Wild Opera

History

In 1996, No-Man announced their return on a new label 3rd Stone Ltd., home of Spacemen 3 and Bark Psychosis. This was led by the Housewives Hooked On Heroin single (a Hot Press "Single of the Fortnight"), a taster for the Wild Opera album which followed that autumn.

Wild Opera was a far darker, more beat-driven and wilfully exploratory recording than Flowermouth, with lyrics and moods musing on a fractured, threatening and often crushing world. No-Man's taste for melancholy balladry and cinematic art rock soundscaping was still in evidence, but this time it was joined by savage industrial dance, luscious trip hop and odder pop excursions than the band had ever attempted before.

Most of the album had emerged from a series of semi-spontaneous improvisations recorded over a few hours, rather than planned-out attempts at songwriting. The raw results of three such sessions appeared on the album, revealing new and more direct No-Man working methods. Wild Opera was a reinvention presented to a press that were still coming to grips with the band's re-emergence, and consequently reviews were mixed and often confused. Over the years the album would become an insidious musical force, gradually gaining more underground attention.

The title track itself is unlisted and appears as a 'hidden' bonus track.

Dry Cleaning Ray

One of the Wild Opera tracks -"Dry Cleaning Ray"- was released as a single in 1997. It also spawned the Dry Cleaning Ray mini-album. Even more eclectic than its predecessor, Dry Cleaning Ray presented drastically reworked Wild Opera material, Gainsbourg covers, left-field remixes (such as "Punished For Being Born", Muslimgauze's reinvention of "Housewives Hooked On Heroin"), and freefalling instrumental moments. It also offered new songs such as "Sicknote".

2010 edition (remaster)

Kscope is releasing a remastered edition on 31 May 2010 that will include all Wild Opera tracks and a second CD with all nine Dry Cleaning Ray mini-album tracks, thus taking it to a double album. The Wild Opera reissue will also bring some B-Sides from the same era and four never-released tracks.

CD1 - Wild Opera

Same as original release.

Personnel

with: