PORCUPINE TREE

Well, I'm quite glad I waited as long as I have to write my thoughts on this album.

My first impression was one of mild interest. This slowly turned into a lack of interest, and I shelved the album for a month or so. However, upon listening to it over the past few weeks, it has revealed itself to me as a decent, if flawed album.

First off, this is not an epic by any stretch. It is a pretty cohesive concept album though, at least musically. I think of it more like The Wall or The Lamb in terms of structure (though certainly not in terms of content). I still feel like some of the shorter, connecting pieces should have been more fleshed out as whole songs, but on the other hand they all work pretty well as interludes.

As far as actual songs, The Blind House, The Incident, Time Flies, Octane Twisted, and especially I Drive The Hearse are all excellent PTree tracks. These did not reveal themselves instantly to me (except Time Flies, which appealed to me right away because of it's blatant Pink Floyd homage), but with repeated listens I've come to realize they are pretty much typical PTree material with good atmosphere and decent melody. The melodies are there on this album, but they are for the most part not as immediate as many previous albums. Though I Drive The Hearse is as good as anything Wilson has ever written for the band. The controversial I Draw the Line has also grown on me, but I still find the chorus to be a bit irritating and unnecessarily "indie" in nature. Like something from REM or even Green Day. Just not my thing, though I think ultimately Wilson did a decent job juxtaposing the two very different aspects of the song. It just bugs me that the verses are so appealing and the chorus so unappealing.

The short tracks are all good to my ears, but again, I always find myself wishing they were fleshed out at songs. The exception is the opening track (and the reprise later in the album) and The Yellow Windows of the Evening Train. The former is a great opening for the album (though seems kind of weak for a recurring motif, but I like it anyway), the latter a wonderful intro for the Floyd tune. Times Flies is a blatant homage to Floyd, and Wilson has not pretended otherwise. He's openly admitted that he wrote the parts to be as close to parts from the Animals album as possibly without being so close as to get sued. In that sense, I can appreciate the song and I think he did a wonderful job with it. Very much a return to the Sky Moves Sideways album (which was itself a more blatant homage to Floyd, in my opinion.....and I love that album as well).

I'm a little annoyed at Wilson for not just putting the tracks on the second CD on to the first. He could have easily separated them from The Incident by putting a several minute gap between them or something. As it is, it seems like a waste of plastic to separate them. However, like most people I got the album for $10, so it's not such a big deal to me really. I think the songs on the second CD are all quite good, even Black Dalia, and I'm very glad to have them. Remember Me Lover is classic PTree, and Bonnie The Cat, which I don't think is the best song on the CD by any stretch, is still an enjoyable bass and drums exposition (Harrison really shows us his stuff on this one!).

Overall then, I find this far better than the previous album, Fear Of A Blank Planet. But compared to the 4 albums before that, I find it doesn't measure up nearly as well. On the whole I give it a 3, perhaps a bit higher. It is much better than FOABP, which I also gave 3 stars to, but it certainly isn't up to the level of Deadwing which I gave 4 stars to. In any case, I recommend giving this many listens, as I think people with too high expectations are missing out on a pretty darn good album. This is essential for PTree fans, but people newer to the band would do better to start with In Absentia or Lightbulb Sun. Just keep in mind that this band is really not progressive in any sense of the word.

