THE FUTURE BITES

Initially, when I listened to the excerpts from of the future (at that time) album The Future Bites, I realized that Steven Wilson had completely broken with his past; it was already clearly felt on his previous solo album "To The Bone". This time we do not even have a lurch into a new wave or pop-rock (pop-art-rock), but something more radical, let's say "conceptual electro-pop".

Steven managed to make a radically new album, remembering the well-forgotten old; having made a new record for himself, he seemed to revive what existed in the 80s. And it became fresh and unexpected from the point of view of the author, as well as the listeners, who were expecting another Progressive metal album.

The concept is quite simple: the corporation titled "The Future Bites", which managed to produce goods characterized by the highest quality, having reduced its cost as much as possible, has completely depleted the earth's resources, leading humanity to war and extinction. The introductory part of "Self" comes from a randomly preserved neural network that has neither face nor individuality, listing the once meaningless hobbies of disappeared people, with obscene vocabulary skillfully inserted by Steven into the canvas of the song.

Particular attention should be paid to the composition "12 Things I Forgot". This is, in fact, a classic ballad in which Wilson sings to the accompaniment of simple guitar chords about the sorrows of a forced "secondary existence" and disappointment in the world around him (Maybe about disappointment in himself? Unlikely). About all those hobbies that the narrator forgot in the pursuit of profit.

And "Man Of The People" - with an eerie disturbing video, this thing is the most "classic" here, if there is anything in this album that fits the term "classic" (for the classic Steven, of course). "Cos you're a man of the people, A man of the people, And I'm just part of the plan" - a prophetic phrase and eerie in its simplicity, like this entire album. But the composition is not devoid of true beauty and grandeur!

And the magnum opus of the album - "Personal Shopper" - is an ominous little thing that "encompasses" the whole concept of the album. "Buy now, buy now, have a better life? Buy the shit you never knew you lacked". As the beats die away, you can hear an ominous synth pad that can knock out even the most hardcore fans of the genre. And if you remember the concept of the album, it becomes absolutely incredible!

To some extent, Steven succeeded in a unique thing: to make - as the basis of the album - facelessness, bringing it to the absolute, inscribing it into the canvas of the album and making it an artistic feature.

The edition is beauty! Faceless texts, faceless products, no names, no pictures. This album is like a gift from the future, where there is nothing left but simulacra that have completely trampled the world.

A cautionary album? Perhaps, but I would warn against such clichés, although everything Steven wrote has a number of serious reasons and concerns. But this is not from the field of music.