THE RAVEN THAT REFUSED TO SING (AND OTHER STORIES)

Before I start my review, must say that I don't care for STEVEN WILSON'S music, so would had never bought the album but it was a gift from a friend and decided to listen it before I threw it to the box of albums that I won't listen again?.But I was positively impressed, the album is quite good, not the masterpiece that most people talk about, but a cute release from the modest 2013.

I can't honestly say what's my problem with Mr. Wilson, because the musicianship is impeccable and the composition pretty decent, but it leaves me cold, there's nothing that moves me, as a fact reminds me of SQUACKET, I knew it was good, I knew that I was supposed to love it, but there's no emotional connection with the songs.

The album is opened by Luminol, a jazzy, electronic track that took me by surprise due to the excellent bass keyboard interplay that reminds me of early MAHAVISHNU, everything seems to work perfectly until we reach the 4:30 minutes mark, when an anti-climatic gap makes me sleepy. Around the eighth minute the band tries to retake the frantic and powerful entrance, but the magic is lost and the song ruined.

Drive Home is a shorter song, but seems to last forever. God it really bored me to the point of wanting to press the skip button. Again, the performance is excellent (except for the vocals), but there's no life, no strength and what is worst, no originality, a tedious ballad that repeats itself during seven endless minutes.

The Holy Drinker retakes the excellent bass ? keyboards interplay with a strong KING CRIMSON influence that keeps me at the edge of the sit until the seventh minute when STEVEN WILSON loses it again with another tedious interlude that invites the listener to bed. The closing section is better, but not enough to reach the excellent level of the first seven minutes.

Most of the reviews I read seem to dismiss The Pin Drop, but in my opinion, it's one of the highest moments of the album. The oneiric and mysterious atmosphere is really captivating, and the vocals don't annoy me. The percussion and guitar performances are simply delightful. A wonderful song that captivates me from start to end.

The Watchmaker is a hit and miss, great ideas, some vibrant moments, but others pretty forgettable and tedious, especially when the singing begins. Not much to comment, I take it as a filler and a prelude for the amazing The Raven That Refused To Sing, a magnificent track with a brilliant structure that goes in crescendo from a sweet intro to a powerful ending...A great closer for a good album.

Rating The Raven That Refused To Sing (and Other Stories) is a real nightmare, because some passages are really good, while others can only be defined as boring, the musicianship and production are brilliant but the composition has too many weak moments that really bored me, so I had to go with three stars, an average qualification for an album that could had been outstanding.

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