Steven Wilson - Grace for Drowning
Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Recommendations/Featured albums
Forum Description: Make or seek recommendations and discuss specific prog albums
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=81392
Printed Date: November 26 2024 at 20:40
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Topic: Steven Wilson - Grace for Drowning
Posted By: The Neck Romancer
Subject: Steven Wilson - Grace for Drowning
Date Posted: September 23 2011 at 11:25
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Sounds really good. I'd say it's better than Insurgentes, The Incident and Deadwing's best songs combined. ------------- 
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Replies:
Posted By: Horizons
Date Posted: September 23 2011 at 11:28
| Where are you listening to it? |
Posted By: The Neck Romancer
Date Posted: September 23 2011 at 11:44
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I got the preorder. -------------
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Posted By: Horizons
Date Posted: September 23 2011 at 12:00
| God damn ;( |
Posted By: Padraic
Date Posted: September 23 2011 at 12:03
| I think I'll pick this up when it comes out Tuesday. |
Posted By: al3ck
Date Posted: September 23 2011 at 13:18
| It's awesome |
Posted By: TopographicTales
Date Posted: September 23 2011 at 13:19
I've pre-ordered it and haven't received it yet, but I've heard a few tracks already. What I've heard so far is fantastic,but all three of those albums are damn good, Deadwing being one of PT's best. So, I just can't agree with you there.
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Polo wrote:Posted By: The Neck Romancer
Date Posted: September 23 2011 at 14:02
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Alrighty then. -------------
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Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: September 23 2011 at 17:10
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Hello,
Thank you for your recent purchase with us. We appreciate your business. Typically, pre-orders are shipped out as the release date approaches, as we intend for arrival as close to the release date as is possible. Unfortunately, we have recently been notified by our distributor that we will not be receiving these items at our facility until Monday September 26th.   I went for the super duper deluxe version. ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened... 
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Posted By: Zombywoof
Date Posted: September 23 2011 at 17:42
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What's your take on it? I preordered the vinyl from Amazon, with plans to "stick" to it. ------------- Continue the prog discussion here: http://zombyprog.proboards.com/index.cgi ... |
Posted By: Kashmir75
Date Posted: September 23 2011 at 18:56
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Mine has been shipped, but I've not received it yet. From the snippets I've heard, though, it could rival Opeth's Heritage as my album of the year. ------------- Hello, mirror. So glad to see you, my friend. It's been a while... |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: September 24 2011 at 03:16
| ^ I'm tapping my fingers furiously waiting for mine (along with the Opeth CD) |
Posted By: ergaster
Date Posted: September 24 2011 at 08:50
Me too...I got the shipping notice email but I won't see it til next week some time. Grrrr. ------------- We have done the impossible, and that makes us mighty. Captain Malcolm Reynolds Reality rules, Honor the truth Chemist99a R.I.P. |
Posted By: The Truth
Date Posted: September 24 2011 at 10:02
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I'll be giving a listen today, we'll see how it goes. ------------- http://blindpoetrecords.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow">  
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Posted By: The Monodrone
Date Posted: September 24 2011 at 10:25
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One of the best and most diverse things SW has ever created. Excellent album. -------------  
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Posted By: TheProgtologist
Date Posted: September 24 2011 at 11:02
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I definitely like it better than Insurgentes. -------------  |
Posted By: Jake Kobrin
Date Posted: September 24 2011 at 12:42
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I heard it yesterday and I think it's just amazing... Which raises some questions. Given that his last few albums have been so bad, was he just hogging his best material so he could put it out under his own name rather than as a band? This is possibly the proggiest thing he's ever done, even more so than early PT albums. Early PT is space/psych prog like Pink Floyd, whereas some of this stuff wouldn't be so out of place on Crimson's Lizard or another more eclectic/jazzy/technical prog album.With more thorough listens this may just rank up with his best. Also I think that there are parts of this album that sound how Heritage SHOULD HAVE sounded.
