Science Issue 6717 Volume 386, 04 October 2024

Swagger chronicles the in-between period that came after the initial, wildly eclectic Tim Bowness / Steven Wilson studio experiments of 1987 and 1988, and prior to No-Man signing its first record deal in 1991. It mostly captures the band making a propulsive Electro-Rock music and forging a fresh and more flamboyant identity courtesy of new recruit, virtuoso violinist Ben Coleman. Featuring Steven Wilson’s guitar playing to the fore and Tim Bowness’s ‘before voice’, the music is notably more aggressive than what was created either side of it and, though it occasionally hints at the smoother Loveblows & Lovecries to come and the fragility of what preceded it, it has a unique sound that separates it from everything else the band has ever done.