THE HARMONY CODEX

Steven Wilson, in an attempt to decompose music as a historical stratum and reconstruct it as a whole disarticulated and even contradictory piece, lifts his discography through a set of songs that go from the emblematic protestant quality against technology present in Porcupine Tree's most emblematic records towards a macrocosmic vision on the creation of future musics.

The album is based on a story originally written by Steven himself for his book of autobiographical reflections "A Limited Edition of One", which deals with the search of a teenager who has to find his sister in a bombed-out London skyscraper. In that constant ascent of stairs that on some floor contain the answer, lies a deep reflection on several existential aspects that will be touched on in this album.

The song that begins this work, "Inclination", starts with a very defined movement and sounds that oscillate between the African and the Asian, at the same time that they are sustained in an attempt of ambience, of constructed naturalness (this already gives an idea of what is to come). In any case, these continental dyes are brief, since a decisive percussion will enter to mold that atmosphere and create a space of electronic terminology. Once the idea of an almost out-of-context opening is introduced, the flute enters to give melody to a song whose first two minutes are a pure experimental exercise. The listener notices that this track is divided in 2 when in the middle Steven suddenly appears to establish a soberly sentimental song, quite typical of those singers of electronic alternative sound groups. The bubble is well achieved: time is used in a way that only a guy with many years in music could encompass. Each idea is molded parallel to others without damaging the enveloping structure. It's definitely a good start. In my opinion, above the openings of his other studio albums subsequent to the relentless HCE (or competing closely with My Book of Regrets, that song that opens "4 1/2", with a typical Steven trait, but with a touch of indie mixes).

Then we continue with "What Life Brings". This song takes us unexpectedly to Porcupine Tree's periods of optimistic musicality, like the positive-psychedelic songs (or at least their parts) of Deadwing, but more minimalist. A track with floydian guitars that serves as a good mood passage within the album's listening, but lags behind as an individual song. Also, this has to do with the fact that it is not comfortable to call songs to the pieces that compose this album. Everything seems to be part of a concept; of a new current that Steven is trying to shoulder as an inventor. And, as for this, only time will tell. What we can say is its sonorous-energetic resolution: The Harmony Codex comes to continue The Future Bites, but not to resemble them. We know that Steven has been rediscovering himself for some time now in a half progressive, half "random" (an adjective that applies only to us, the listeners and followers) stage, as the nature of prog crossover dictates.

Already giving us an idea that an unpredictable album is coming, comes "Economies of Scale". When I heard this song as a preview, I didn't like it at all. I received it overloaded with poorly realized ideas. It was a surprise for me to listen to it in the album and find a completely different sense. It's destabilized electronic music where each instrument seems to be taken from a different genre, even each voice separately, especially at that moment where each element is on the rise and then descends to the initial harmonies. I'm not going to lie, it's on this second listening that I find its grace, but I think it's due to what was already mentioned: this album doesn't have songs, but parts that compose a whole. An automated but revealing whole.

If the fans of their progressive stage were starting to get tired, "Impossible Tightrope" arrives, without any doubt, the most progressive track of the album. It starts with a passage led by violins similar to the development of The Raven[...], but in a matter of seconds the percussion enters to give the necessary impact of personality. It is perceived how this powerful song tries to have a sense of chase, of precise and exciting rhythm, again floydian in many aspects. Although I also find the furious traces similar to certain moments of the most eccentric Tangerine Dream, and the ambient traces to Johnny Harris' "All to Bring You Morning". It's surprising how original this song is considering that this type of "suites that aren't suites", quick 10 minutes or so, have been done in almost every possible way. Steven achieves the illusion of every musical element being enveloped in a kind of autotrophic whirlwind. The first concrete return of this journey to his early solo albums by way of jazzy gunshots and angular arrangements.

The weak point of the album takes place in its center. Anyway, it is not so easy to think of "Rock Bottom" as the biggest slip both in progressive terms and in general terms, because despite being one of those songs that pretends to have an immense philosophical meaning in a few words, it ceases to be so immediately as soon as the next track is played. Now, there's something that has to be said: Steven sticks a song that sounds like something out of a Lana del Rey album in the middle of an extended progressive instrumental and a song that returns to the hyper-electronic instrumentation of Economies of Scale. And the funniest thing of all is that it doesn't look bad. I didn't find it a "powerful" song as I've read more than one.... I feel like I've heard this many times before. Still, I really like that the development of the album is extremely unconventional. It is possible that also for this reason it will grab historical value as the years go by.

After some soulful pop, we move up the next floor and are met with "Beautiful Scarecrow". This is perhaps the track on the album that most seeks to calm the waters due to its few noticeable impacts. It seeks to drown the listener in a sea of underwater or terrifying sounds with a percussion that violently stalks everything near it. It shows the most intimate virtuoso side of Wilson, the one where, in the midst of his steadfastness to follow new paths, he manages to make mixtures between his past eras and the musicological innovations he wants to germinate.

And after several scattered steps, we arrive at the homonymous track, "The Harmony Codex". In my opinion and without any doubt, it is the most important piece of the album, where Steven confesses almost totally everything he is looking for in music: to embrace melody, harmony and rhythm from a macrocosmic confection. My bet is that, in the future, we will remember this song as the first in many, many years where a popular progressive artist (in this case, the most popular) makes a 10-minute composition where textures and arrangements matter more than the song itself. It is even a statement of principles about how his music is now manufactured. A spiritual summary of what the album is about. That's why it will be eponymously titled, right? An introspective crescendo in 6/8 whose main technical merit lies in not resembling anything Wilson has done before.

We come down a bit from the cosmic fever with "Time is Running Out", where Wilson also proves that he is a great musician in small gestures: with the same instruments used in the previous sidereal song, he continues the album by changing it into a pop-electronic song. I don't know if it is now possible to measure the capacity he has to make each song almost a different genre in the same album, but I also bet that in the future it will be valued. Yet another piece to tie together an album that lifts his discography after a few slips.

"Actual Brutal Facts" kicks off with a "Second Life Syndrome" style that gives gusto, setting expectations high, but then enters a rap with some effects that I flat out dislike. I think that removing the vocals would make for a great song - even without any lead instrument to replace it, it would coordinate better! It's even a bit disappointing to come across such a song after a concept that kept growing. I'll be honest as it's always fair: I don't find this song attractive at all.

And to finish this so particular album, comes, as a reward, the Steven that I like the most, the one that sings protestant to the evolution of technology. In my opinion, it is definitely the closest approach to Fear of a Blank Planet in many years (always respecting the limits of this album, of course). About 10 minutes that pretend to be the last efforts and steps of a search full of sense, with the accompanying voice of Rotem, his wife, delivering a sensitive and more than adequate narration to seal another stoic confession of Steven in this very interesting path that is his solo discography.

The Harmony Codex is a dystopian realization that seeks to teleport the listener to isolated places but not monotonous, but of maximum intensity. Something like "lose yourself to find yourself", only in a building endlessly cannoned and in search of a loved one, the most important thing you can have in life. Certainly, a necessary high in the solo discography of the figure of Porcupine Tree, who never ceases to surprise us. In my opinion, this is one of the albums of the year.