------------- http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dr-Neil-Kobrin/244687105562746" rel="nofollow - SUPPORT MY FATHER AND BECOME A FAN Jacob Kobrin Illustration |
Posted By: Tony R
Date Posted: September 24 2011 at 12:44
| ...his last 3 albums have been so bad???? |
Posted By: Jake Kobrin
Date Posted: September 24 2011 at 12:50
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Yes. Welcome to my DNA was horrendous, laughable even. The Incident was the worst record ever under the PT label. Insurgentes was very good though. Fear of a Blank Planet was cringe worthy in parts but great in others. Actually I'd say this is his best thing since Deadwing, because I didn't cringe or even dislike a single part on the whole album whereas on every album after Deadwing I cringed at least once. The death metal vocals on that one track (I don't know the name) are interesting. It's really true that the farther Mikael Akerfeldt gets from metal, the closer Steven Wilson gets. ------------- http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dr-Neil-Kobrin/244687105562746" rel="nofollow - SUPPORT MY FATHER AND BECOME A FAN Jacob Kobrin Illustration |
Posted By: Tony R
Date Posted: September 24 2011 at 12:54
| I think that The Incident is an outstanding album. |
Posted By: Andy Webb
Date Posted: September 24 2011 at 13:12
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I too liked the Incident quite a bit. ------------- http://ow.ly/8ymqg" rel="nofollow">  
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Posted By: darkshade
Date Posted: September 24 2011 at 13:28
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I liked The Incident, though I'll be honest, I haven't thrown that one on since 2009, not long after it came out.
------------- http://www.last.fm/user/MysticBoogy" rel="nofollow - My Last.fm 
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Posted By: Triceratopsoil
Date Posted: September 24 2011 at 13:38
It's a matter of opinion but I feel like they were, yes. |
Posted By: JJLehto
Date Posted: September 24 2011 at 13:42
I'll be sure to check it out, but being better than The Incident really isn't an impressive feat 
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Posted By: scepter
Date Posted: September 24 2011 at 13:49
| i cant stand pt but like wilson i only like deadwing cd i heard all there cds after deadwing hated aint heard before deadwing so i dont know if i like but im not taking ,y chances i like wilson solo side bands better then his real band odd enough |
Posted By: Stooge
Date Posted: September 24 2011 at 13:56
Same here. Maybe I listened to it once in the past year. ------------- A fun place to review and discuss metal: http://www.metalmusicarchives.com/" rel="nofollow - MetalMusicArchives |
Posted By: Jake Kobrin
Date Posted: September 24 2011 at 14:12
Well then I disagree... And that's NEVER happened on this website before! 
I thought The Incident was a major disapointment. ------------- http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dr-Neil-Kobrin/244687105562746" rel="nofollow - SUPPORT MY FATHER AND BECOME A FAN Jacob Kobrin Illustration |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: September 24 2011 at 14:20
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To hell with you , I like The Incident. Seriously. And I really don't care for your unpleasant family, sweetie. ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
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Posted By: darkshade
Date Posted: September 24 2011 at 14:29
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that first song that was released was enough to peak my interest in this album, and it did sound a lot better than The Incident, and maybe FoaBP
------------- http://www.last.fm/user/MysticBoogy" rel="nofollow - My Last.fm
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Posted By: Andy Webb
Date Posted: September 24 2011 at 14:35
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THIS IS NOT ANOTHER THE INCIDENT DISCUSSION THREAD, K? ------------- http://ow.ly/8ymqg" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: darkshade
Date Posted: September 24 2011 at 14:41
 ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/MysticBoogy" rel="nofollow - My Last.fm
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Posted By: Tony R
Date Posted: September 24 2011 at 14:44
Stop shouting |
Posted By: Andy Webb
Date Posted: September 24 2011 at 14:45
Sorry  ------------- http://ow.ly/8ymqg" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: Andy Webb
Date Posted: September 24 2011 at 14:45
Look at him, he's so jovial  ------------- http://ow.ly/8ymqg" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: darkshade
Date Posted: September 24 2011 at 14:47
He's laughing at YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/MysticBoogy" rel="nofollow - My Last.fm
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Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: September 24 2011 at 15:21
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Arrived today which was a pleasant surprise.I will need several listens to have a definite opinion but for the moment I will use the word ''gorgeous'' to describe it. Is there anything not to like on it? Nope! |
Posted By: Man With Hat
Date Posted: September 24 2011 at 15:48
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Just bought it so I haven't listened yet, but all these positive comments make me feel a bit better about it. I feared Wilson was losing something with both FOABP and TI. ------------- Dig me...But don't...Bury me I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect. |
Posted By: TopographicTales
Date Posted: September 24 2011 at 16:56
Really?? FOABP is a great album and one of PT's best IMO.
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Posted By: Epignosis
Date Posted: September 24 2011 at 17:00
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I blew $18 on Insurgentes. Fool me once and all...
