Progarchives, the progressive rock ultimate discography
Steven Wilson - The Future Bites CD (album) cover

THE FUTURE BITES

Steven Wilson

 

Crossover Prog

3.01 | 381 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

A Crimson Mellotron
Prog Reviewer
3 stars Steven Wilson begins the new decade with a daring new album - 'The Future Bites' happens to be solo album #6 by the British prog rock icon, and it will quite likely be remembered for the big delay in the release date, precisely from June 2020 to late January 2021. Before diving into the content of this new album, I must say one thing: I'm glad that this album sounds the way it does, and not like 'To the Bone' Part 2 or a reworked version of 'Grace for Drowning' or even a 'Blackfield' spin-off; Steven Wilson has changed directions once again in the seemingly perpetual musical exploration journey that he has embarked on since the mid-90s, and thank god he has... again.

Unlike the album that came right before it, 'The Future Bites' is less guitar-driven for the sake of a more prevalent synth-pop-reminiscent sound, much more minimalistic in terms of the production approach, somehow more chorus-driven and severely electronic. Also, Wilson tips his toes in the field of disco and dance music, if you will, for the good of it.

A well-crafted and well-thought-out modern pop record that will, in my opinion, stand the test of time. Will it be considered his best in some decades' time? I certainly do not know but I had some hidden high hopes that it could be such. However, the kind of revolving concept around the album is well-known to Wilson, as he has explored consumerism, the influence of social media, and current events before, but this time all wrapped around the fictional high-end brand The Future Bites' plot to sell whatever useless crap could be branded.

Musically, this album has all the significant traces of a Steven Wilson record, which might not be necessarily named but are strongly felt once heard, the most dominant of all being the emotiveness of all of his music. Because despite the style and the thematic concept of 'TFB', this is a very emotive record. With songs like 'King Ghost', '12 Things I Forgot', 'Man of the People' and 'Count of Unease', you cannot dismiss this record as a bland or mindless collection of easy-going pop songs.

'Self' is an interesting entry in his catalogue - very electronic and upbeat, quite minimalistic in terms of production but effective enough to be a memorable song. 'Eminent Sleaze' sounds like something that Pink Floyd would have done had they been active in 2021; most likely my favorite song on the album, and another unique Steven Wilson piece. Enough said. 'Personal Shopper' is quite spectacular, almost 10-minutes of sort of dark-dance prog rock fest. Plus, the music video that accompanies this song is absolutely spectacular and this has to be pointed out. Finally, 'Follower' seems to be the only song I cannot get used to. Interestingly, the bonus material for the album is twice as long as the album itself, and contains some pretty good tracks but generally I can see why these were left out (covers, remixes, and shorter, more state-of-the-art songs).

Moreover, an interesting cast of additional musicians and collaborators, including David Kosten, Nick Beggs, Adam Holzman, Richard Barbieri, Elton John, Rotem Wilson, and many more are in to add something to this record. It is sometimes hard to feel the presence of people like Beggs or Holzman but this is not the kind of album that would be in need for their 'full-time presence'.

All in all, this album is strong, different, and surprising. Does it strike the same chord with me like his previous albums? Honestly, not quite. As much as I like the experience of this album that sounds tremendous on headphones, there is something lacking when compared to the masterful 'Hand. Cannot. Erase' or 'The Raven', or almost any other album that Steven Wilson has been involved in. Fantastic choice on his side, however, to continue exploring whatever excites him artistically! Still much more progressive than many other contemporary acts waving this flag.

A Crimson Mellotron | 3/5 |

MEMBERS LOGIN ZONE

As a registered member (register here if not), you can post rating/reviews (& edit later), comments reviews and submit new albums.

You are not logged, please complete authentication before continuing (use forum credentials).

Forum user
Forum password

Share this STEVEN WILSON review

Social review comments () BETA







Review related links

Copyright Prog Archives, All rights reserved. | Legal Notice | Privacy Policy | Advertise | RSS + syndications

Other sites in the MAC network: JazzMusicArchives.com — jazz music reviews and archives | MetalMusicArchives.com — metal music reviews and archives

Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.