PORCUPINE TREE

'Fear of a Blank Planet' is undoubtedly Porcupine Tree's dark masterpiece, a cult album that has garnered polarizing opinions, but one that can certainly be considered the perfect album, a majestic blend of all the strongest characteristics of the band's music. And while at the same time this might not be their most innovatively sounding release, it is a massively influential album that captures the band at the height of their creative power, in a way presenting a fascinating amalgamation of Wilson & Co.'s heavier inclinations together with the strong influence of classic acts like King Crimson and Pink Floyd, and contemporary metal acts like Tool or even Opeth. The magic of this album lies in the subtle indoctrination of muscular riffs into the layers of exquisitely well-produced sonic collages, all shrouded in a tranquilizing yet hauntingly nostalgic atmosphere.

Bouncing between moments of throbbing aggression and tantalizing melancholy, the entire album becomes a mood-shifting entity that bolsters sufficiently complex compositions which are also equally memorable and provocative, yet conceptually relevant even to this day. All of this makes the album era-defining, even if some of the previous releases may be seen as creatively higher points. But 'Fear of a Blank Planet' is a finely and intelligently composed and constructed work of art, whether it be for the manic title track, the heart-wrenching 'Way Out of Here', or for the drab excursions on 'My Ashes'. The 17-minute powerhouse 'Anesthetize' is an all-time classic by the band, much like the gloomy 'Sentimental' and 'Sleep Together', as it turns out that each song on this incredibly tight album is a classic, whose sound and presentation have in a way been perfected, so as to accommodate the entire musical journey that this album is, and even quite provocatively, working perfectly as an anxiously pessimistic rock opera.

Today, I'll be taking a deep dive into Closure / Continuation, the eleventh studio album from Porcupine Tree, whom I featured a few weeks ago in my other series, Scott's Spotlight (#scottsspotlight). This album's release in 2022 really shook the prog fandom, as it seemed like Porcupine Tree were a thing of the past, while the members were involved in various other bands and projects after they went on hiatus following 2009's "The Incident" (Reviewed here on PA). Steven Wilson (Guitar/Vocals/Multi-instrumentalist) released several solo albums, remixed many classic prog albums, and was involved in other projects?does the man ever sleep? Richard Barbieri (Keyboards) had a number of collaborations with other prog musicians. Colin Edwin (bass) among other things, formed the band O.R.k. Which featured King Crimson alumnus Pat Mastellotto on drums. Drummer Gavin Harrison became a member of King Crimson, as well as The Pineapple Thief. With all of that activity, no one suspected that 3 of the 4 members were secretly collaborating (for a decade!) on this album (Colin Edwin was not specifically excluded. As I understand it, but he never chose to be involved).

Let's jump in and see what Closure/Continuation (AKA P/T C/C on the album cover) is all about.

Track 1 - Harridan

The song begins with a bass riff from Wilson, who is credited with all of the bass parts on the album, with Harrison joining in on drums. This song may well have been the beginnings of this album, as it started in a jam session between Wilson & Harrison (with Wilson playing bass). Barbieri joins in with some keyboard textures and the vocals follow, with an effect on the voice. More instruments join as the music gets suddenly louder at around 1:15. The basis of the song is the bass & drum groove. The choruses have guitar and are more dynamic. There is a more mellow bridge around 2:40. After a brief pause, heavy guitar bass & drums comes in at around 3:15. Following that there is a part that reminds me of the earlier PT song "Halo." The heavier guitar riffs alternate with the "Halo"-like part. Between 4:30 and 5 minutes, they transition to a different groove that isn't as heavy. Harrison's drums in this song are amazing. Barbieri is present but keeps a low profile on this one. At around 6:30, the chorus abruptly returns. At around 7:15 the music gets much quieter, and Wilson sings softly with acoustic guitar and keyboard accompaniment. Quiet sound effects close this great track out.

Track 2 - Of the New Day

Clean, strummed electric guitar and Wilson's vocals start things off at a moderately slow tempo. Subtle keyboards join on the second half of the verse. Bass and drums join in for the second verse. So far this has been a fairly simple, yet nice, ballad. However, we didn't think it would stay like this for long, did we? At around 2:00 A heavy riff comes in and the signature PT sound takes over for an instrumental break. Things come back down for another verse following that. Then the heavier part comes back again. The meters keep changing here. Things mellow out for the song's closing. Nice track.

Track 3 - Rats Return

This one fades in with sound effects. At about 28 seconds they kick in with a tight riff. Just before 1 minute in, the instruments quiet down and vocals begin with an effect on the voice. Between verses, Barbieri plays some slightly dissonant keyboard lines. The effect on the vocals is removed in the next part of the verse, and the riff jumps in hard right at 2 minutes. Barbieri provides some textures over the rhythm. On the next verse, the effect returns and there are some cool drum effects between phrases. The effect disappears again, and the riff comes back. A bridge happens as the music gets quieter. The bridge names some infamous dictators in world history. The riff keeps coming back, but it's an awesome one. The song ends as it began with sound effects fading out. Classic PT.

Track 4 - Dignity

This song fades in as well, but with keyboard sounds. At around 45 seconds, however, a chimey electric guitar arpeggio riff begins. This leads to a drum fill and the first verse in a gentle 6-8. Excellent harmony vocals at 1:28. The next verse comes in similar to the first one. Nice electric piano from Barbieri. The keyboards have more presence on this one compared to the previous one and get a feature at around 3 minutes. Wilson's bass playing is featured along with lush keyboards and smooth drumming. The music pauses at around 4:35. There are very quiet sustained sounds until around 5 minutes, when Wilson begins to sing very softly. At around 5:20, he plays some clean guitar lead lines with a very subtle beat underneath. The next verse is accompanied with piano and is only a bit louder. Classic PT vocal harmonies join in as the volume goes up another notch and more instruments join in. The sound is beautiful at around 7 minutes. The arpeggiated riff from earlier returns, but this time it is repeated and has some variations over a nice strong rhythm. The music crescendos as we go along. Outstanding track.