First of all thankyou Martijn(evenless) for allowing me to finally listen to this album.I've been lusting after this one for so long.Consider that "Lightbulb Sun" and "Stupid Dream" both have over 200 ratings on this site while this record which many consider even better than those two has only 58 ratings.This badly needs to be re-issued Mr. Wilson. Six of the tracks on this album were recorded during either the "Lightbulb Sun" or "Stupid Dream" sessions but didn't make the cut. "Even Less" made the cut on "Stupid Dream" but this 14 minute version of it did not,just the first half. "Buying A New Soul" and "Access Denied" aren't from either sesion but are new tracks.I agree with Bonnek who suggested to me that "Recordings" has that space vibe from their earlier albums that "Stupid Dream" and "Lightbulb Sun" have little of.And that's what makes this so good.If your a fan of "Signify","Up The Downstair" or "The Sky Moves Sideways" to a lesser extent,then this will appeal to you. I first heard "Buying A New Soul" when i purchased a special edition of "Lightbulb Sun" years ago which came with a second disc but with only three tracks on it,one of which was this gem.This is one of the best PT tracks i've ever heard.The lyrics,atmosphere and especially the chorus are all so impressive.It turns chaotic after 4 1/2 minutes with some great drumming from Chris Maitland.Hey there's even some cello early on in this version."I still wave at the dots on the shore,and i still beat my head against the wall, i still rage and wage my little war,i'm ashamed and easy to ignore". "Acess Denied" is the only track that bugs me somewhat because of that BEATLES flavour.It's contrasted though with a better laid back soundscape throughout. "Cure For Optimism" is a great title.This is from the "Lightbulb Sun" sessions and appeared on the "Shesmovedon" single.It's somewhat haunting early with lots of atmosphere.Strummed guitar before 2 minutes as the mood changes.Keyboards then vocals join in.This is so moving for me.Love the mellotron.It ends as it began.Amazing tune. "Untitled" was from the "Lightbulb Sun" sessions as well and is in fact an early instrumental version of "Buying A New Soul".Much more atmosphere here and of course no chorus.Quite spacey, and it would have fit well on "Up The Downstair".Incredible sounding tune. "Disappear" is also from the "Lightbulb Sun" recordings.A mellow tune for the most part with strummed guitar and vocals standing out.I really like Barbieri's spacey keybaord work.It kicks in before 3 minutes before settling again. "Ambulance Chasing" is from the "Stupid Dream" sessions.Heavy drums to start then chunky bass and synths.It settles before 2 1/2 minutes to a better sound.Some organ as well.Guitar around 4 1/2 minutes. "In Formaldehyde" is from the "Lightbulb Sun" recordings and a fantstic tune,one of my favourites.I kept thinking of "I Drive The Hearse" from "The Incident". Lyrics like "When you get out of here you get to keep the car,and i get a plastic vase".Beautiful guitar intro as reserved vocals join in.A gorgeous sound.Great lyrics too.An emotional guitar solo after 3 1/2 minutes.A moving track. "Even Less" is the extended version here.It sort of drifts off after 6 minutes.Some killer guitar 9 minutes in goes on and on.Back to the original song around 11 minutes. "Oceans Have No Memory" is from the "Stupid Dream" sessions and reminds me of FLOYD.It's laid back and dreamy. I want t give this 5 stars but am going to stay with 4.5 stars for now.I do like it better than "Lightbulb Sun" and "Stupid Dream" though.

Well to say this was a let down I think it's an understatement. Porcupine Tree are one of the most important prog bands right now, so the hype that is created around every release is huge and still growing. I got into PT around the period of Fear of a Blank Planet and The Incident, so naturally I had huge hopes about this album. The first listen was great, but at times passes by, several things came to mind. First, this is not an "epic" or anything, just a bunch of songs related by one riff, similar to the case of 6DOIT. Now, that's really not a big problem for me, but most of the tracks feel forced, or are just fillers. The high point if the first cd is probably Time Flies, which is obviously, an homage to Floyd, but I don't mind that. The title track, has very bland vocals, something I would't have expected from Wilson, but oh well. Moving to the second cd which is painfully short, we find some of the better tracks(sadly).I really like Bonnie The Cat, as it tries something interesting with it's rhythm section, and the highlight of this double album it's for me Remember my lover, as I feel this doesn't feel as forced as much of this album and has the feeling of old PT albums. Comparing the sound of this album to the past ones, I would say that this is more acoustic than FOABP. This is not a bad album by any means, it's just that with the songwriting abilities that Wilson has, I expected more. Still we can hope that the next album'll be better.

2009 Biggest Let Downs: Part 1

2009 was said to be a great year for prog. Well, I'm not really sure whether to include myself in the group of people who believe this or not. Don't get me wrong, I've really enjoyed lots of works that came out last year, such as IQ's Frequency, Beardfish's Destined Solitaire or Mastodon's Crack The Skye just to cite some. The problems came out from the bands I was expecting probably the most. So, what 2009 really was for me was a year full of surprises, in terms of not knowing what to expect from each band, and that causing me to turn my back to some on my favourite artists for others instead. That was the case for Dream Theater (I wasn't really surprised that BCASL turned out to be as terrible as it was. It's just that whenever a new DT release is out I still keep the hope of finding something unique and fresh such as Images And Words), Queensryche, and, last but not least, Porcupine Tree.

