Porcupine Tree United Kingdom
"A brilliant return! It is difficult to come out of a 10+ years hiatus. I really like that Steven chose to look forward, and the result sounds pretty unique. Reminiscent of old PT at times (e.g. Herd Culling harkens back to In Absentia days), but more often refreshingly aggressive and harsh, departing from the somber melancholy that had (threatened to) become a trademark."
"There are some interesting intrimental and improvised moments on this album, but other than that it is primarly a typical 90s alt rock effort (well, it may be a bit ahead of its time though), which is quite boring and pretentious and, quite frankly, stupid at times."
"For some reason, this is one of my favorite Porcupine Tree albums. It contains mainly of improvised instrumental jam sessions with a lot of focus on jazzy bass patterns. Fans of fusion jazz might like this, and I am sure musicians regardless of their style and genre will appreciate listening to fellow musicians jamming, improvising and creating on the spot."
"Do you like 90s style alternative rock? Do you like 70s and 00s progressive rock? Do you like genre-transgression? Do you like innovativity? Do you like dynamicity? Are you afraid of Opeth? If your answer to all of these questions is affirmative, then "Dead Wing" by Porcupine Tree is the way to go. It's a really good alt/prog rock album with nothing but strong songs on it, offering both entertainment and food for thought."
"An update on my old review. While I feel this album is still very great, I've felt over time it hasn't held up as well as I first thought it would and isn't as inspiring as when I first heard it. Nonetheless, as I said, still a high quality album indeed."
"It's a great dream, this whole album...you get to be somewhere else, far away from this life and at the same time never closer...that's art...This album is my first contact with Porcupine Tree. I think, for now, that they are one of the few REAL artists of our time, a time when art is increasingly becoming an industry / commerce. We really need this kind of authentic art to resist this depersonalizing system / way of living..."
"Continuing in the growing commercial vein of their previous releases, Porcupine Tree's In Absentia may be the most accessible release to ever spew forth from the group. Rolling electronic percussion blends with simple and solid live drumming to provide an understated backbeat as perennial Tree leader Steven Wilson pastes his complicated pop over the proceedings. Wilson's ability to bury his layered vocals in mountains of spacy electric guitar without drowning out his fragile lyrics is still a valued feature of the music, and the rare moments of clarity that his vocals display are breathtaking in their power. A reliance on a somewhat gothic heavy metal sound makes for some bizarre moments, especially when held up against his gentler material. The best example of this is the chugging "Wedding Nails," which recalls Dream Theater in its grandiose scope without utilizing the same sort of technical wizardry. But Wilson manages to bridge the gap between the various genres he utilizes, creating an environment where his haunting melodies could take a drastic turn at any minute. Porcupine Tree also continue their Radiohead fascination, although the influence is much less direct than on their last few efforts. Instead, it comes through at odd moments, like the moments of sparse instrumentation on the otherwise lush "Heartattack in a Layby." Sonically gorgeous and deceivingly complex, In Absentia has the most immediate appeal of anything Wilson has released under this moniker up to this point. By keeping the songs at manageable lengths and avoiding the avant-garde electronica flourishes of the band's early days, Porcupine Tree grow into a fully realized pop group without cutting any of the elements that also makes them an important force in the neo-prog movement."
"Porcupine Tree have always been pigeonholed with the modern prog movement, but the reality is that they're both a riff-addicted metal band and a troupe obsessed with rich harmonies and memorable refrains. Take the grinding guitar work of "Shallow" which dukes it out with frontman Steven Wilson's undeniably melodic chorus before easing into the delicate, beautifully crafted "Lazarus." Few bands exhibit this kind of depth, be it the dreamy, Pink Floyd-inspired hallucination "Halo" or the Queensryche echoes of "Open Car." If the 12-minute sonic meander known as "Arriving Somewhere but Not Here" is as head-trippy as rock music gets anymore, it is reassuring to know that this Tree is still growing. Ideal for headphones, Deadwing -- despite its title -- takes flight nonetheless."
"The first proper album by the full band, Signify was the next great step forward for Porcupine Tree, a distinct advancement in how well the foursome could completely rock out as well as find its own narcotic style of ambient exploration. The title track signals intentions clearly after the fragmentary sample-collage start of "Bornlivedie" kicks things off. Based on a storming riff from Wilson, the Edwin/Maitland team provide a crisp, driving beat, while Barbieri throws some intriguingly aggressive keyboard work, nervy and unsettling, to offset the calmer parts he also adds to fill things out. Everyone gets to show a little bit of individual flair as the album progresses. Edwin punctuates the epic surge of "Sleep of No Dreaming" with some plucked double bass as well as electric, while Maitland himself takes over on (wordless) vocals and full composition for "Light Mass Prayers," a minimal, entrancing piece. One thing that hasn't noticeably changed much is Wilson's general songwriting and ear for arrangements -- good, but there's little in the way of distinct change in style, leaving it to the performance of the band as a whole to provide the album's own unique stamp. For all that Wilson may once again be singing obliquely on the pressures and nature of end-of-century life, he still does so in an engagingly left-of-center way. Consider the portrait of an incipient Internet/cyberpunk world in "Every Home Is Wired" or the snap-or-not? dilemma of "Darkmatter," which closes the album on a subtly tense note, besides being the best song Peter Gabriel-era Genesis never wrote. The often gripping instrumental pieces which are as much a band trademark as anything else appear throughout, including the combination drift and charge of "Idiot Prayer," littered with intriguingly curious samples, and the amusingly titled, hellfire and brimstone preacher-punctuated "Intermediate Jesus.""
