progbethyname wrote: I'm sorry to say but most people that I know listen to the commercial, pop laden bubble gum music like Bruno Mars, Britney Spears and that Drake guy. Ouch!

You're lucky, a few weeks back I had a grown woman in here at work talking about Miley Cyrus for over two hours.....I kid you not, TWO HOURS...and a grown up as well. I'm sorry, but if you're over the age of 16, you should have NO interest in that short of sh*t - no excuses!
Now I'm pissed off thinking about it again, time for me to get my prog on STAT!

Yep, Nick, down here, most stores even have a tag on the shelves with `Porcupine Tree' written on it! So they're popular enough to get their own header, ohhh, what a privilege, how special!

I'd go as far as saying that PTree/Wilson have made a more mainstream success with people who have never even heard the term `progressive rock'!

We're just the hip, cool ones that DO know of the term!

Aussie-Byrd-Brother wrote: Definitely PTree get the majority of thier attention (at least outside of our sort of prog circles) since their association with Opeth, and their last few heavier albums - (ie `In Absentia' onwards). I can now walk into just about any music store down here and find several of their albums, usually listed under the `heavy metal' section. Their concerts (and Wilson's solo shows) were littered with people in metal t-shirts. So while it may bug me that not only does the Heavy Prog tag kind of dismiss all those wonderful varied early albums, but most of the fans who came to the band from the heavier albums dismiss those same early albums....the tag is perfect for the majority of their audience. So hard for me not to rant about this!

Me as well, buddy. Me as well. PT carry a pretty wide range of sounds, so labeling them definitively to one sub genre seems pretty ridiculous. Anyhow, a lot is clicking with PT's sound and they really have become more mainstream.
You can even find some of their albums in a Canadian HMV outlet for god sakes. Lol.
I'm very curious to see what approach PT will have on their next album.
Anything like Absentia or Lightbulb Sun I'd be all over. Great albums. Also about as IMO as I can take. ;)

Catcher10 wrote: lazland wrote: Catcher10 wrote: lazland wrote: Catcher10 wrote: Is Porcupine Tree really Heavy Prog? Does it matter? Does it make you like the music more or less? To have to define a band with a label... They have a lot of prog elements, they have metal elements, pop, hard rock, alternative, eclectic, symphonic and psychadelia and probably others.   They make great music. Jose, you are just about the wisest man on this site. THIS   I learned that from someone named lazland..... Cheers mate. Actually, I really must start listening to this lot again, it has been an age, mainly due to the fact that I found, and still do, The Incident extraordinarily dull and derivative. That should not take away from the fact that they are one of the most important bands in modern prog. I think Lazurus will be my final song before bed. I absolutely adore that song.   I agree about Deadwing, its one of my fav PT albums and that song is almost perfect. The Incident is not my fav but I do enjoy it. I hope they come out of hiatus soon, I know SW is working on another solo album probably for late 2014 release, so maybe 2015 PT return.   One can only hope.

Catcher10 wrote: lazland wrote: Catcher10 wrote: Is Porcupine Tree really Heavy Prog? Does it matter? Does it make you like the music more or less? To have to define a band with a label... They have a lot of prog elements, they have metal elements, pop, hard rock, alternative, eclectic, symphonic and psychadelia and probably others.   They make great music. Jose, you are just about the wisest man on this site. THIS   I learned that from someone named lazland.....

Definitely PTree get the majority of thier attention (at least outside of our sort of prog circles) since their association with Opeth, and their last few heavier albums - (ie `In Absentia' onwards). I can now walk into just about any music store down here and find several of their albums, usually listed under the `heavy metal' section. Their concerts (and Wilson's solo shows) were littered with people in metal t-shirts.

So while it may bug me that not only does the Heavy Prog tag kind of dismiss all those wonderful varied early albums, but most of the fans who came to the band from the heavier albums dismiss those same early albums....the tag is perfect for the majority of their audience.

So hard for me not to rant about this!

Is Porcupine Tree really Heavy Prog?

Does it matter? Does it make you like the music more or less? To have to define a band with a label...

i'd really like to listen to more of these guys, but their production is so bad.  prog production is bad on the whole, but PT sounds so tinny and canned.  especially the guitars.  the vocals sound a million miles away and the drums are so muffled.  it really is ironic given that wilson's solo albums have set a new bar for rock production.  

Gallifrey wrote: Yes. Their last four albums are the benchmark for heavy prog. Sure, they have albums that are crossover and albums that are psych, but if someone asks me what "heavy prog" is, I'll say the last 4 PT records.

moshkito wrote: [ While I happen to like the Dream Theater work in general, they can be heavy musically, but lyrically they have a tendency to leave a lot to be desired