I.E.M.

I bought this CD because Steven Wilson is a god among men. I.E.M. is an amazing piece of work, but I must warn everyone, this is nothing like the rest of his stuff. I bought I.E.M. after hearing Porcupine Tree's Lightbulb Sun, In Absentia, and Deadwing, Blackfield's self-titled debut, and No Man's Together We're Stranger. After hearing five amazing albums that involved Steven Wilson, I knew I had to get my hands on everything he's worked on.

To my surprise, I.E.M. is nothing like Steven Wilson's other projects. It is ALL Steven Wilson, no one else, and it is basically a compilation of different arrangements he's thrown together. Every song is instrumental (no vocals) and Wilson uses mainly guitar, drums, bass, keyboards, and samples. Four out of the five songs are groovy beats and keyboard/sound effects, which Wilson blends together rather nicely, while he improvises a final layer of guitar over it. Each song has it's own unique character, which makes the album great to listen to the whole way through.

Overall, I recommend this album to any die-hard S. Wilson fans, like myself, who wants to hear what the genius can come up with in his most experimental state.