Next up... a battle of two greats! In previous rounds we did song samples, great PA's reviews, with this
round I wanted to do something a different. So I went outside PA's..
what do people outside of this site say about these albums.
| Jurassic Shift by Ozric Tentacles |
Great purchase both for the fans and especially those who want to start
exploring Ozricland. The album is one of the most accomplished of the
line-up with Merv and Joie, with all their trademarks: beautiful
atmospheres, great jamming and, of course, pure strangeness. Although
it's not mentioned anywhere, the live version of Feng Shui, '...the art
of walking through a forest treading on toadstools, but without breaking
them...' of the ’98 edition is still at the end of the album (thanks
Mike). My ears don’t pick up anything changed from that edition
sound-wise so I’m guessing it hasn’t been remastered.
There's yet
another live version of Feng Shui on the DVD, together with Jurassic
Shift (in bright sunlight! At Reading!!), Pteranodon (high strangeness)
and a jam at the Pongmaster's Ball. As usual, they deliver the goods on
stage like nobody’s business. To wrap it up there's also the official
video for Vita Voom – an one-off, as it's proving so far, an interview
at Glastonbury sprinkled with excerpts from both Vita Voom and Jurassic
Shift, as well as some rather pointless noodling in the studio.
Quite
cool packaging too, with a wider take of the original artwork and a
22-page booklet with pictures and the story of the album – though the
paper is not made of hemp, as in the original version. Couldn’t resist.
Worth every penny.
In Absentia by Porcupine Tree
One day during my junior year of college, I passed by a friend’s room
in our house. The room was dark and he was fast asleep inside. Nothing
unusual, except that his stereo was blaring King Crimson’s Discipline
at an ear shattering volume. I had never heard the band before, and I
was quickly convinced that, if the devil had a den, this would be the
house music: powerful driving polyrhythms; loud ominous guitars; and
that curious, paranoid voice. Jaw dropped, while my friend slept, I sat
around for hours to see if I liked it. I did.
King Crimson casts such a long shadow that it is probably unfair to
draw a comparison with any new band. Yet, critics itch to draw the
reference any time a young group is technically proficient, leans
towards hard progressive rock and dabbles in odd time signatures. Of
course, it helps if the group also cultivates predominately young male
fans. You know, the ones who grew up rolling those hexagonal dice in
Dungeons and Dragons (somehow Rush always got the jocks). Most recently,
the band Tool has been hailed as inheritors to the throne. Granted,
Tool is a great band. And yes, Lateralus is a very heavy record. But I’m still not ready to concede the coronation.
You see, Crimson did not just expand the lexicon of hard rock music.
The early ‘80s incarnation of the band (its last until the same members
reunited with an incredible expanded double trio line-up on 1994’s Thrak) also constructed its own form of smart avant-garde pop music. An oxymoron? Perhaps, but consider Thrak.
It was not just an aural blitzkrieg. The album was compelling because
it juxtaposed assaulting instrumentals with sprawling ballads like “One
Time” and “Walking on Air”. And if we dig deep in the Crimson catalogue,
we find other classics with unmistakably catchy hooks, like “21st
Century Schizoid Man”, which, amazingly, I recently found on a list of
songs at a karaoke bar (not wishing to press my luck, I stuck to the
better-known pop branding of Bon Jovi’s “It’s My Life”).
So here’s my question: with technically proficient hard rock groups
now abound, where is a progressive rock fan to turn for new music with
that kind of melodic sensibility? One answer is the major label debut
from Porcupine Tree, In Absentia. This is an impressive album
that drips with Crimson’s progressive rock influence. But what sets this
album apart is that Steven Wilson, the band’s frontman who wrote the
songs and produced the album, was clearly set upon constructing
intelligent popular music.
Take the first track, “Blackest Eyes”. The band storms out of the
gate with a blistering guitar and heavy drums riffing through a sequence
of tricky time signatures. But after that introduction, the tune
changes gears to hit a slick even tempo acoustic groove, and Wilson’s
vocals lifts an accessible tune to the chorus, where back-up harmonies
shower over the catchy refrain before returning to the aggressive
opening charge. And then, on the third track, “Lips of Ashes”, Wilson
sprinkles his atmospheric guitar swells over a fascinating blend of Pink
Floyd acoustic guitar (“Hey You”) and full harmonies akin to Crosby,
Stills and Nash (“Guinnevere”). Original stuff.
But it is the fourth track, “The Sound of Muzak”, that stands out. It
opens with Gavin Harrison, the band’s exceptional drummer, delivering
an expert medium tempo polyrhythmic hi-hat, snare, and kick groove. Over
a picked-out clean guitar riff, Wilson sings a lament over the sterile
direction of music: “Soul gets squeezed / Edges get blunt / Demographic /
Gives you what you want”. With the arrival of the chorus, the band
settles into an even time signature. The sound lifts open with lush
acoustic guitars; Colin Edwards minds the bottom with a terrifically
tasteful bass line; and Wilson offers his most memorable pop chorus
complete with smooth layered harmonies. In a perfect world, this would
be a hit song, albeit an ironic one.
Another highlight is the ambitious “Gravity Eyelids”. Musically, this
track actually reminds me of Crimson’s “One Time”. The song opens as a
quasi-ballad featuring Wilson’s Belew-like vocals over a subtle
industrial programmed drum track and hushed synthesizer choral voices.
The feel fits the sleepy seduction of the lyrics, as the singer gently
wakes his lover from her slumber. The track builds softly with keys,
live drums and a deft melodic bass line right out of Tony Levin’s
repertoire. And just as you think the song is coming to a close, it
takes off on a furious electric guitar riff as the band carries the
listener through an aggressive instrumental, symbolizing the
consummation of the sleepily aroused lovers. The track ultimately
returns to the soft chorus melody and opening drum track as the lovers
return to sleep. You have to admire the thought and execution of this
expansive production.
Porcupine Tree is a very good band, and In Absentia is a
testament to their intelligence and musicianship. Also credit the
engineer, Paul Northfield (Rush, Ozzy Osbourne, and Marilyn Manson), for
the clear sonic palette, providing a platform for the tremendous live
drums and full bass tone. Clocking in at over 68 minutes, the album
certainly has its occasional dips and valleys, but it is a complete
musical statement worth hearing. You just might find this trio to be
three of a perfect pair.