SCHOOLYARD GHOSTS

Steven Wilson must be a busy man. Following on shortly from recent Porcupine Tree and Blackfield releases, this is another product of his partnership with Tim Bowness. It's certainly a beautifully packaged CD, the grey cover fitting in nicely with the title of the CD and the melancholy feel of the music inside. Those of you looking for PT-style guitar epics will be disappointed here, this is quiet, atmospheric music in the vein of David Sylvian or later Talk Talk. It is music that demands to be listened to, preferably on headphones. It is not the sort of music to play in the background, or on your iPod whilst walking down the high street but set aside the best part of an hour, sit down in a quiet room without interruptions and prepare to be hugely rewarded by this CD.

Wilson himself contributes much of the instrumentation, along with other prog luminaries such as Theo Travis (who seems to be taking over from Jimmy Hastings as the prog wind player of choice) and Pat Mastelotto. Fellow PT-ers Colin Edwin and Gavin Harrison also feature. The special edition has a DVD with a 5.1 mix of the CD and 3 videos, shot in cover matching black, white and grey. Wonderful stuff.