Now, let's analyze PT's context before this release. They had the hard task of matching a masterpiece like Fear Of A Blank Planet, which, for me was the best release of 2007 by far. They had announced that the new album would be double and it would include a 55 minute epic. Expectations were real high for every PT fan (myself included).I really couldn't wait for this new album to come out. So, what happens when you desperately desire something so bad and when you finally get it, the taste in your mouth is not as sweet as you would suppose was going to be?. The dissapointment is even bigger than the initial desire. That's exactly how I felt after listening The Incident. It took a long time for me to finally decide to write a review on this. I was really anxious to express my thoughts on the new album, but, also I didn't want to rush out on it, since I've read tons of reviews of people stating that The Incident was an album that grows on you once you've listened to it several times.Sorry guys, that was not my case. First of all, there is no 55 minute epic in here. It's just a concept piece that is separated on 14 tracks which are hardly connected one to each other. Secondly, I've always defended Porcupine Tree from people I know who think they are a boring band. With The Incident it was really the first time I found a PT release boring and uninspired. So uninspired that two of the three tracks that I enjoy the most on disc one seem to be total rip off's from other bands. As many people have stated, Time Flies, the central piece of the supposedly epic, has too many similar elements with Pink Floyd's Dogs. So therefore, although it is quite enjoyable, it's hard for me to fully appreciate it. The other track is The Incident (track 6), which sounds pretty much like a Massive Attack song. I like Massive Attack, so this had to appeal me. The problem is that when I buy a Porcupine Tree album I want to listen to Porcupine Tree. Not Tricky, nor Daddy G, but Steven Wilson. In fact, whenever I listen to this song, it always seems to me that in any time of the song I will hear: "Moving up slowly inertia creeps" or "karmacoma, jamaica'aroma". I mean, come on!, is this the same band that two years ago wrote awesome and original tunes such as Anesthesize or Fear Of A Blank Planet?.The only real original Porcupine Tree moment in disc one is I Drive The Hearse, which unluckily is the last track, so it is difficult for me to reach there before I turn my cd player off. Some moments on The Blind House are pretty decent too. But the rest is either filler or a yawn concert.

Disc Two hasn't got much more to offer except probably one exception.But before we get to the songs, why the need to make a double album if all the songs fit together in a single cd?. The only advantage I get from it is that these songs won't be included in the next Porcupine Tree album, so it is a nice opportunity to start again freshand new. Ok, now, let's get to the last tracks. Flicker has a certain Pink Floyd feel (just a feel)and it is an average PT tune. Nothing remarkable, but not that bad either. In fact, it really stands outin what the whole album is. Next we get another track with vocals "a la massive attack". Only that this time, Bonnie the cat doesn't appeal to me even a little bit. I usually tend to skip this song because I don't find almost anything to rescue. Perhaps the last part, in which the song gets a little heavier. Nevertheless, it is quite an experimental song. It didn't work on me, but some people may find it interesting. It may be worth to listen to it and take your own conclusions. My thoughts over black dahlia are similar to Flicker. Average Porcupine Tree. So I don't feel the need to extend this review further just for this track. Finally we get to Remember Me Lover. And this, my friends, is what Porcupine Tree should be about.Beautiful song. It is a very laid back track that grows a bit on the chorus. Afterwards it gets a little heavier just to get laid back and heavy once again. Great arrangements and rhythm transitions all over this track. Really recommended.

So, it is true. I didn't like The Incident. I think it was a wrong step in the band's direction. But hey, all the greats have taken some wrong steps along the way. I think it's just a stone in the middle of the road. Steven Wilson is a genius and I have no doubts that the next Porcupine Tree release will blow our minds once again. It's just a matter of waiting a couple of years for that to happen.

1.The Incident (4/10) (average of the 14 songs), 2. Flicker (6/10), 3.Bonnie The Cat (3/10), 4. Black Dahlia (5.5/10), 5. Remember Me Lover (8/10)

Album Rating: 5.30

My Rating System: 0.00-4.00: 1 Star, 4.01-6.00: 2 Stars, 6.01-8.00: 3 Stars, 8.01-9.00:4 Stars, 9.01- 10.00: 5 Stars

What a mess! As someone else wrote here, there is no "epic" on CD 1. The only track on disc 1 that is even remotely prog.rock is _Time Flies_ which is a nice ride and a perfect balance between PT's Delerium years space period and their current heavier sound(they finally got it right). _I Drive The Hearse_ is a nice mellow track in the Floyd/Crimson mold. Other than that, the other tracks either sound like a poor imitation of Opeth or a dead horse beaten repeatedly with power chords. Nothing cohesive. no recurring themes - just some strange sound effects and keyboard noodles in between tracks.

