Powder Dry is the eighth studio album from Tim Bowness. It signals a couple of firsts for the singer-songwriter. It’s his first album on Kscope and another first, it was entirely produced, performed and written by Bowness. A true solo album.
The 40 minute album features 16 pieces and was mixed (in stereo and surround sound) by Bowness’s partner in no-man (and The Album Years podcast), Steven Wilson, who also acted as Bowness’s sounding board during the mixing process.
Rock Hudson was the first track to be released from Powder Dry digitally, and is one of the more immediate songs, introducing one of the main tools used on the album – brevity. No tracks overstay their welcome, and perhaps as a result of current song-writing trends, intros and outros are very short – most songs have vocal lines arriving within seconds of the song beginning.
Rock Hudson has some wonderful tight synth sequences lurking behind the later verses, and a post-punk feel to the heavily percussive chorus.
Lost / Not Lost is a lighter piece, with the electronics propelling the song to a typically addictive Bowness chorus.
“Stomach twisting at the thought of you
And you’re all I’m thinking of”
When Summer Comes was the second digital pre-release, and it’s easy to see why this song was chosen. It is such a good song and quite unique in Tim’s impressive catalogue. The memories of summers past drip from every sun-kissed pore of this delicious track. A lovely vocal, with hints of early 80s Ryuichi Sakamoto keyboard lines in the last section, When Summer Comes should be added to everyone’s summer playlists, from now and forever more. Sort it out now, dear listener!
Idiots at Large signals the return of the industrial power of Bleed (an early no-man track), with harsh brutality. The synths sparkle as the song takes a shocking sonic turn. Bowness never fails to surprise, and this song is no exception. Just like that…
A Stand-Up For The Dying aka the “long one” at 1 second short of 5 minutes, will be familiar if you have attended recent Bowness gigs. The electronics drop away to usher in real guitars for the first time on the album. A Stand-Up For The Dying has echoes of the spacier side of Pink Floyd, and a deeply personal and intensely moving lyric touching on the passing of a loved one. This song hit home even more on recent plays after a recent brush with cancer in my close family.
After the emotional trauma of A Stand-Up For The Dying, the songs ambient outro calms you and the following track, the incessant instrumental Old Crawler, acts as an effective palate cleanser for what follows.
Heartbreak Notes is a sparce but warm piece and offers a rare disappointment, my disappointment that the song ends too soon, just as it hits its stride. Bowser says always leave them wanting more!
Ghost Of A Kiss is another very short piece, beatless but with a no-man returning jesus like mood (I’m sure this was intentional) suggested by the bubbling, rhythmic keyboards in the background.
“The open goals you chose to miss”
Next up is the most surprising song on the album, by a country mile. Summer Turned is a Club Tropicana for the 21st Century. That’s a compliment by the way. Unlike anything Tim has released before, this song results in the seasonal feelings suggested in the earlier track When Summer Comes having the heat whacked up to 11, with Bowness coating the track with 80s nostalgia flavoured sunscreen.
The song screams “release me as a single Kscope, ya bastards”. I won’t say anymore than that as I don’t want to spoil the first listen for everyone.
From the sun-kissed 80s to a haunted 1920s ballroom with You Can Always Disappear. Like both ‘summer’ songs, You Can Always Disappear also covers new ground for Bowness. Due to the many layers and clever sound design, I cannot wait to hear this song in 5.1. Jack Torrance would surely be a fan of You Can Always Disappear.
The title track Powder Dry has a very unpredictable arrangement, with a dark underbelly that sneaks up on you. Another track built for 5.1. The song is as brutal lyrically as it is musically.
“You couldn’t keep your powder dry”
Films Of Our Youth is another well-placed instrumental palate cleanser and a very emotional piece. Resonant choral synth lines hang in the air, and the space communicates emotion as much as the actual performance. A simply beautiful piece of music.
This Way Now will fast become a favourite for fans. A piece of twisted, Pink Floyd / Memories of Machines referencing nostalgia, the arrangement is simple, uncluttered but so effective.
“Even in defeat, you’re sharpening knives again”
I Was There is the one track on Powder Dry that could have found its way onto one of Tim’s previous solo albums, and the song is given plenty of time to develop. I hope I Was There becomes a Bowness live staple, as it lends itself to a full band performance. The production on this track is first class, and the trance-like elements remind me a little of Flowermouth era no-man.
The Film Of Your Youth feels very un-filtered and natural, and might hark back “lyrically” to the main character in 2017’s Lost In The Ghost Light? The lightness of touch is in stark contrast to album closer Built To Last, which offers an uncompromising ending to Powder Dry.
Built To Last offers up a dark, windswept scene that lyrically seems to reference the world ignoring the clear and present danger of climate change and the desolation that will surely follow. Once again, the sound design on this track is well thought out and executed.
Powder Dry stands alone in Tim’s catalogue of work. At times playful, beautiful, moving and also stark and disturbing, Powder Dry feels like a new beginning, a reset of sorts and a unique artistic statement from one of my favourite artists.
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Buy Powder Dry (all formats) from Burning Shed
Buy Powder Dry on CD from Amazon
Powder Dry tracklist
Rock Hudson
Lost / Not Lost
When Summer Comes
Idiots At Large
A Stand-Up For The Dying
Old Crawler
Heartbreak Notes
Ghost Of A Kiss
Summer Turned
You Can Always Disappear
Powder Dry
Films Of Our Youth
This Way Now
I Was There
The Film Of Your Youth
Built To Last
Mr Kinski's Music Shack 
Thank you, Tony, for this truly delightful review of an eagerly awaited album.
The diversity of the songs, Tim’s always great voice and the subtleties of the production make us fans count the days until the release.
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