Track 4 - Herd Culling

An odd metered riff on guitar & drums starts us off here. Vocals soon join in. Be careful if you turned the volume up at the soft beginning, as you'll get blown away at just before 1:30! The riff gets LOUD and heavy! It drops way back down just prior to two minutes. The cycle happens again. At 3:15 or so though the rhythm changes to 6-8 and patented PT vocal harmonies join in. It reminds me a little of "Lazarus." The dynamic shifts here are very wide. They make us "shiver with antici - - - - - - pation," as a pregnant pause happens from 5:12-5:19 but we just know an explosion is coming, don't we? And of course, Wilson & co deliver! The meters are complex and changing as Wilson plays a guitar solo over the prog-tastic riffing. Things pause yet again around 6:20. This time low sustained sounds take us to the ending. This was a very exciting track!

Track 5 - Walk the Plank

This one begins with almost underwater sounding keyboards and subtle drumbeats. I think that's the idea as the vocals join in and say "This ship is now underwater?" After the line "and my span, it gets shorter," a louder bass voice says "1, 2, 3." The rhythm begins to get more solid at around 50 seconds after a drum fill and the dynamic level rises. The bass is featured around 1:20. There are some hip-hop type drum effects between vocal phrases. The chorus hits at 2 minutes. At around 2:30, the bass line reminds me of the Bob Marley tune of "Get Up, Stand Up." This one never seems to establish too much of a groove except for in the choruses. While there are some truly interesting things happening here, this has been my least favorite track on the album so far. The "1, 2, 3," thing happens again as the track ends.

Track 6 - Chimera's Wreck

This is the longest track on the album at 9:39 and the final track of the standard edition of the album. As has been the pattern on this album, the song begins softly. Quiet guitar and keyboard parts slowly fade in. Vocals join quietly at around the 1-minute mark. A gentle rhythm is established by 1:20 and the song gradually crescendos. The beat double-times at around 2 minutes, but the song is still pretty quiet. There is a call and response pattern in the second verse. A bass pattern comes in at around the 4-minute mark, along with some drum fills and then a stronger beat. This song is a very slow burn. A porgy, very Rush-like riff comes in at around 5:20 (think "Natural Science"). The music finally cuts loose around 5:40 with some chord-riffing. The Rush-style riff returns a bit heavier now. Wilson then goes into a wah-wah frenzy of a solo at 6:18. To add to the Rush feel, Wilson's bass part is very Geddy-like under the solo. Things ease off a bit at around 6:40. I believe this is a sampled voice used for a tone on a keyboard solo. Harrison's drums are cookin' underneath it all. A restrained vocal part comes in at around 7:45, with proggy rhythms underneath. Things open back up at 8:15. I love the riffs here near the end of the song, but then, just vocals and keys take a phrase or two. They are followed by some eerie sound effects to close it out.

BONUS TRACKS:

I debated reviewing these, but I think I will as I'm guessing many of those who would read this have versions of the album that include them.

Track 7 - Population Three

This one is listed as an instrumental. It comes out of the gate right away after a very brief fade in with a big intro. Then we get eerie and sinister sounding riffs. Harrison is all over the kit! At around 1:20 they lock into a very PT groove. This seems to be alternating between free-er time sections and steadier sections. Structurally, it reminds me of "Wedding Nails." At 3:28, Wilson establishes a new riff on the guitar and then the band follows suit. Barbieri is such a great textualist on the keyboards. They lock into another nice groove at 5:40 or so. This is a great PT instrumental that has a big finish!

Track 8 - Never Have

Barbieri starts this one off with an arpeggio style piano riff to be soon joined by vocals. Harrison establishes a beat and the band kicks in high gear at around 1 minute. Harmony vocals soar over the riff. We are in 5-8 for much of this one. After a quieter part, Wilson plays a tremolo-picked solo. The music gets quieter after that and then there is an instrumental break. There is a very cool melody around 3:20. I love the sound of this one. Wilson, of course, is a fantastic producer. There are several layers of sounds here, but everything is clean. Great track

Track 9 - Love in the Past Tense.

A soft but busy guitar part with keyboard accompaniment initiates the festivities on the final track. Harrison comes in at around 30 seconds, but it's call and response between instruments and vocals. Lots of interesting polyrhythms at around 1:30. Stellar vocal harmonies as always. This one also is mostly in 5-8. A big change at around 4:10 as we go into 4-4. A lot of PT's greatness is in the way they paint with sounds, and this song is a great example. I am very glad that I chose to include the bonus tracks in my review as I really enjoyed all of them.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

What a great comeback for Porcupine Tree! The only track I didn't like as well was "Walk the Plank," but I didn't outright hate it either. As I said above, the "bonus tracks" were as strong as the rest of the album. I hope that anyone who bought the standard version will seek those three songs out. Wilson and Harrison seem to have been the main instigators of this album, and it shows that Barbieri came in later. His presence isn't felt much on some of the earlier tracks, but it seemed to grow as the album progressed. While I do miss Colin Edwin's bass style, Wilson did a great job on the bass. He uses a more cutting tone than Edwin typically does. I am not sure if he played with a pick or his fingers, but it really cuts through the mix. All in all, though, this has been a wonderful listening experience. I'll give it a 4.25 out of 5. I hope that they return with more band efforts as Wilson has resumed his solo career with "The Harmony Codex," which I intend to review soon.

Clicked 4, but really 4.25.

So, I am going to rank myself at a level 2 when it comes to the highest ranked Porcupine Tree album on the list [Prog Magazine's Top 100 Albums of All Time]. (We will see Mr. Wilson later as a solo artist, though.) I have heard 4 out of the 6 tracks on the album. There are 2 very special guests on the album. Alex Lifeson contributes a guitar solo on "Anesthetize", while Mr. Robert Fripp provides "soundscapes" on "Way Out of Here." Otherwise, this album is performed by the "classic" PT line-up of Steven Wilson, Richard Barbieri, Colin Edwin & Gavin Harrison. Let's get going.

