IN ABSENTIA

This is a potent collection of rock songs which strongly reminds me of classic Pink Floyd, of the Australian band the Church (with its nocturnal moods) and of the post-punk band Wire's most melodious moments. (Don't poke me, I know that Wire and the Church themselves were influenced by the Floyd.) If I hadn't discovered Porcupine Tree via Prog Archives, if I'd heard this album at a party for example, I wonder if I would have dubbed it 'prog rock'. Sure, the vocals tend to be in a Floydean vein; there are a couple of Gilmour-like guitar outbursts, some splendidly over-the-top orchestral moments, and even a couple of mellotron effects, but there are no keyboard solos (hardly any keyboards at all really) and the music sounds no more complex than ACHTUNG BABY.

If you take a look at the reviews this album has received, you'll notice that (as so often) this site's regular collaborators have mixed feelings, while SO many guest reviewers have awarded the album five stars that this has greatly benefited Porcupine Tree's position in the "Top 50 albums" poll. In many eyes, Porcupine Tree is the acceptable face of contemporary prog - and I must admit IN ABSENTIA is undoubtedly more fun to hear than anything by Neil Morse or the Mars Volta. There are a couple of "fortissimo" metal-type moments on the album, which rather get on my nerves (inspired by Opeth, apparently), but they seem uncharacteristic, so I'll be curious to explore PT's earlier releases.