IN ABSENTIA

Porcupine Tree keeps it simple.

A friend sent me In Absentia and I realized that Collapse the Light into Earth and Heartattack in a Lay By were missing (although I had heard both before). In addition, my music player definitely had the order mixed up. Getting them arranged properly unmistakably enhanced the album, but the songs out of order (maybe take away Strip the Soul) are still individually brilliant.

Porcupine Tree covers many fields here; everybody and their dog can meet in the middle for a merrymaking of new age rock music. For example, I know I was impressed by the hints of genres that were furthest from my comfort zones. I was captivated by tracks such as The Creator Has a Mastertape and Wedding Nails for the metal touches; the string accompaniments in .3 and Collapse. Meanwhile, I had my soft piano and vocals to snuggle with at night.

There is a striking dynamic opening, beginning with Blackest Eyes. The entire album plays with dynamics and volume. The whole band just explodes and right then and there, we're inside the Porcupine Tree (not so stupid) dream.

As an acoustically and vocally-inspired musician, I am biased for this, but Trains is easily my favourite off the album and from the Porc Tree. It keeps a fairly straightforward acoustic guitar with hammer-ons amid heavy riffs. Wilson's self-vocals are, as always, first-class. Nearly every review on In Absentia raves about the banjo solo and the hand clapping fadeout. This review will too. It sounds like clacking train tracks. It truly paints a vivid picture; although, who knows exactly what the peculiar lyrics are talking about?

The best of the best: The Sound of Muzak - The catchy concept every prog fan can agree on. Sort of an appetizer for Fear of a Blank Planet (bearing in mind appetizers are often better than the main course). Gravity Eyelids - Their most psychedelic piece on the album that takes a good four minutes to realize you love it. Wedding Nails - The wild metal-inspired instrumental. .3 - Prodigal's much more attractive older brother.

Collapse the Light into Earth is an ideal example of Porcupine's excellence in simple music. Melancholic. I'm sure that hasn't been used to describe this track before. It has an incomplex four chord progression. It's repetitive, which is fine. There is beautiful echoing. They could have easily overcooked the vocals, but they do not. The fadeout is delicate; we are left a few seconds in awe and then we all scramble to find the replay button.

Share this PORCUPINE TREE review

Social review comments () BETA

---

---

Review related links

• Send comments to Poser
• Report this review (#147704)
• Buy PORCUPINE TREE music online with PA partners
• Show all PORCUPINE TREE MP3/Stream
• Go to PORCUPINE TREE page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to In Absentia page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for PORCUPINE TREE related discussions