Track 1 - Fear of a Blank Planet

The title is a parody of Public Enemy's 1990 rap album "Fear of a Black Planet." While that album dealt with racial issues, this album is discussing themes of mental health and other issues facing youth in the 21st century, many of which are still relevant 17 years later. The song begins with some sound effects before a tricky acoustic guitar part takes over. Gavin Harrison joins in on drums soon after. Bass and Keys join the fray at around 45 seconds and Wilson begins singing at around 1:05 with voice-effects. Heavy electric guitar joins in after the first verse. The rhythm gets more open at 2:15 with big power chords. The rhythmic riffs return soon after. The song sections cycle though, with the instrumental parts becoming louder than the vocals. Most of the sounds drop out abruptly at around the 4-minute mark leaving only a quiet guitar part. Keys follow that then drums and bass. The effect is an almost underwater feeling. More instruments join in, and the sound gets bigger until Harrison takes an unaccompanied brilliant drum fill leading the band back into a guitar feature at around 5 minutes. Wilson plays a somewhat dissonant solo until just after the 6-minute point when things become more subdued. One lyric that jumped out at me in this latter part of the song is "Steal a gun just to kill time." It is a hauntingly accurate picture of what many teens are doing to deal with their mental health states and is even more relevant today than it was when he wrote it. As usual, the production of the music is absolutely top-notch.

Track 2 - My Ashes

This begins with an electric piano that has effects on it. The sound reminds me of No Quarter by Led Zeppelin. A gentle acoustic guitar joins in preceding Wilson's vocals. Mellotron joins at around 1:25 as harmonies in the vocals sing the chorus. Drums and Bass enter just after 2:05 with a slow and steady beat. Guitar effects color the sound. The chorus returns and the keyboard sound gets stronger. The band hits a major chord at around the 4-minute mark. Wilson sings an absolutely glorious high sustained note at around 4:15. The sound is deep and rich. However, with about 30 seconds left, the music abruptly stops and there are sound effects then synth sounds to close the track out.

Track 3 - Anesthetize

This is a nearly 18-minute-long epic centerpiece on the album, with a guest solo from Alex Lifeson. Synth and a tom-tom groove begin this one. Wilson joins with gentle vocals at around 35 seconds in. Atmospheric guitar and an effect on his voice begins at just after a minute. Another verse follows. Fantastic harmony vocals are happening around 2:30. The music explodes with heavy guitars around the 3-minute mark. Things get quieter again at 3:30. But a heavy riff soon follows, before the guitar solo. This is apparently Lifeson's solo. There is a cool new groove around the 5-minute mark. It has some great stereo panning effects and a great electric piano solo from Barbieri. Things get heavier at just before 6:20 with a fantastic, quintessentially Porcupine Tree heavy guitar sound and drumming. Gavin Harrison is phenomenal. The groove turns funkier about 30 seconds later. Vocals return at around 7:15 over the funky groove. Nice change around 7:50. There are plenty of meter shifts following that with a heavy riff. The chorus of this section reminds me a bit of Halo from the previous album. We hit more sustained chords at 10 minutes. Awesome odd-meter riffing at 10:35. Mega-drumming at 11 minutes. The big chorus returns at 11:35. Suddenly quiet around 12:15 with soft keyboard parts. Guitar parts start building in at around 13:00. Colin Edwin is keeping it low key on the bass line, but it works. Cascading vocal parts come in next. There is a subtle organ sound behind the vocals that adds warmth. Nice sounds at 16:25. I believe it was a mix of guitar & electric piano, Things get very quiet at around 17 minutes. Gentle droning sounds close out this amazing epic.

Track 4 - Sentimental

We begin with gentle piano chords. A drum beat slowly begins to fade in at around 30 seconds. Wilson begins singing at around 45 seconds in. The pieces come together more at around 1:25. So far this is a very mellow track. Things come up a notch at around 2:45. At around 3:50 the rhythm is very similar to the song Trains from In Absentia. Things ease off at 4:25 to piano and distant vocals. The song begins to fade out to some spacy kind of sounds.

Track 5 - Way Out of Here

This is one I'm somewhat familiar with. It contains Robert Fripp's soundscapes. It begins with soft sounds, joined eventually by quiet Wilson vocals. The music shifts suddenly at around 1:50 and becomes faster and more aggressive for the chorus, but the vocals are low in the mix. At 2:15 the next verse is more rhythmic and the vocals more prominent. Another chorus hits at around 3:07. A guitar solo begins at around 3:30 It stops abruptly before the 4:15 mark, and things get much quieter with lightly dancing, dreamy rhythms. The music becomes very aggressive at 4:50 with heavy guitar riffing, alternating with more sustained parts. Harrison's drumming is phenomenal starting around 5:25. Things get quieter again around 6:05. Colin Edwin has a nice bass line as we approach the conclusion of the song. Good Track

Track 6 - Sleep Together

We begin with interesting synth tones and Wilson's distant sounding vocals. By 1 minute, Harrison is playing a groove with the synth rhythms. At 1:40 a heavy backbeat comes in for the chorus. Just after 2 minutes mellotron strings become very prominent from Barbieri, I presume. On the next verse there are Eastern sounding orchestral tones between vocal lines. Another chorus follows. At around 3:45 there is an instrumental break featuring the string-like sounds. Afterward the funky keyboard tones take over. They are joined by an electric piano. The 2 parts create a bit of a polyrhythm. Next, guitar & drums join in. By around 5:45 Edwin's bass line comes in. This all gets topped off with mellotron sounds. The "Eastern sounding" strings join back in as the song reaches the conclusion. A random drum fill from Harrison rounds the song out.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

As one would expect, the production and sound quality on the album are impeccable as Wilson has become so respected as a producer. I like all 6 tracks to one degree or another. However, I don't like it quite as much as In Absentia or Deadwing. It seems to have just a little less energy to me. I'll give it a 4.5 out of 5. Very solid album.

