arguably his strongest. Let’s address the first box on our prog checklist, this is a conceptual album. The album deals with an ageing musician whose best years are long behind him as he struggles to deal with the current musical landscape where digital streams have replaced the lost art of a cohesive album experience and ultimately left him and his fragile artistic ego to fend for itself. The next box we need to check off is the “does the following album have an absurd level of musicianship on it?” box. Bowness gets this box checked by completely loading this album with a who’s who of prog musicians, including the core band of Stephen Bennett (Henry Fool), Bruce Soord (Pineapple Thief), Colin Edwin (Porcupine Tree), Hux Nettermalm (Paatos), Andrew Booker (Sanguine Hum) as well as guests Kit Watkins (Camel, Happy the Man), David Rhodes (Kate Bush/Peter Gabriel), Steve Bingham (No-Man), Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) and Andrew Keeling (Robert Fripp). Each one of these musicians was clearly chosen for a reason and they manage to stand out independently while creating a cohesive feel throughout the entire album.


Checklist aside, the album musically is a step in a different direction from his previous solo efforts. Due to the concept the album spends a lot of time weaving its way through a variety of classic prog soundscapes. Be ready for your prog nerd friends to point out the Genesis they hear in “Moonshot Manchild”, how the driving bass and synths in “You Wanted to Be Seen” remind them of Yes or how many of the guitar solos are essentially love letters to David Gilmore. The stunning and memorable fretless basslines, beautifully lush string arrangements, remarkable guitar work and the undeniably classic prog synths all led by the regretful yet soothing vocals of Bowness really make each moment on the album feel purposeful. The song that really brings the album together in terms of concept and musicality is the final track, “Distant Summers”. The album comes to an emotional head thematically as our main character recalls his entry into the passion that would be his life’s defining characteristic. The song slowly builds towards an incredible Ian Anderson solo that leads us into Bowness delivering these painfully poignant lines, “no weight of expectation, just joy in what you’d found. No fear or hesitation, you lost yourself in sound. The songs of distant summers, the strength that lit the spark. The songs of distant summers, kept out the growing dark”. It would be hard to find someone who cannot relate to the feeling of fondness of a time in their life when they freely gave into their passions without expectations and without hesitancy. As either creative people or passionate fans it seems over time we tend to expect more from the thing that was once simply magical and accepted by us and this idea culminates in “Distant Summers”.

Lost in the Ghost Light is a fantastic prog album that stands tall amongst the hordes of cute boys with 9 string guitars that seem to be trying to sneak away with the prog moniker. Tim Bowness manages to release another album that will be highly regarded in the prog community and further cement him as a solo artist. Lost in the Ghost Light is due out February 17th via InsideOut Records and can be ordered through burningshed.com.

Rating: 8.5/10

 

Got the cd today, came with a DVD that has the new album and the Stupid Things album in 5.1

 

Tim has sent me a copy....but I didn't know it had both the new album AND Stupid Things in high res/surround.

Now that's some good news!!

 

I bought the day it was released in Cardiff

Ever since I've been playing it A LOT
I really enjoy this album

Wonderful record

 

The pre-order "companion" download mini-album "Songs from the Ghost Light" of extras has been reworked and is getting it's own release in August, at a budget price too.



Footnote on the Burning Shed page - should have been said right at the top so I'll move it up!

https://burningshed.com/store/timbowness/tim-bowness_songs-from-the-ghost-light_cd
https://burningshed.com/store/timbowness/tim-bowness_songs-from-the-ghost-light_vinyl

 

I'm glad to see this album already has a thread of its own. I wasn't sure what to expect from Bowness solo, but decided to take the plunge on Lost in the Ghost Light as the DVD came with hi-res stereo versions of both it and the previous album, Stupid Things That Mean the World. I'm not sure what my hangup was, as I enjoy No-Man, but I was kicking myself for waiting so long to check out Tim's solo work. Both albums are a delight and I particularly enjoy his arrangement choices. The albums are thick with atmosphere and some great playing. There's a lot of talk thrown around about "prog" here, but it's the kind of prog that doesn't draw attention to itself. It's just good music with excellent melodic sense that is enjoyable to listen to. Also, Tim manages melancholy without ever becoming depressing, which is quite a feat.

I'll probably be stopping back in here as I spend more time with these albums.