Tag: Steven Wilson (Page 2 of 2)

This is the 2007 release on KScope, which is the companion piece to Fear of a Blank Planet. These songs were written at the same time and were part of the concept for the album, but were deemed not to fit with the original piece and were finished after the recording of Blank Planet. That’s not to say they are bad songs, as they are not, most bands would be ecstatic to have them.

Things get moving pretty quickly with the instrumental title track, with a heavy riff that builds with some wild drumming from Gavin Harrison into an odd middle section with out-there guitar from Robert Fripp. Next up is Normal, which has the same chorus/melody as Sentimental from the Blank Planet album. If anything, Normal is a heavier piece with some fat heavy riffs. Cheating The Polygraph is next, which is my favourite track. Again we have a great heavy riff with some industrial drum grooves and odd time signatures. This is such a great song. Last but not least is the beautiful What Happens Now, with an atmospheric beginning that builds into a really cool groove and a wonderful odd time signature. This track fits with Way Out Of Here on Blank Planet, as What Happens Now is referenced in the lyrics.

So at 29 minutes in length and only 4 songs, we are in Van Halen- Diver Down territory. You may feel it could be longer, but it was only intended as an EP and the quality of the material is so good it gets.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

If you look back through previous reviews you will see my review for Fear of a Blank Planet. This recording is the culmination of that tour whereby on the last leg they played the album in it’s entirety plus the tracks from the Nil Recurring EP – except funnily enough not the track Ni Recurring, although it does appear on the Blu-ray as a projection film.

This version is the lavish 4LP box set that came out on Dutch label Tonefloat. Quite apt really as this was recorded at the 013 in Tilburg. This is the second live album by PT, the first of which was Coma Divine recorded in the band’s more tripping psychedelic era.

The live set up of Porcupine Tree see the band complimented with an extra band member, which is John Wesley who plays guitar and backing vocals, which is great as he fills the sound out nicely. I caught this tour in Toronto when they passed through and I loved every second of it. The songs come across a lot heavier live as to what they are on album, which is no bad thing as it adds to the atmos. If I remember rightly the show was split into two as the band went off and came back after they had played Blank Planet.

As per my original review, Blank Planet was the pinnacle of their recorded output and this tour, a high point even though the Incident tour after this saw bigger attendances. The band at this point were super tight and special mention goes to drummer Gavin Harrison whose performance is outstanding – some of his fills are jaw dropping. You get the sense that the band knew this was a special occasion as they give their all.

PT use a lot of visuals when they play to enhance the songs to the max, and when you are used to seeing them that way it does leave an empty feeling when listening to the vinyl. Nevertheless, the songs are strong enough to stand alone and the performances of each song are nothing short of amazing. The second half of the set consists of songs in their back catalogue going back as far as the Sygnify album – highlight for me being Halo.

Unfortunately the band doesn’t exist anymore as Steven Wilson now has a very successful solo career, and the prospect of PT getting back together is very slim. This live album is a great testimony to what was one of modern progs greatest bands. Definitely one of the best live albums around.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

Disclaimer alert!!! Porcupine Tree and Steven Wilson are one of my favourite artists.

This is a concept album about two medical conditions, ADD, and Bipolar Disorder that affect teenagers and the reliance on the medical profession to treat them with drugs. Thus rendering them as zombies. Well that’s my gist of it anyway.

Kicking off with the title track that presumably has a doctor typing a prescription on his computer, the track kicks into a great riff and groove with a heavy middle eight that should get any music fan drooling. The album is very light and shade, the way the tracks have been sequenced presumably to create the moods of the kids while they are on the drugs. Stand out tracks are Anesthetize, weighing in at a whopping 17.42 in length, and the close out track Sleep Together.

Gavin Harrison’s drumming on this record is on a different level, and on Sleep Together the groove is just sublime. Both of these tracks are Porcupine Tree at their best. Steven still uses Sleep Together to close out his solo performances. This is the first of two studio albums they recorded for Roadrunner and quite possibly their best album ever.

If you were to give someone an entry point in to Porcupine Tree’s music, then this would be the one to recommend from this period and maybe Sygnify from earlier recordings. I love every second of this masterpiece.

10/10 from The Grooveman.