------------- https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays" rel="nofollow - https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays |
Posted By: TheClosing
Date Posted: September 24 2011 at 17:01
1. Steve didn't compose any of Welcome to My DNA besides "Waving" (which happens to be the only good track imo). 2. Have you heard On the Sunday of Life? 3. I wouldn't exactly call those vox in Raider 2 "death metal" at all. If you think Grace for Drowning is a step further towards metal, then you might have heard the wrong record... Personally I'd say GfD is Steve's best effort since In Absentia.
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Posted By: TopographicTales
Date Posted: September 24 2011 at 17:10
| I find it crazy the way so many people love some of Wilson's work and then hate some of it so much, I don't get it, I love almost everything he's done with PT and Insurgentes. I guess that's just me though. |
Posted By: Epignosis
Date Posted: September 24 2011 at 17:14
It's called "not being a fanboy." ------------- https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays" rel="nofollow - https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays |
Posted By: TopographicTales
Date Posted: September 24 2011 at 17:51
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Oh ok. You say it like it's a bad thing to enjoy and appreciate an artists whole catalog. |
Posted By: Horizons
Date Posted: September 24 2011 at 17:54
He just doesn't enjoy all of his music. That's okay. I'm sure you don't love everyone single Yes album.
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Posted By: TopographicTales
Date Posted: September 24 2011 at 18:10
I wasn't saying it's not ok, I also wasn't taking any shots at anyone. I just felt like his post was trying to make me look stupid or something, 'fanboy' just sounds like an insult when I hear it for some reason. I could have taken it the wrong way though, if so I apologize if I came off as a jerkass.  |
Posted By: QuestionableScum
Date Posted: September 24 2011 at 18:39
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I have heard wonderful things about Grace for Drowning, and the little I have heard from it has been excellent. Honestly, I love Insurgentes, but that is to be expected given my love for post-punk, shoegaze and drone. It is not a very proggy album in the traditional sense. The Incident is good, it is just fairly unremarkable.
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Posted By: AtomicCrimsonRush
Date Posted: September 24 2011 at 19:04
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Listening to it right now actually. I like the piano work in particular and theres a track with very creepy choral voices, The mood is fairly somber and melancholy so far on CD 1. It is heavy at times but breaks for lengthy moody musicianship. No Part of Me, Postcard and Raider Prelude are paticulalry good. I will have to listen again to really appreciate it but so far this is his best solo album I believe. The saxophone or clarinet sounds divine that you hear at 34 minutes then it gets chaotic and the sax squeaks are incredible, or is that lead guitar? Then there is an odd time sig, with organ, and strange woodwind, over acoustic - very inventive. This is a gem. It is a prog album for sure.
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Posted By: AtomicCrimsonRush
Date Posted: September 24 2011 at 19:17
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This track listening to now Index on CD2 has some strange lyrics about hoarding.... "I keep the rubbish that all the people give away.... i am a collector and ive always been misunderstodd, i love the things that people always overlook, i will collect you and put you in a metal cage and then i can study you every day..." creepy. Raider 2 is a classic - a 20 minute epic with lots of flute, very atmospheric. I love this album - almost finished, one song left -------------
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Posted By: colorofmoney91
Date Posted: September 24 2011 at 19:25
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I liked Deadwing, Fear of a Blank Planet, and maybe two or three songs from The Incident, but Wilson's solo stuff always bothers me for some reason. I can't exactly point out why, but I periodically go through phases where I feel like I need to re-evaluate how I feel for Wilson's music, and I always end up disappointed. ------------- http://hanashukketsu.bandcamp.com" rel="nofollow - Hanashukketsu |
Posted By: The Truth
Date Posted: September 24 2011 at 20:36
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The album certainly has not disappointed, it's extremely ambitious in comparison to his other recent projects. Can't wait for second listen. ------------- http://blindpoetrecords.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: JJLehto
Date Posted: September 24 2011 at 20:38
Hey oh! |
Posted By: Padraic
Date Posted: September 25 2011 at 08:35
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Since we're all chiming in about recent SW works, I enjoyed all the PT up to the Incident, which didn't do anything for me at all, and I haven't checked out Insurgentes (which might be Rob's fault ). I'm definitely grabbing GfD on Tuesday.