"Porcupine Tree's first album for K-Scope/Snapper starts out with a definite bang -- "Even Less," with some of the quartet's biggest, blasting rock epic music yet, yet also shot through with the gentler, acoustic side that makes Porcupine Tree so intimate and lovely. The net result easily calls Yes to mind, but Steven Wilson's not so high-pitched as Jon Anderson and Richard Barbieri completely avoids Rick Wakeman's extreme idiocies -- prog that knows when less is more. With that as a fine signal for the album as a whole, Stupid Dream takes it from there -- Wilson as a songwriter and singer both sounds recharged and more ambitious, while the group collectively pours it on. The loud passages feel truly sky-smashing, the calmer ones perfectly close, and the overall sense of build and drama -- "A Smart Kid" is a fine example -- spot-on. Strings from the East of England Orchestra and guest work on Wilson's sometime Bass Communion partner Theo Travis add even lusher atmospheres without swamping the tunes. As always, the group isn't afraid to experiment where others merely re-create -- check out the funky breaks Colin Edwin and Chris Maitland lay down on "Slave Called Shiver," not to mention Wilson's catchy piano figure and Barbieri's Hammond organ fills. Lyrically, Wilson comes up with some of his best work yet. "Piano Lessons" looks back on past musical learning and a doubtful teacher as a spur to trying harder, while "Pure Narcotic" offers up a romantic scenario and tip of the hat to Radiohead all at once: "You keep me hating/You keep me listening to The Bends." There's actually a musical hint or two of the Oxford quintet as well -- the acoustic guitar/drum intro to "This Is No Rehearsal" is a good example -- but leave it to Porcupine Tree to drop in some fully plugged in thrash metal, as well."
"Some older fans looked askance at Lightbulb Sun , feeling it was verging on overt commercialism (and admittedly, the near power ballad solo on "Where We Would Be" is a bit odd!). Then again, given Wilson's own explorations of avant-garde pop with No-Man, who's to say why a slightly more radio-friendly stance can't work? "Shesmovedon" may have been a single, but there's no question who wrote and performed it -- the elegant cascade of backing vocals on the chorus shows that much. Certainly Wilson hasn't turned into Max Martin or anything -- it's still very much Porcupine Tree, in its lyrical turns of phrase and general sense of exploration. One of the best tracks on the album is the brilliantly titled "Four Chords That Made a Million," a barbed cut on some unnamed "emperor in new clothes" beset by a "moron with a cheque book." The lead riff is a majestic hit of flange and feedback, while the hints of sitar and Indian percussion give the song even more attractive heft. But there's a definite bent towards calmer art pop throughout Lightbulb Sun -- those who preferred the sheer surge of "Stupid Dream" will find this album tamer in comparison. Still, it's hard to resist the beautiful, understated tension about a fractured friendship or relationship on "Feel So Low" or the gentle, string-touched roll and build of "The Rest Will Flow," flat out two of Wilson's best tunes anywhere. Those who prefer the lengthy explorations won't be disappointed, though -- "Hatesong" unfolds its sharp message over eight minutes and then the string-swept, slow time explosion of "Russia on Ice" over 13. Slyest title of the bunch -- "Last Chance to Leave the Planet Earth Before It Is Recycled," which samples the videotape made by the leader of the Heaven's Gate cult before its mass suicide in 1997."
"This is a very cool and laid back album (EP). It is out of print, but it is included in the recently published re-release of Up The Downstair. I think that it's very good, but not a masterpiece, because - apart from Cloud Zero and Yellow Hedgerow Dreamscape - it is just too mellow and monotonous. A few occasional outbursts of more structured and focussed playing would have done wonders. The only uptempo track (Yellow Hedgerow Dreamscape) is also the most repetitive one."
"This is a nice "progish" album. It is not a prog masterpiece, because you have to put it in relation to In Absentia and Lightbulb Sun. But it's definitely quite sophisticated, yet easy to listen to, never get's boring, and the melodies really grow on you pretty fast.
I can understand why some people call this alternative, as it has an alternative touch. But Porcupine Tree has always been difficult to describe, a quality that's not uncommon for prog artists. I'd say that this is a good starting point to get to know Porcupine Tree, if you don't mind a rough edge towards prog metal or alternative.
People looking for the Floyd centric mellow records which Porcupine Tree are famous for should go for Sky Moves Sideways or Voyage 34, Deadwing is considerably more heavy."