Clicking 4, but REALLY a 4.5!!!

I'll say I am a 2+ on this going in, as I have heard most, if not all, of the tracks on this album. This will be my first time listening to the album as a whole. I'm looking forward to it. This album apparently started life as songs for a proposed movie of which the screenplay was written by Wilson and a collaborator, Mike Bennion. A few of the tracks are essentially SW solo pieces, with Gavin Harrison's drums added. Adrian Belew and Mikael Akerfeldt also make contributions to some of the album's tracks. Let's take a deep dive.

Track 1 - Deadwing

We begin with a pulsating synth note. A quick tempo guitar, bass & drum pattern joins it at around 40 seconds. (I'm familiar with this one as I recognized the riff) Wilson's vocals join in at around 1:30. I like the whisper vocals at around 2:15. There is a new riff at around 3 minutes. The main riff is taken over on acoustic with a guitar solo on top. A revolving speaker effect is added to the guitar at around 4 minutes in. Things drop back down to the pulsating synth at around 5:45 and it gets mellow. Clean guitar with a tremolo effect is featured. There is a cool bass part, which I believe is played by Wilson. A heavy staccato guitar and drum rhythm enters just after 7:05, and the "band" kicks back in at 7:30 with a guitar solo. Vocals come back with the main riff around 8:20. At around 8:45 the rhythm and guitar part changes. The main riff happens once more and then arpeggiated clean guitar chords take us to the ending with some sound effects during the closing seconds. (Note: Some of the solos were played by Adrien Belew, and Akerfeldt sings harmonies.) Excellent track.

Track 2 - Shallow

A heavy guitar riff starts us off to be joined by drums & bass, then vocals. Piano & clean guitar takes over at around 45 seconds. Heavy guitar returns at just after 1 minute. Another cycle of these changes follows. Everything but a guitar riff falls out at 2:34, then the band kicks back in for a guitar solo of sorts (more accurately unusual effects). Following that at 2:55. A processed voice says something I didn't catch. This is a very heavy track overall. I'm surprised it didn't make any impact on rock radio when it came out (at least in the US). Loved it!

Track 3 - Lazarus

I'm very familiar with this one. It begins with gentle piano and other sounds followed by gentle vocals from Wilson. The drums & bass join in on the second verse. This is such a beautiful song. The slide guitar gives it an almost country flavor at times. There is a bridge at 2:15 with a Beatles feel. (Akerfeldt sings harmonies on this one as well). I love the piano part. The chord change at 3:40 gives a bit of a tonality shift. The song fades out with some distant snare drumbeats. Beautiful track. Quintessential PT sound.

Track 4 - This is another one I am very familiar with. Adrian Belew contributes a guitar solo on this one as well. It begins with a funky groove on the bass & drums. The vocals join in with effects on them. The vocal sound opens up just before the 1-minute mark with the chorus. Another cycle follows. The rhythm changes to shifting odd meters at around 2:35. Apparently, it's in 17-16! Then Belew's guitar solo comes in at around 3:20 but it sounds more like a harmonica solo to me. Things chill out slightly at 3:40 with cleaner instrumentation, but effects on the vocals. The beat kicks back in at around 4:00, and it leads us to the ending where it drops back out again with the lyric "Cause I've got a halo 'round my head." Fantastic arrangement!

Track 5 - Arriving Somewhere but Not Here

At around 12 minutes long, it's the longest track on the album. Akerfeldt provides vocal Harmonies and the second guitar solo on this one. I am also quite familiar with this one. It fades in very slowly with "spacey" sound effects. Subtle hints of rhythm start making their way in after the 1-minute mark. An arpeggiated rhythm on clean guitar emerges just before the 2-minute point, joined by vocals with an effect on them. This song is very slow to build up. Acoustic guitar strums and the first hints of cymbals and bass begin to accompany the harmony vocals at around 3:30. The drumbeat kicks in at around 4 minutes with a faster tempo and a guitar solo. Another verse & chorus follows thereafter while the faster tempo continues. Fantastic harmonies are in this section. Things change just after 6 minutes. The beat stops and a distorted guitar establishes a new rhythm. The drums kick back in at 6:30 and we have a big rhythmic sound from the band. Things are really rockin' by 7 minutes. Cool guitar harmony parts around 7:30, followed by an ascending riff at 7:45. By just after 8 minutes it's more of a chord pattern. Things get suddenly quiet at around 8:45. And Akerfeldt's jazzy guitar tone tackles over in a mellow way, with some subtle rhythm behind it. The beat resumes at 9:45 and Wilson sings again. There is so much dimension to the sound; it's wonderful. The song fades out slowly to its conclusion. Great track!

Track 6 - Mellotron Scratch

A quiet guitar & synth pattern begins this one. Then the rhythm comes in with effects on the drums. Clean guitar strums start around the 1-minute mark. I love the vocal arrangement around 2:15. This is a very mellow track, thus far. Heavy guitar chords take over at 4:30 the Harrison kicks in on drums a few seconds later. There is a brief guitar solo and things quiet back down again afterward, but the beat remains steady. This song has beautiful soundscapes. Again, the vocal arrangement is fantastic.

Track 7 - Open Car

A staccato rhythmic guitar pattern opens the song, joined by vocals. Just before 20 seconds in, the rhythm section comes in and makes a killer groove of the riff. Odd meters abound. Just before 1 minute in, things smooth out with sustained clean chords. The chorus has heavier sustained chords. The staccato part returns afterward, and we go through another cycle. I Love it! Just after 3 minutes a strummed acoustic takes over as we approach the end. This track leads directly into the next without pause.

