THE RAVEN THAT REFUSED TO SING (AND OTHER STORIES)

"The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories)" released today,yes today, the 25th of February 2013, by Steven Wilson, the master of atmosphere, feelings and mood. One song by Steven Wilson can completely change your mood for all the day, I say that from experiment. "The Raven That Refused To Sing" was leaked much before the album was released, it was a really anticipated album, and in my opinion, for a very good reason. Iv'e listened to this album like two weeks ago. I started with "The Holy Drinker" track, it was amazing, very interesting, and keeps you in contact with the song, it starts with some effects that move from ear to ear (if you are listening to this in headphones), proceeds to a very nice jazzy guitar solo, then to a saxophone solo, and a very good one. This piece is a very groovy, technical one, but it is super emotional at the same, time in a way that only Mr. Steven Wilson can create, a very atmospheric, beautiful vocal of Steven, enters the line too it adds so much to the atmosphere of this fantastic track. The track has a nice organ and clarinet solo at the middle, these are very adding to this groovy dark, but very happy at the same time atmosphere, at the middle-end of the track there's a very haunting,gloomy and dreamy fantastic part, starts with some dreamy singing then proceeds to a dark instrumental, a very heavy one. This track is a fantastic work of Wilson and his team.

The next track which I listened to was "Drive Home" I really can't describe it, my words are nothing here, it starts with a very emotional guitar with piano introduction, a very strong one, continues with a unique singing which Iv'e never heard from anyone before, this piece is gives you a very strange mood, I can't really describe it, you need to listen to it to fully understand this fantastic feeling that makes you think. This is a true journey into Steven's perhaps strange and depressive mind, but you can really understand that Steven is an intelligent man only by listening to this masterpieces, which he only calls songs, I call them masterpieces, it is much more than just songs, amazing. This track has an astonishing guitar solo with some very emotional bends along to mellow, soft atmospheric drumming which matches this fantastic solo perfectly, the solo is simple but complicated at the same time.

The next piece was "The Pin Drop", well, I liked it a lot but not as much as the other tracks of this album, in my opinion it was a little more boring, it was very interesting in the start, but then it just goes over and over, and very sadly is a fantastic piece too, a really amazing one, but not as much as the other ones.

Next one was " The Watchmaker" and wow, it was fantastic, it really got into my emotions, it is a very very quiet piece, not heavy at all, with singing that matches this guitar acoustic picking so perfectly, that it makes you think, how did he do this? did god write this album for him? of course it was not what happened but it sound really like it did, I can't describe this emotional piece, this true masterpiece, this astonishing track, I think it is one of the best of this album. A very emotional but pretty technical guitar solo is included at the middle of this fantastic song, reminds me of David Gilmour's technique, after the solo begins an almost all instrumental pretty amazing part of the song, continues to a very dark part with vocals now and it is much heavier than the rest of the song, it has some really good drumming it fades out into the last note that is played by an organ.

"Luminol" was actually the first piece of this album ever to be leaked because Steven already played it in a concert, some queen style multi-vocal short transition transports us into a great psychedelic adventure,pretty groovy and loud one. This very loud beginning gives us some opportunity to get ready to the quiet beautiful part, that has some Jethro Tull flute style, which gives this song real emotion and strength, some pretty good vocals are singing quietly into the microphone and gives us opportunity to get ready for the next, more heavy part of the song, then to some beautiful solos, this song was one of the best Iv'e ever heard too, a masterpiece.

But nothing can be compared with the title track " The Raven That Refused To Sing" a very simple one yet very complex in its simplicity and emotion. It is a very haunting piece, a very dark one which always gives you a haunting feeling, but at the same time a very warming feeling. This song gave me a mood and emotions that Iv'e never felt before, I can't really find the proper words that will describe this song perfectly, this song is a very depressive one, and the clip is a very amazing and depressive clip, it is very strange and unique, and it is a masterpiece within itself, I really can't describe that feeling which Iv'e heard while listening to this song while watching this beautiful clip, amazing music with a very emotional clip which are both carefully crafted into one of the most brilliant things Iv'e ever listened to in my life, I hope to see more by the art master who have prepared this video, and by mister Steven Wilson, hopefully working together, at the way to craft more amazing masterpieces like this one.

This album is one of the best things Iv'e ever listened to in my life, I hope so much to see more work like this, I hope that we would hear more genius albums like this very soon, with more amazing artworks and clips like "The Raven That Refused To Sing" clip. Good job Steven Wilson, and his band, good luck in the future.

I would give this album 99/100 I can't give it a full hundred only because of "The Pin Drop" track which in my opinion was pretty boring.

Thank you readers, and thank you Steven for this amazing album, and for hours of fun.