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Posted By: Garden of Dreams
Date Posted: September 25 2011 at 09:30
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I haven't heard most of Insurgents but I think I'll buy Grace for Drowning after all the great things I have read. ------------- Just give it all an hour by the concrete lake. |
Posted By: Bonnek
Date Posted: September 25 2011 at 11:17
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Interesting listen, a bit mellow maybe in the song department (read 'too much ballads') but the instrumental parts sound quite spectacular. Will grow I'm sure For those who hate post-punk (and disliked Insurgentes), this may one will certainly have more prog-appeal. |
Posted By: Jake Kobrin
Date Posted: September 25 2011 at 12:23
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I don't get it? I haven't heard Insurgentes in years but shoegaze? Post-punk? I don't recall hearing any of that. What I do recall is Steven Wilson releasing some of his most experimental (and dark) material of the past few years. ------------- http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dr-Neil-Kobrin/244687105562746" rel="nofollow - SUPPORT MY FATHER AND BECOME A FAN Jacob Kobrin Illustration |
Posted By: Horizons
Date Posted: September 25 2011 at 12:28
| I liked Insurgentes, i just didn't like how a lot of the tracks climaxed with a wall of noise. |
Posted By: Jake Kobrin
Date Posted: September 25 2011 at 12:35
Not a fan of post-rock? And about the alleged influences on Insurgentes, I can definitely hear drone but that's about it. The shoegaze and post-punk labels are quite a stretch.
------------- http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dr-Neil-Kobrin/244687105562746" rel="nofollow - SUPPORT MY FATHER AND BECOME A FAN Jacob Kobrin Illustration |
Posted By: CCVP
Date Posted: September 25 2011 at 12:40
post-rock songs don't climax with walls of sound (at least the ones from artists I've listened).  -------------   
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Posted By: Bonnek
Date Posted: September 25 2011 at 12:52
Shoegaze not but it has many tributes to bands like The Cure, Cocteau Twins, Depeche Mode. So definitely post-punk (or new wave if that sound better), as he admits in any interview I've read. And even the jazzy and noise parts are very dark. |
Posted By: Jbird
Date Posted: September 25 2011 at 13:26
Not $18 for me, but still I was very disappointed in Insurgentes
 I disliked The Incident when it first came out too. It grew on me after repeated listenings though. I quite like it now, though I don't think it's as good as anything from Stupid Dream thru Fear Of A Blank Planet. (not a big fan of the early psychadelic PT phase)
I'll have to listen to this one on the web before I decide to buy it, I think.
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Posted By: Man With Hat
Date Posted: September 25 2011 at 16:46
FOABP was only good to my ears. The long track (name escapes me atm) and Way Out Of Here are excellent, and the title track is pretty good (though lyrically not too good, luckily there is enough enjoyable music). I don't really care for the other three. Definitely listenable (unlike most of TI) but by no means something I want to listen to aside from playing through the record. I'd give it about a 3 overall.
But compared to other PT releases (especially the two prior) it was a step down for my taste. ------------- Dig me...But don't...Bury me I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect. |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: September 25 2011 at 18:42
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I liked Insurgentes and all the recent PT albums so I'd be surprised if I don't like it. I'd also be pissed since I sprung for the deluxe edition. ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
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Posted By: The Truth
Date Posted: September 25 2011 at 19:41
It had several elements of shoegaze in it as did Fear of a Blank Planet. ------------- http://blindpoetrecords.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: The Monodrone
Date Posted: September 25 2011 at 21:21
I agree... definitely had that dark, post-punk, shoegaze sound. -------------
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Posted By: The Truth
Date Posted: September 25 2011 at 21:36
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Exactly, in fact, often times shoegaze/postpunk influence = dark, melancholy sound.
