Schoolyard Ghosts | ||||
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Studio album by No-Man | ||||
Released | 12 May 2008 | |||
Recorded | August–September 2007, January–March 2008 |
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Genre | Post-rock, art rock | |||
Length | 53:00 | |||
Label | Kscope | |||
Producer | Tim Bowness, Steven Wilson | |||
No-Man chronology | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | |
Blogcritics | (positive) |
Classic rock | (9/10) |
Goldmine | |
Rock Sound | (7/10) |
Schoolyard Ghosts is the name of 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 Painters), drummers Pat Mastelotto (King Crimson) and Gavin Harrison (Porcupine Tree, King Crimson), saxophonist/flautist Theo Travis, and the London Session Orchestra arranged by Dave Stewart (Hatfield and the North, Egg, Stewart and Gaskin etc.). In his online diary Tim Bowness mentions that, despite following a difficult year and being typically melancholy in places, the tone of the album is more optimistic than anything the band have done before. He also says "All Sweet Things" and "Truenorth" are perhaps the pinnacle of the band's achievements. A promotional Schoolyard Ghosts microsite was created by the band's label, K-Scope. It first featured a music video for "Truenorth - Part Two" which was thereafter replaced for a video of the song "Wherever There Is Light". No-Man fan site "A Confession" has also created a dedicated Schoolyard Ghosts microsite featuring the video for "Truenorth - Part Two" and album lyrics. The No-Man MySpace page also includes extracts from the album.
Reviews for the album have generally been very favourable, with positive reviews and interviews featured in Classic Rock (UK), Rock Sound (UK), Goldmine (USA), Record Collector (UK), Eclipsed (Germany), Metal Hammer (Germany), Metal Hammer (Poland), Free! (Finland),Rolling Stone (Mexico), Jam (Italy), and Allmusic.