SIGNIFY

Signify, while not Porcupine Tree's best album, is somehow strangely enchanting. It's definitely their darkest effort, and the whole album has this strange, inexplicable, twisted aura surrounding it. You only need to listen to the lyrics of "Sleep Of No Dreaming" once, to understand what Wilson was feeling when he wrote this album; "At the age of 16, I grew out of hope", and "I married the first girl who wasn't a man" etc... Not the most uplifting lyrics you've ever heard, now are they? Unlike in Lightbulb Sun though, Wilson does not dwell in self-pity, but rather concentrates in creating uncompromising, dark psych-prog that'll blow your mind if you're feeling sinister. ;) Having said that, Wilson's songwriting was on a different level here, so if you want to hear some ultra-catchy and easy music to sing along to, you better look elsewhere. I'm glad that the Pink Floyd influences are less evident here - frankly, I found The Sky Moves Sideways to be a rather tedious listen. While I find In Absentia a much better album in principle, this is PT's most unique effort, and the one I find myself returning to the most. 3,5 stars