GRACE FOR DROWNING

Steven Wilson followed Insurgentes with Grace for Drowning in 2011, a huge double album that saw him branching off in some directions Porcupine Tree never took. Most notably, there is a not-insignificant amount of jazz flavor present. (Jazz in Porcupine Tree's music never went beyond brief interludes and the occasional flourish.) Wind instruments like flute, sax, and clarinet are common over the course of this album. Wilson stated in an interview that one of the members of Porcupine Tree (he didn't say who) was not a fan of jazz and would veto most attempts to include it.

"Sectarian" has many of Wilson's trademarks. It's a dark instrumental based around an uneven guitar riff, with dramatic Mellotron effects, squealing sax, and extreme dynamic shifts. "Deform to Form a Star" is one of the most uplifting things the famously-gloomy Steven Wilson has ever recorded, and "Remainder the Black Dog" has a looming, evil atmosphere that would have been at home on a King Crimson record. "Index" is Wilson's best-realized integration of electronic and rock music.

The clear star of Grace for Drowning, though, is the 23-minute "Raider II". Opening with somber piano and clarinet underpinning Wilson's softly-muttered vocals, it suddenly explodes with Mellotron, saxophone, and crashing drums. Jordan Rudess of Dream Theater provides piano on this song, and though I often lambaste him for his masturbatory instrumental tendencies, I think this demonstrates that the environment in Dream Theater is what fosters that impulse. His playing is masterful in its transitions between rock and jazz orientation. The rest of the song veers from high-octane arpeggiated riffs to mellow, jazzy atmospherics, to chaotic King Crimson-esque dramatics.

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