Track 8 - The Start of Something Beautiful

(I'm familiar with this one, too) We begin quietly with synth bass and guitar tomes in a kind of ambient way, with a subtle hi-hat underneath. The drumbeat kicks in just before 1 minute. The bass is playing a nice riff under the first verse, with barely noticeable clean guitar doubling it. Heavy guitar kicks in around 2:15. We quiet back down at around 2:45. There is an eerie guitar solo around 3:20. We come back to the heavy part around 3:50. Around 4:20 we have some unusual percussion sounds over the synth bed. By 4:50 we have a clean instrumental section, with beautiful piano, by Barbieri. This is another great example of how Wilson creates beautiful sounding arrangements. Everything sounds warm and full. Fantastic track.

Track 9 - Glass Arm Shattering

This one is familiar as well. Sound effects and a quiet processed guitar part starts us off here, Harrison and Edwin join in with a rhythm and Barbieri creates lovely synth textures. It is a very dreamy sound. The vocals begin after 1:40 in octaves. This one has a slow build, as Wilson does so well. Just before the 4-minute mark the band begins an ascending part with an incredible vocal arrangement. An instrumental section follows on the same progression. Things return to the original riff around 5:15 with piano featured. Then there are great harmonies as the song reaches its conclusion.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

What a great album! The production is impeccable as one would expect. There is a reason that Steven Wilson is so in demand to produce and/or remix so many other proggers back catalogs; he is simply one of the best in the business. This one is right up there with its predecessor In Absentia as my favorite PT album. The only reason it doesn't get a 5 is that there are other things I like more. 4.75 out of 5 stars for me.

Clicking 5, but really 4.75!

Going into The Incident, I am a level 3.5, I'd say. I owned the CD version, but haven't listened to the whole album straight through for a while. I remember liking it, though. Let's see if I still do.

Incidentally (see what I did there?), here is the concept behind the album, copied from Wikipedia:

The concept for The Incident emerged as Wilson was caught in a motorway traffic jam whilst driving past a road accident:

"There was a sign saying 'POLICE ? INCIDENT' and everyone was slowing down to see what had happened... Afterwards, it struck me that 'incident' is a very detached word for something so destructive and traumatic for the people involved. And then I had the sensation that the spirit of someone that had died in the accident entered into my car and was sitting next to me. The irony of such a cold expression for such seismic events appealed to me, and I began to pick out other 'incidents' reported in the media and news, I wrote about the evacuation of teenage girls from a religious cult in Texas, a family terrorizing its neighbors, a body found floating in a river by some people on a fishing trip, and more. Each song is written in the first person and tries to humanize the detached media reportage".

? Steven Wilson[8]

Furthermore, Disc 1 (the first 14 Tracks) are considered to be a "song cycle" of just over 55 minutes. Disc 2 contains "bonus tracks" , but I am including them here, as they are included on all versions of the album, at least as far as I know.

Disc 1:

Track 1 - Occam's Razor

This is essentially the intro to the album. It's basically power chords, accented by the rhythm section, with some spacy sound effects in between. Simple, but I like it.

Track 2 - The Blind House

We kick-off in 5-4 with a heavy riff. Things chill a bit when Wilson begins singing the first verse. The verses alternate between 6-4 and 5-4. The opening riff returns between verses. Harmony vocals join on the second verse. We are in 4-4 for the choruses. At around 3:50, we have spacy synth and percussive sounds. Wilson adds vocals as we go along. We have heavy riffage again before the song ends.

Track 3 - Great Expectations

A very short track at just 1:26, we begin with acoustic guitar and vocals. The band kicks in heavily at around 25 seconds. We ease back off into a steady rhythm for the next verse. Then the heavy part returns to end the song.

Track 4 - Kneel and Disconnect

This one starts straight away after the previous one, and is also very short at around 2 minutes long. Piano starts us off here with a bit of acoustic strumming. Vocals follow next. Nice harmonies on the chorus. Simple, but beautiful piano is featured from Barbieri as we move into?

Track 5 - Drawing the Line

This is one of the tracks I remember liking most from this album. Keyboards start us off with some cool Gavin Harrison drum parts, joined by Wilson's vocals on the first verse.. The chorus kicks in at about 1:30, and we're rockin'! A guitar solo follows the chorus. The second verse follows, then another chorus. A second guitar solo brings us to?.

Track 6 - The Incident

Trippy synth sounds start us off here, along with a drum machine beat and whispered vocals, that morph into a whisper-sing. There are lots of various sounds in the mix including vibrato guitar sounds. Eventually the vocals build more with lyrics being sung in octaves. At just after 1:30 a heavy yet funky guitar and bass riff join the mix. This song is structured by the adding of parts. Next in are harmony vocals, then Harrison on drums. Later we have vocals obscured by effects. At around 3:40 the song opens into a more traditional sound releasing the tension built by the preceding sections. It is an effective musical strategy. The music is gradually crescendoing as we proceed until we begin?.

Track 7 - Your Unpleasant Family

This one begins with acoustic guitar backed with Keys. The vocals begin with "your unpleasant family smashed up my car?(answered with backing vocals) totally uncalled for." and we're off. The rhythm kicks in at about 50 seconds in with a guitar solo. This one is also a short track at around 2 minutes. It leads us into?

Track 8 - The Yellow Windows of the Evening Train

?Which is also around 2 minutes long. This one begins with a quiet organ. It reminds me very slightly of the organ intro to "Your Time is Gonna Come" from LZ1 at first, but then it changes with vocal-like sounds possibly produced by a mellotron. This brief musical interlude brings us to?.

Track 9 - Time Flies

This is ironically the longest track on the album at just a bit under 12 minutes long. I consider it to be the showcase of the album and the one I remember best. It begins with an acoustic guitar part reminiscent of PF's Dogs. The opening line references being born in 1967, the year of Sgt. Pepper & Are You Experienced. The underlying rhythm is maintained until around 3:55. Then we have an arpeggiated acoustic guitar pattern that gets augmented by different instruments as we go along. Some of the sounds remind me of PF's Time intro, but more 21st century. The instrumental segment is very dramatic, with a great guitar solo. The "Dogs" rhythm returns at around 8:10. This whole track is an excellent example of Wilson's guitar style. He is a fantastic player, but I don't think of him as a virtuoso, as such. He does use his skills and style to maximum effect for the songs. Outstanding song, top shelf PT.

