THE SKY MOVES SIDEWAYS

By the time Steven Wilson got around to recording the next Porcupine Tree album, he had recruited a full band to perform the material. (Two songs on this album?"The Moon Touches Your Shoulder" and "Dislocated Day"?were recorded solely by Wilson.) Wilson covered guitars and vocals, with Richard Barbieri on keys, Colin Edwin on bass, and Chris Maitland on drums. The resultant work, 1995's The Sky Moves Sideways, was Porcupine Tree's strongest release up to this point.

Opening with the first half of the sprawling title track, it's here that Wilson most blatantly apes the 1970s prog giants. This album is practically him screaming, "I want to be Pink Floyd!" It's grandiose, astral, psychedelic rock which has clear roots in "Echoes" and "Shine on You Crazy Diamond". Lush synths and jazzy guitar licks only serve to underscore this comparison. But around the 8-minute mark, the song descends into dark electronica, giving it an immensely unique twist, especially when considering the era when it was released. (The 1990s were a dark time for progressive rock.)

Three of the album's middle four songs are much more immediate. "Dislocated Day" is a sinister piece with a tense atmosphere powered by heavy guitars, and "The Moon Touches Your Shoulder" feels like a latter-era Pink Floyd song. "Moonloop" is an 18-minute meditation which had been released as an independent EP in 1994. It's pretty boring, with lots of spacy, jazzy guitar noodling played at a somnambulant pace. There are a few bursts of interesting music around the 10-minute mark, but it's definitely not worth the wait.

The title track's second half closes the album. It bears a strong resemblance to its first half, with its electronic flavors and cosmic jamming. However, these same tendencies also hamstring it. It often feels meandering and aimless.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2019/11/24/deep-dive-porcupine-tree-steven-wilson/