------------- http://blindpoetrecords.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: ergaster
Date Posted: September 25 2011 at 21:56
??? You must have a strange definition of "bad".... ------------- We have done the impossible, and that makes us mighty. Captain Malcolm Reynolds Reality rules, Honor the truth Chemist99a R.I.P. |
Posted By: Jake Kobrin
Date Posted: September 25 2011 at 23:04
OK: I heard it yesterday and I think it's just amazing... Which raises some questions. Given that his last few albums vomited heaping piles of fail sauce... Better? ------------- http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dr-Neil-Kobrin/244687105562746" rel="nofollow - SUPPORT MY FATHER AND BECOME A FAN Jacob Kobrin Illustration |
Posted By: MoodyRush
Date Posted: September 26 2011 at 00:02
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I read all this stuff and decided to pre-order the album on iTunes. Can't wait to hear it! ------------- Follow me down to the valley below. Moonlight is bleeding from out of your soul. -Lazarus |
Posted By: riyen73
Date Posted: September 26 2011 at 00:52
I would add Sentimental to the above 3 as well. The other two I don't care for. 4 out 6 songs are pretty nice on the album. |
Posted By: Jake Kobrin
Date Posted: September 26 2011 at 01:20
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I prefer Normal to Sentimental. What a fantastic track that is! The entire Nil Recurring EP is really quite wonderful, actually. ------------- http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dr-Neil-Kobrin/244687105562746" rel="nofollow - SUPPORT MY FATHER AND BECOME A FAN Jacob Kobrin Illustration |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: September 26 2011 at 01:55
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I've had 3 listens to it now and believe this is something special. His best collection of songs since In Absentia and musically the most interesting work he has been involved since Signify. In my opinion its better than Deadwing, FOABP and The Incident. Those are all solid 4 star efforts but this is the real deal modern 5 star masterpeice. Since In Absentia SW has been 'forced' to write more and more for a band format and that has perhaps limited his options. This is so good because he is able to express himself fully. Its a labour of love quite clearly.
BTW Do yourselves all a favour and get the DVD version especially the Blue Ray version if you have the equipment. It really enhances the enjoyment having the videos (5 of the tracks) and as well as a collection of photos for each track.
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Posted By: ergaster
Date Posted: September 26 2011 at 09:01
Clearer, yes. As a comment on your taste...well..... Cereally, though...I'm waiting for my copy to arrive so I can hear all of it at once. I had to stop listening to the available tracks so as not to ruin the experience tooo much. The last few albums? Hm. I don't count Welcome to My DNA as a Wilson album, since that was pretty much all Geffen, and it is a collection of pleasant tunes that aren't particularly offensive, but it is pretty much meh. The Incident isn't bad, but entirely too strained and Just So Darned Earnest. FoaBP is in my Desert Island Collection, stuff I would not exit the planet without. A collection that spans 40 years, so this is a rare gem to me. I may be unusual here in that my introduction to Wilson and his entire oeuvre was with Insurgentes. THAT is what hooked me entirely on the man and his work. It too goes with me to the Deserted Isle. IMHO Lightbulb Sun is damned near unlistenable, so there ya go...... ------------- We have done the impossible, and that makes us mighty. Captain Malcolm Reynolds Reality rules, Honor the truth Chemist99a R.I.P. |
Posted By: harmonium.ro
Date Posted: September 26 2011 at 09:19
That was really a valuable post from a Prog Reviewer... |
Posted By: harmonium.ro
Date Posted: September 26 2011 at 09:20
I read him in an interview saying it was a tribute to 80s music, but it's probably a tribute from inside his own aesthetic because I didn't hear any post-punk, dream pop, shoegaze etc. on it. |
Posted By: Bonnek
Date Posted: September 26 2011 at 09:36
Apart from the general feel of the thing, here's the bands that get a clear nod in some of the tracks: Portishead: Abandoner Cocteau Twins: Significant Other The Cure: Only Child (17''/Faith), Puncture Wound (total rip-off from the Trees) Killing Joke: Desperation Bauhaus: Untitled (or whatever the name is of the last track on the special edition) |
Posted By: harmonium.ro
Date Posted: September 26 2011 at 09:50
| Interesting, what kind of nods? Quotes? Similarities? |
Posted By: Bonnek
Date Posted: September 26 2011 at 09:57
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^ some quotes yes (the rhythm of Only Child), some plagiarism (the chord progression of Puncture Wound) and similarities: the rhythm and mood of Portishead, the lush psychedelic arpeggios of Cocteau Twins, rhythm again for Desperation, wailing guitars of Bauhaus in Untitled. There's more probably, but I only know the leading post-punk bands, not much obscurities. |
Posted By: riyen73
Date Posted: September 26 2011 at 10:02
I really loved Untitled the very first time I heard it. And now you got me Googling on Bauhaus. I love PA for this :) |
Posted By: Bonnek
Date Posted: September 26 2011 at 10:05
Good luck they only had 4 studio albums, all of them quite different. A prog/art-rock fan might feel something for "The sky´s gone out" or "Burning from the inside". Fans of heavy stuff need "In the flat field", and "Mask" is probably their most straight-up post-punk album. |
Posted By: harmonium.ro
Date Posted: September 26 2011 at 10:07
Interesting, thanks a lot. I guess he's intregrated them so well that I can only hear "Steven Wilson" in there. Kudos to him. |
Posted By: Bonnek
Date Posted: September 26 2011 at 10:24
Yes, it's one of his gifts, and the same goes for the new album, you can hear it refers to classic prog but the clear references are rare, some Crimson Circus (or Island?) vocals is all I spotted so far. And it never sounds retro  |
Posted By: ergaster
Date Posted: September 26 2011 at 16:56
^^Yep. I hear bits and pieces of stuff all the time from all over the place. He just has a genius for making it all work. Heck: Raider II is an obvious salute to/rip-off of (depending on your perspective) Cirkus.... ------------- We have done the impossible, and that makes us mighty. Captain Malcolm Reynolds Reality rules, Honor the truth Chemist99a R.I.P. |
Posted By: Man With Hat
Date Posted: September 26 2011 at 18:03
It's alright. I put it in the same league as My Ashes...fair to good. Both are certainly better than Sleep Together which is my least favorite from the album.