Track 10 - Degree Zero of Liberty

The Occam's Razor power chords are recapitulated here from the beginning of the album. This time they are followed by some chords being stylishly strummed on electric guitar that is only slightly distorted. Then the power chords return in this brief interlude.

Track 11 - Octane Twisted

Wilson begins with acoustic guitar arpeggios with a solo on the top. The rest of the band joins for the first verse, which has a nice countermelody appearing as we progress. Then we have a heavier part with odd meters. Then we have a tight riff to create a bed for the guitar solo. Then the heavy chords return. There is a nice mellow part at around 4 minutes. This takes us to?.

Track 12- The Seance

This also begins with mellow acoustic guitar arpeggios, then after the first verse he changes to strumming. Excellent harmonizing on the second verse. This is another brief one at 2:39 There are some nice synth parts, then some strident guitar strums. This brings us to ?.

Track 13 - Circle of Manias

Another short part at 2:19. This begins with tight-odd metered riffing between Wilson, Edwin & Harrison. Barbierei then adds a keyboard part over the top. This one reminds me slightly of Wedding Nails from the earlier PT album In Absentia in the ending part of the song.

Track 14 - I Drive the Hearse

This is the closing song of the cycle, and rounds out Disc 1 of the original release. This one begins quietly with vocals accompanied by guitar. We reach the main "hook" ? "Silence is another way of saying what I wanna say?" before long. Then we get into a 5-4 chord progression. This song is an excellent example of Wilson's "Hauntingly Beautiful" style of songwriting/arranging. There is an excellent guitar solo at around 4 minutes, which is punctuated by great harmony vocals on the line "when I get down I drive the hearse." There is a long slow fade out to conclude the song and cycle.

Disc 2:

Track 15 - Flicker

Now we begin the 4 stand-alone tracks that are NOT part of the main song cycle. Synth sounds slowly fade in to start us off here. The vocals begin in an odd meter, with acoustic guitar & rhythm section. Things begin to build gradually. Awesome vocal harmonies start around 3 minutes in, and we close out with sort of "bubbly" sounds that make me think of an aquarium.

Track 16 - Bonnie the Cat

Sound effects start things here. Harrison & Edwin give us a tight- almost funky- rhythm. Then Wilson joins in on vocals with a lot of effects, alternating with heavy guitar rhythms. Barbieri mostly stays in the background but to nice effect. There is a brief pause for some electronic-staticky types of sounds. The guitar solo is very "experimental," shall we say. Then we get a grungy type of riff for an excellent instrumental break. Harrison's drumming really shines on this one. This is probably the most "far-out" type of song on the album, but I really like it.

Track 17- Black Dahlia

Electric piano initiates this one with vocals with effects on it. A nice moderately slow tempo is established by the rhythm section. Here is another hauntingly beautiful one. As usual there are wonderful harmonies in the vocals. What Wilson does so well is create moods with his arrangements. This is another fine example of that.

Track 18 - Remember Me Lover

This is the second longest track at 7:32 to close out the album. Wilson begins quietly by establishing the main guitar progression. Barbieri plays subtle supporting key parts while Wilson begins singing. The rhythm section joins around 1:30 and we start building the sound level after a verse. The vocal rhythm is catchy. I love the vocal harmonies at 3 minutes, that lead to the heavier instrumental break. Sometimes PT are considered to be "progressive metal," but their heavier parts never seem to be heavy enough to justify that label. I think what it really does is add a nice broad dynamic range, which is sorely missing in most (not all) modern pop music. (Nobody ever accused PT of being pop, for sure!) Wonderful time changes happening from around 6:30 onward. This is classic PT for sure.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

This is a very strong PT album indeed. I don't like it quite as much as In Absentia, but it's close. All of the essential PT elements are there, for sure. There seems to be just a hair less energy in the performances on here to my ears. I give this a 4.5 out of 5 stars, compared to 4.75 for In Absentia. On the countdown, In Absentia was ranked a surprisingly low #66, compared to # 48 here [On Prog Magazine's list of the Top 100 Prog Albums of all Time]. There is plenty more PT and Steven Wilson to come, we'll see how they stack up.

Clicking 4, but really 4.5!

As I go into this one, I rate myself at level 3.5?I know the album pretty well, but not quite at expert level. This was my introduction to the world of Porcupine Tree. I am surprised that this one isn't higher on the list, really. The Incident is usually considered inferior to this one, but it is several positions higher. This is actually the lowest ranked of the PT albums that made the list, but I don't think I'll agree. Of course, we just did Insurgentes on Monday, which is Steven Wilson's first Solo album, and Wilson has been a collaborator on a few previous entries.

Track 1 - Blackest Eyes

My gateway PT song and still one of my favorites. That intro gets me every time! The slow build, then, BLAM!! Awesome riffage! Then we have the acoustic flavored verses. The harmonies on this song (and album) are exquisite. I love the heavy riff in the instrumental section, then how the organ brings things back down. The song ends so tightly! GREAT SONG!!

Track 2 - Trains

From the heaviness of Blackest Eyes, we go right into the acoustic flavored Trains. Almost folk-rock, even when the band kicks in. Gavin Harrison debuts in PT nicely on this album. This, to me, Is the classic PT lineup! Wilson, Barbieri, Harrison, Edward. And then we get Banjo! Who would have guessed it on a prog album. Brilliant. After the mellow bridge, things get a bit heavier. Wonderful tune!

Track 3 - Lips of Ashes

Now for the haunting side of PT. The drums lay out of this one. An acoustic guitar riff drives the song with electric guitar atmospherics in the background. The vocals are absolutely spot-on in the harmonies. Such a nice blend.