Disc 2 is the only thing that really saves this album from being a well done turkey. _Remember Me Lover_ is probably the finest PT track since _The Sound Of Muzak_. Classic PT sound with the amazing vocal harmonies and literate lyrics from Steven Wilson. The other 3 tracks are reminiscent of the _Stupid Dream_ era, but nothing really stands out. For fans only, this one(unfortunately). 2 stars.

I'm not used to write reviews, specially since I'm not a native English speaker but reading the reviews for this album I felt in the obligation of rising my voice in defence of it. Forget the normal conventionalisms about "progressive music" because these tracks are beyond that. This music was done for dancing or dreaming (luckily both at the same time) and if we have to look for references they are not in Pink Floyd's riffs but in the German Krautrock and specially in the cosmic trance guitars of Manuel Gottsching (check "Inventions for Electric Guitar" if you haven't done it yet). Overall this is ambience music full of ethereal guitars and soft ambient keyboards. I'm looking forward for my Kscope's 180gms heavyweight double coloured vinyl reissue in a gatefold sleeve with printed inner sleeves (how amazing sounds that!). The question is not whether this trip is really necessary or not. The question is: is your brain really prepared for this?. 4.5 stars !

For a very long time, I had had six favorite bands. They are my favorite bands for years. Genesis - Yes - GentleGiant - Pink Floyd - Van der Graaf Generator - Camel. There was quite a long time that no essential new band could be added to this list. The only exception maybe Sting, but Sting's music doesn't belong to the progressive music scene. True, but his music is briljant. After may years of hardly buying any cd, I met the name of Porcupine Tree a few years ago. If I remember well, "Porcupine Tree" was ever used as part of the lyrics of a Genesis song, and because of that I decided to order a cd of Porcupine Tree. Just as a guess. Let's see if would I like it. Besides that, It was time to discover some real new music. The album I bought was In Absentia. As is common with real good "complicated music", it takes some time to swallow the magnificance of themusic. After a while, I had to conclude that Porcupine Tree was addressing my "emotional musical needs" and this band really belongs to the list of my favorite bands. By the time that "The Incident" war released, I expected to be more or less dissappointed. I had enjoyed so much of their previous albums, both from the "old style" and the new one, having "metal" outbursts. It did expect it to be very diffucult to have the same "quality" again. I have to say, this album "The Incident" did not dissapoint me all! It is remarkable that again Porcupine Tree managed to release such a good album again. It puts the old style and new style in a optimal balance. For me, it is the best released album in 2009.

When it comes to reviewing this album, the first thing necessary to point out is which exact version is under inspection. In my case, that's the lavish 2003 2CD reissue.

My history with this album has taken quite a journey. It's been a 10 year trip starting with a lukewarm appreciation of the original CD, going through growing approval of the 2CD version, and then getting a real boost 2 years ago when the misses pointed out that this album contained some of the most moving music she had ever heard. The voyage has come to a provisional stop with the 5 dazzling star quote at the moment of this review.

The first part of The Sky Moves Sideways is one of Wilson's longest and most beautiful compositions ever, covering the whole range of lavish space-rock, melancholic vocals, dreamy Pink Floyd slide guitar chords coming right from the Dark Side of The Moon, and plenty of influences from ambient electronic music, dance and kraut rock. Not a moment is wasted and it's hard picking highlights, though the dance middle section that starts with the groovy bass guitar loop and ends in an orgy of sound is a fine candidate. Even after countless listens to both this track and Shine On from PT in decades past, I fail to see the resemblance that is so frequently referred to, Of course there's the general structure of the album, but Kraut rock, Tangerine Dream, Hawkwind and the Ozrics seem much more obvious comparisons. Of course all those are either directly or indirectly influenced by the Floyd. But then almost everybody is.

Dislocated Day walks around Middle-Eastern music flavours, both in rhythm and in melodies. Given that Arabian music often thrills my feelings even more then prog, metal or post-punk do, this track always sends shivers down my spine. I think there must some sort of direct connection between the power of Arabian scales and rhythms and my deepest emotions.

