''Love You to Bits'' is the seventh studio album by

No-Man No-Man are an English art pop duo, formed in 1987 as No Man Is an Island (Except the Isle of Man) by singer Tim Bowness and multi-instrumentalist Steven Wilson. The band has so far produced seven studio albums and a number of singles/outtakes ...

. Released as the first album for 11 years after ''

Schoolyard Ghosts ''Schoolyard Ghosts'' is the sixth studio album by British art rock band No-Man. Recorded in the UK, France, Sweden and the USA and released on 12 May 2008, the album features contributions from Bruce Kaphan (American Music Club, Red House Pa ...

'' (2008), the album consists of two five-part song cycles and has been described as, "Chronicling the aftermath of a relationship from different perspectives". Within the songs, each part is called a "bit" or a "piece". Musically, the album represents a return to the more electronic, beat-driven sound of the band's earliest albums, while also incorporating conceptual and organic elements that echo approaches heard on the band's later releases. "Love You to Bits" (Bit 1) was released as a single in early November 2019, along with a 13-minute non-album instrumental B-side entitled "Love You to Shreds (Shreds 1–3)". Produced, written and performed by No-Man and mixed by Bruno Ellingham, former

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

keyboard player Adam Holzman, drummer

Ash Soan Ashley Soan is a British drummer. His influences include Stewart Copeland, Steve Ferrone, Jim Keltner, James Gadson, Phil Rudd, Art Blakey, Steve Gadd. Early life Educated at the Grove School In Market Drayton, Shropshire, Ashley Soan started ...

, The Dave Desmond Brass Quintet, No-Man live bassist Pete Morgan and Slovak Jazz guitarist

David Kollar David Kollar (born 25 October 1983) is a Slovak Experimental music, experimental guitarist and composer. He was born in Prešov into a musical family. He began his career at the end of the nineties in various amateur groups. He studied with guitari ...

guest.

Critical reception

The album received very favourable reviews in publications as diverse as Classic Pop, Classic Rock, Record Collector, Louder Than War, Prog, Electronic Sound and MOJO in the UK, Eclipsed and Rolling Stone in Germany, Classic Rock and Prog in Italy, Metal Hammer and Teraz Rock in Poland, and more. It holds an average score of 3.6/5 in ''Sputnikmusic'' website based on ratings from 31 users. Writing for US site '' Under the Radar'', Stephen Humphries gave the album eight out of 10 stars. Raul Stanciu from ''Sputnikmusic'' gave the album 3.8 out of 5 stars and defined it as a "polarizing record" while remarking "the piece can be better appreciated when digested as a whole".

Physical formats

The album is available on CD in a

digipack Optical disc packaging is the packaging that accompanies CDs, DVDs, and other formats of optical discs. Most packaging is rigid or semi-rigid and designed to protect the media from scratches and other types of exposure damage. Jewel case A ...

with booklet and as a black 180g vinyl edition. Limited edition blue vinyl and cassette versions were available via the band's store and sold out during the pre-release period.

Track listing

Charts

References

{{Authority control No-Man albums 2019 albums