Track 4 - Sound of Muzak

This one falls somewhere between Trains and Lips of Ashes, style-wise. An acoustic riff and Harrison's brilliant drumming in an odd meter set up the first verse. The chorus goes to 4-4 and more fantastic harmonies. I love the guitar tone at around 2:30 that brings is into the guitar solo. While Wilson isn't a virtuoso player like Steve Howe, he is still quite good. The lines he plays are so tasteful and well placed. What Wilson does so well is create an atmosphere and mood with his music, and this is a great example of that.

Track 5 - Gravity Eyelids

A drum machine rhythm and Barbieri's keyboards lay the foundations for Wilson's vocals, here. Bass and real drums join in for the second verse/chorus. Then we have a spooky kind of instrumental break before heavy guitar joins playing tight staccato riffs, before it opens up and gets more of a sustained note riff that is closer to what we had in Blackest Eyes. Colin Edward plays some nice bass lines, but he's never mixed prominently. He's there in the mix, but rarely, if ever, out front. We end with the more techno feel of the intro.

Track 6 - Wedding Nails

The riff here on this instrumental is like "One Way Out" from the Allman Bros. but more twisted on its side. Then we shift into a tremolo picked riff with an alternating one. Following a repeat of the first riff, there is a middle section with accenting chords and atmospheric guitar and keyboard sounds. Then we kick back into the tremolo riff. There is a long, slow fade of atmospheric sounds at the end. Great instrumental track

Track 7 - Prodigal

We start with a 4-4 slide-guitar riff backed by the bass & drums. Wilson's vocals are a bit blase at the beginning, but then the harmony vocals join in, and things pick up. At 2:25, the guitar riff is almost like a cleaner EVH type of riff. The next verse/chorus are similar. There is a slide solo over the EVH riff at the end. Good track

Track 8 - .3

OK, so Colin Edward gets a moment in the sun on this one with his bass riff setting the foundation for the song. The rest of the band builds off of the bass and we get an excellent atmosphere to play off of. At around 2:30 it sounds like a reverse guitar part, the Lush clean electric guitar with a strumming acoustic. The vocals join in for the first time in this song following this. Then we go back to the bass-riff, but heavier. Cool song, mostly instrumental

Track 9 - The Creator Has a Mastertape

So once again, my earlier statement is proven wrong, as the bass and drums are the foundation of this one. Wilson likes to use lots of vocal effects. We get heavy around 1:45. I like the quick pace of this one. Fantastic drum fill at around 3:30.

Track 10 - Heartattack in a Layby

Piano and clean electric guitar start this one off at a much slower tempo from the previous track.

There is a beautiful vocal melody here. I love the vocal countermelodies at around 2:45. Beautiful song.

Track 11 - Strip the Soul

A bass riff kicks us off, again contradicting my earlier statement. Complex rhythms on the drums & guitar parts when they kick in. Nice. Then it comes back down for the second voice. The arrangement of the guitar parts is great. Then suddenly it's being played on an acoustic guitar, and we get almost funky. This song is heavy without melting your face, and no growling. This one is a track I didn't know as well as some of the others, and it's a bit of a hidden gem on an already strong album. Love it.

Track 12 - Collapse the Light into Earth.

We have a 6-8 piano ballad for our closer. As I am sitting, the piano is on the right and the echo-laden vocals are on the left. Then the vocals move center, as the song slowly builds. At around 3:30, string-like sounds join, and the vocals become "ahhs." What a beautiful sound. Then the song title joins the "aahs." There is just a bit of electric guitar feedback near the end as the piano then fades out. The song creates a peaceful close to the album.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

Absolutely beautiful album. I feel like it established a style blueprint for many 21st century prog bands. As I said earlier, it made me aware of Porcupine Tree, then discovered that they'd been around for over a decade at that point. But they came a long way from "Let's all go to Jupiter Island," That's for sure! 4.75 out of 5 stars. Brilliant album, but there are others I am saving my 5's for. (Again, clicking a 5, because that's as close as I can get.)

Factually, it's absolutely correct: "The Sky Moves Sideways" from 1995 is the third album by Porcupine Tree. However, there's a small caveat. In its early years, Porcupine Tree was nothing more or less than a pseudonym for Steven Wilson. It's only with "The Sky Moves Sideways" that Porcupine Tree began to profile itself as a band, and since the album was also released in the United States, it had all the potential to be a breakthrough record. The music certainly has that vibe, creative, inventive, virtuosic, and extraordinarily captivating. You are constantly drawn in by the genius charms of the sounds.

Porcupine Tree unabashedly makes psychedelic music, with plenty of Pink Floyd influences. The question then quickly arises: is that a bad thing? Well, no. I am convinced that if Pink Floyd and Porcupine Tree had swapped places, Wilson and his associates would have been highly successful in the 1970s as well.

The album has the same structure as Pink Floyd's 1975 "Wish You Were Here." We hear a long epic divided into two parts, with one section at the beginning of the album and another at the end. Personally, I enjoy music with this rounded form. Despite "The Sky Moves Sideways" being released in different versions, this structure remains consistent. The version discussed here is the 2004 remaster, chosen because it includes a very interesting bonus CD. Without further ado, let's get into the content.

Phase 1 of the title track begins in a dreamy manner. After a few minutes, as the dynamics increase with vocals and guitar, we hear a relaxed Porcupine Tree. This is the prelude to a stunning piece of psychedelia, complete with a hypnotically swinging rhythm and maddening guitar and keyboard work, supported by excellent bass guitar. The 18- minute tour de force concludes calmly with, among other things, plucked acoustic guitar. In the subsequent tracks Dislocated Day and The Moon Touches Your Shoulder, the computer drums have been replaced by real drums played by Gavin Harrison. This greatly enhances the Middle Eastern atmosphere of the riffs in Dislocated Day, and also benefits the beautiful The Moon Touches Your Shoulder, which starts quietly and ends in a rousing manner. Prepare Yourself is a short instrumental interlude that paves the way for Phase 2 of the title track. Here, the world truly turns upside down, especially in the second subtitle Off the Map, where Wilson launches the most awe-inspiring sounds into space during his solo. This is absolute world-class music, if not more.

