Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb as always, 13 Dec 2004
Tim Bowness releases his first true solo album and what an amazing work of breathtaking beauty it is. The music has a kind of stripped down feel about it compared to Tim's work with No-Man and Henry Fool. Although it embraces a multitude of styles touched on by his other projects without mirroring them. Throughout his voice is as unique and compelling as ever and simply draws the listener in. Wonderful moving soundscapes and intelligent lyrics combine to make this one of the must have albums of the year!
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Return of a unique and valuable talent, 18 Nov 2004
By A Customer
Tim Bowness, known for collaborations in/with No-Man with Porcupine Tree's Steven Wilson, Centrozoon, Richard Barbieri, David Torn and others, returns here with his first solo CD. The album is a nice summation of all that Bowness does well in his other projects. There are gorgeous melodies, some electronic and beat-oriented touches, beautiful textures, and often brilliant lyrics. Bowness has one of the most unique and identifiable voices in modern English music, but the key to making this album a success is its intimacy. Despite a wide array of collaborators and musical styles, there aren't any tracks that don't convey a conversational ease and immediacy. Like the best of work of The Blue Nile, David Sylvian, or Talk Talk, these songs carefully excise anything unnecessary. What remains is full of grace and invention with a wonderful sense of space. Perfect for a listen with headphones or on a melancholy morning. Instrumental contributions from David Picking (Rhinoceros), Stephen Bennett (Henry Fool), and the Centrozoon duo are notable. The track "Sleepwalker" deserves to be a hit single, but the final song "Brave Dreams" most readily delivers chills up the spine. One star is removed since this album doesn't quite deliver on the level of No-Man's masterpiece "Returning Jesus," but it really is one of the finest album's I've heard this year.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
no-man on his own, 22 Feb 2005
The ever-busy Tim Bowness' first solo album. A world away from his recent sublime work with no-man, and more organic than the recent Centrozoon collaboration, "My Hotel Year" is a very contemporary album, switching from the indie-swagger of "Last Years Tattoo" to the lush "World Afraid" but glued together by Bowness' world-weary croon.If you've never heard Tim's work with no-man, or any of his other collaborations, it's safe to say that his music appeals to fans of acts such as Bowie, Associates, The Blue Nile, or further back to Nick Drake. Put simply, an album you must own if you seel quality music.
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