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Porcupine Tree - Voyage 34 - The Complete Trip CD (album) cover

VOYAGE 34 - THE COMPLETE TRIP

Porcupine Tree

 

Heavy Prog

3.33 | 449 ratings

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JLocke
Prog Reviewer
4 stars I am seldom moved to tears by music alone, although I consider it to be the finest and most majestic of all the arts. Perhaps that's because in my musical journey thus far, I sometimes feel as if I've heard 'damned near everything', as they say. While I never tire from any of it, the few times the music is so personal that it causes me to weep are times worth highlighting.

Such is the case with Voyage 34, Porcupine Tree's lost gem of Pink Floyd-inspired instrumentals. The soundscapes heard on this record are some of the most amazingly heartfelt pieces in modern rock I've ever heard. While at times the rhythms seem to be repetitive, the more conscientious listener will notice that the tracks never stagnate, and even if the additions are minute at times, the levels constantly build.

The first two tracks are the only real reason to own this recording, as I admit the latter half is more or less a throw-away collection of noise and sound clips (many of which have already been established previously). However, the first half of the album is so powerful, I somehow don't care that it loses me after that. Sure, some parts of the first piece (especially near the beginning) sound a little too much like Floyd, but it soon claims an identity of its own, leaving nothing to be snickered at. I think anybody with an open mind (and certainly anyone who enjoys trippy, soaring music) owes it to himself to give this album a spin more than once.

Steven Wilson does a dynamite job of creating the musical equivalent of a 'bad trip', but does it in a way (at least for the first two go-rounds) that is still bewilderingly lovely to the ear. You get a sense of dread and urgency as the pieces build, and yet never feel uncomfortable. You're somehow able to go for the ride. I think

By the time the first track reaches the climax and Wilson soars away with the guitar solo, I felt as if I truly had been transported to another state of mind. Not because the music itself was so terribly unlike anything else ever, but because I allowed myself to fall into the world the music was offering to me. If you choose not to surrender to the artist's vision, you'll never fully enjoy all the wonders music can bring you. So take a chance, and give Voyage 34 a spin, or two. It may not be as expected or typical as the band's other output, but that shouldn't be a reason to dismiss it.

The second piece is very similar to the first; almost a re-imagining (if I remember correctly, each piece of the collection was released separately at first). It's a little but longer than the first, and has a slightly darker edge. But the lead guitar work awaiting you at the end of this particular piece is twice as amazing as the first. I'm not speaking in terms of technical prowess (one of the most overrated aspects of so-called 'complex' music, in my opinion), but rather in terms of emotion. Both songs, the second one in particular, are full of heart, and anyone who appreciates that side of music should be able to recognize this immediately and appreciate it.

Forget the subject matter, for a moment: if there were no dialogue clips featured whatsoever, I still think the music would stand on its own as amazing, trippy tock music. Drugs are not even a small part of my lifestyle, yet I can appreciate this music. The album is not exclusively for trip-takers. It's universal, like all real art. And it's good-- not from a technical level, perhaps, but from an emotional one. The only reason you wouldn't like it is because you wouldn't allow yourself to. I have opened myself up to so many different styles of art and music, and my life has been made richer every time a new piece clicks with me. I'm not sure if there even is such a thing as 'taste' in the typical sense. I think it's a matter of allowing yourself to branch out and appreciate as much as possible. Voyage 34 is probably the most disconnected album in the Porcupine Tree discography, and yet I find it the most interesting, in many ways.

So try it out. If you hate it, blame me. I think it's a very underrated and overlooked album that packs a huge punch, if you're willing to let it do its job and envelop you within its ethereal soundscapes. Highly recommended, despite the less popular general consensus.

JLocke | 4/5 |

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