On the bonus CD, we first have a 34-minute alternate mix of the title track where both phases are combined. The ingenuity here is evident. Stars Die is one of the most beautiful songs Wilson has ever written, with a delightful Blackfield vibe. Moonloop is another typical Porcupine Tree track with its improvised character. It's rather unfortunate that this track had to be moved from the main album to the bonus CD. Beyond this, I have no criticism of Steven Wilson.

Factually, it's absolutely correct: "The Sky Moves Sideways" from 1995 is the third album by Porcupine Tree. However, there's a small caveat. In its early years, Porcupine Tree was nothing more or less than a pseudonym for Steven Wilson. It's only with "The Sky Moves Sideways" that Porcupine Tree began to profile itself as a band, and since the album was also released in the United States, it had all the potential to be a breakthrough record. The music certainly has that vibe, creative, inventive, virtuosic, and extraordinarily captivating. You are constantly drawn in by the genius charms of the sounds.

Porcupine Tree unabashedly makes psychedelic music, with plenty of Pink Floyd influences. The question then quickly arises: is that a bad thing? Well, no. I am convinced that if Pink Floyd and Porcupine Tree had swapped places, Wilson and his associates would have been highly successful in the 1970s as well.

The album has the same structure as Pink Floyd's 1975 "Wish You Were Here." We hear a long epic divided into two parts, with one section at the beginning of the album and another at the end. Personally, I enjoy music with this rounded form. Despite "The Sky Moves Sideways" being released in different versions, this structure remains consistent. The version discussed here is the 2004 remaster, chosen because it includes a very interesting bonus CD. Without further ado, let's get into the content.

Phase 1 of the title track begins in a dreamy manner. After a few minutes, as the dynamics increase with vocals and guitar, we hear a relaxed Porcupine Tree. This is the prelude to a stunning piece of psychedelia, complete with a hypnotically swinging rhythm and maddening guitar and keyboard work, supported by excellent bass guitar. The 18- minute tour de force concludes calmly with, among other things, plucked acoustic guitar. In the subsequent tracks Dislocated Day and The Moon Touches Your Shoulder, the computer drums have been replaced by real drums played by Gavin Harrison. This greatly enhances the Middle Eastern atmosphere of the riffs in Dislocated Day, and also benefits the beautiful The Moon Touches Your Shoulder, which starts quietly and ends in a rousing manner. Prepare Yourself is a short instrumental interlude that paves the way for Phase 2 of the title track. Here, the world truly turns upside down, especially in the second subtitle Off the Map, where Wilson launches the most awe-inspiring sounds into space during his solo. This is absolute world-class music, if not more.

On the bonus CD, we first have a 34-minute alternate mix of the title track where both phases are combined. The ingenuity here is evident. Stars Die is one of the most beautiful songs Wilson has ever written, with a delightful Blackfield vibe. Moonloop is another typical Porcupine Tree track with its improvised character. It's rather unfortunate that this track had to be moved from the main album to the bonus CD. Beyond this, I have no criticism of Steven Wilson.

Whether "The Sky Moves Sideways" can be called a breakthrough album, I can't say for certain. However, the album certainly ensured that many music lovers began to embrace Porcupine Tree afterward.Whether "The Sky Moves Sideways" can be called a breakthrough album, I can't say for certain. However, the album certainly ensured that many music lovers began to embrace Porcupine Tree afterward.

Orginally posted on www.progenrock.com

The reconfigured Porcupine Tree offer up not merely live renditions of most of the Closure/Continuation album, but also a wide range of cuts from their past (including material dating back as far as Lightbulb Sun). With Randy McStine on guitar and Nate Navarro on bass rounding out the live lineup - Navarro in particular doing a fantastic job - this is a shift from the old Porcupine Tree with Colin Edwin and John Wesley, yet then again Wesley didn't join until In Absentia and Edwin wasn't on the earliest Porcupine Tree releases, so unless you have a very odd definition of what is "real" Porcupine Tree this lineup is as legit as any that has existed, and the band manage to integrate the Closure/Continuation material into the setlist in a way which really helps all the disparate material here feel like it belongs in the same overall ethos, despite the changing shape of the band over the years.

The Incident had a somewhat mixed reception as far as Porcupine Tree albums go, and heralded the start of the hiatus which was only alleviated just recently with the release of Closure/Continuation. Octane Twisted, then, is one of the last documents of the pre-hiatus version of Porcupine Tree, hailing as it does from the Incident tour and leading off with the 55-minute song cycle which formed the first CD of that album in initial versions. (More recent rereleases take the less wasteful and more economical approach of putting all the songs on one CD - for they will fit.)

As it stands, I think I faintly prefer this live rendition of the epic to the version on the album - it feels a bit looser, more organic, the band a little more comfortable with the direction it represents. Following this up with a nicely selected clutch of tracks from across the Porcupine Tree back catalogue, Octane Twisted is about as good a presentation as this material had.

Nonetheless, I don't find it as compelling as, say, the live albums from the Fear of a Blank Planet period, the band feeling perhaps a touch tired at this point - suggesting that the hiatus was, perhaps, a creatively necessary and inevitable thing at this point. It's also hard to deny that things perk up a bit on the second half; The Incident has its merits, but it still feels like it wasn't quite the album it could be, that something was a little askew in the process which prevented it from hitting the standards of preceding albums.

Porcupine Tree's live performances in the wake of Fear of a Blank Planet are pretty well-documented - as well as this live release you also have live albums like Atlanta, Ilosaarirock, and We Lost the Skyline from this era - but Anesthetize deserves to stand head and shoulders above all but Atlanta, which is close to the same standard but a mite shorter. Released both as audio and as a DVD of the performance, it's a stunning performance which sees them offering a host of compelling tracks from what at this point was a very rich repertoire indeed. After this would come the Incident and then the hiatus, but for my money this perhaps represents the peak of what Porcupine Tree were doing in the 2000s.