The Moon Touches Your Shoulder is a slow grower, as much in its structure as when it comes to recognizing the value of it. It starts as a moody ballad with blue musings from Wilson and gentle minor chords on the acoustic guitar. First keyboards and spacey guitars join in, then the bass and that lingering pace of the drums, similar to the dragging beat in the first part of the opening track. It ends in a noisy battle of sounds, led by a majestic and very proggy guitar riff.

Prepare Yourself is a nice little kraut excursion and serves as an intro for part 2 of The Sky Moves Sideways. This is the only piece on the album that goes through some ups and downs. It opens attractively enough in lush ambient fashion, but then there's the main section dominated by the electric guitar. The guitar has clearly been recorded through the sound output channel of the amplifier (instead of using mikes in front of the speaker) and it gives that typical brittle crispy sound that results grating on the ears here, even though the actual riffs and solos are fine.

The second CD offers an alternative recording of The Sky Moves Sideways that has some alternate guitar takes and arrangements. A fan bonus really. The real value comes from the addition of the beautiful space-pop song Stars Die and the two edits from the Moonloop improvisation that I will rave about some other time. Both tracks are the only ones that have the entire Porcupine Tree band of that era in place, featuring Chris Maitland on drums and percussion.

The second CD more then evens out the rare dips at the end of the original release. While that 1CD version might have stranded at 4 or 4.5 stars, the whole package deserves nothing less then 5 stars from me.

If you are only mildly interested in Porcupine Tree's space rock beginnings, then this is one fine document with the essential songs from that period. It's a beautifully package with excellent liner notes and an interesting list of non-album tracks that will also charm the fans of the band that already own all or most studio albums.

The first 4 songs are compiled from the debut, PT's most psychedelic album and an acquired taste even for most fans. The selected tracks will give you a good idea of what that album was about and will probably suffice for people not enthused by it. The Voyage 34 album is one of the very few PT releases that I would rate below excellent, the fine excerpt here makes it even more unnecessary.

PT's second full length album Up The Downstairs is represented by the remainder of the first CD. For me that's an entirely essential album. The extended version of Synesthesia and the beautiful acoustic Phantoms (only to be found on this compilation) still makes this section interesting for fans.

The second CD concentrates on the 1995 and 1996 albums. If you should not own the reissue of The Sky Moves Sideways for one or other obscure reason then Stars Die might be another reason to win you over to the spaced-out trip rock period of PT. For fans, there is the little psychedelic tune Men of Wood which belongs more to the early PT years but which wasn't recorded till 1995.

PT's most amazing album for me is Signify, which is documented with 7 tracks of which one comes in an extended version and 3 are unique to this compilation. Especially the instrumental trip The Sound of No-one Listening appeals to me, but also Colourflow In Mind will be a nice addition to your collection. Fuse The Sky is ok but probably the least interesting rare track of this excellent compilation.

Because this compilation is equally worthwhile for fans, newcomers and people that are only mildly interested in PT's earlier trips, 4 stars are deserved.

On the Sunday of Life is a somewhat clumsy but entirely charming debut. It contains a myriad of styles of which Radioactive Toy has served as a template for many future Porcupine Tree compositions in the years following this release. I don't listen to it regularly but when I do it's sure to bring multiple smiles to my face.

A few picks.

Music for The Head is so typical for Wilson, eclectic as he is, he usually doesn't create anything that hasn't been done before but his excellent judgement and ear for recognizing a good tune frequently make him surpass his examples. Music for the Head breathes early Tangerine Dream through all its pores and easily equals the best moments from Alpha Centauri. The album has a number of attractive psychedelic tracks. Sometimes the recording is a bit primitive and the high-pitched tune and vocal effects will not please everyone, but the song writing qualities can not be denied. Jupiter Island, The Nostalgia Factory, Nine Cats and especially And The Swallows Dance are fine examples of that style. Footprints and Linton Samuel Dawson remain below that level.

Radioactive Toy is the highlight and the most widely appreciated moment of this album. Didn't anyone point out yet how much this is inspired by the kraut scene again. The slowly grooving pace and bass line are an obvious nod to Weissensee from the first Neu! album. Not the first time Wilson would nick something from that kraut monument.

Many of the short instrumentals I didn't mention will mostly please kraut fans, some of them may be a bit indulgent but after all, at this stage Porcupine Tree was still meant as a joke-project next to Wilson's main band No-man. Eventually things turned out the other way and Porcupine Tree became the most successful project. 3.5 stars