I agree with Jake...that Nil Recurring EP is excellent. Better than Fear for me. I forgot that existed.   ------------- Dig me...But don't...Bury me I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect. |
Posted By: Horizons
Date Posted: September 26 2011 at 18:10
Yea, i love Nil Recurring! I honestly think Anesthetize should have been shortened and added some of the EP's content. Maybe the title track and Cheating the Polygraph? On the note of Sleep Together, i might agree that it's my least favorite, but i don't consider it too bad. As mentioned i would of liked to see Cheating the Polygraph on the album more though.
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Posted By: riyen73
Date Posted: September 27 2011 at 01:09
For me, I usually listen to the first two "parts" of Anesthetize and skip the third part. I know people who like the third part a lot - but for me after the aggressiveness towards the end of part 2, part 3 doesn't work. |
Posted By: Tony R
Date Posted: September 27 2011 at 08:55
My Special Edition just arrived....
Listening to the Blu-ray in glorious DTS Master audio and it's progalicious baby! |
Posted By: idiotPrayer
Date Posted: September 27 2011 at 09:45
just got mine! this album, i think, is not as good as insurgentes that i really enjoyed. but it seems very interesting...i think i will have to listen to it very many times before it gets boring! the record is fantastic but no masterpiece. it's not the "album of the year". the book is amazing though, i would gladly have paid 55 euros for it even without the music! this is lasse hoiles best work so far in my opinion. so dark and mysterious. also the images are very enjoyable as i too am a polaroid photographer.
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Posted By: Tony R
Date Posted: September 27 2011 at 10:20
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Tip for the Blu-Ray
If you click on the "songs" option on the main memory you get presented with the individual songs (obviously). Click on any song and you get various options to view video, or lyrics, alternative version, photographs etc! |
Posted By: The Monodrone
Date Posted: September 27 2011 at 11:47
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Just got my digibook edition... very beautiful indeed :) -------------
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Posted By: MillsLayne
Date Posted: September 27 2011 at 12:10
Nil Recurring is fantastic, but I find it odd that no one ever mentions What Happens Now? when I find that to be the best track on the EP. Although, I can't agree with shortening Anesthetize as the song as a whole is really incredible. Just my opinion, though.
 Something else that I've noticed, too, is that most everyone loves certain eras of PT and usually can't get into the others. This is probably just me being a PT/SW "fanboy", but I've found something to love in ALL of PT's various eras. As for Grace For Drowning, I've only heard the one track that was available to download free and that's it. I'm waiting for Amazon to get the digibook version in before I order it. I have high hopes for this album! ------------- http://gamercards.exophase.com/xbox/user/MillsLayne/" rel="nofollow">  ht |
Posted By: Fyrus
Date Posted: September 27 2011 at 12:14
| This is one of the most confusing, beautiful, and haunting albums I've ever heard. I'd hesitate to call it "rock". In any case, I don't think it's really comparable to anything Porcupine Tree has done. The only thing I could compare it to is Insurgentes, from which this is definitely a step up. |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: September 27 2011 at 14:06
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Posted By: Padraic
Date Posted: September 27 2011 at 14:58
| Midway through and so far this is really great. |
Posted By: Padraic
Date Posted: September 27 2011 at 15:45
| Does Gavin play drums on this? |
Posted By: idiotPrayer
Date Posted: September 27 2011 at 15:50
no. its nic france (first time drumming with sw here) on most tracks and apparently pat mastelotto on a few.
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Posted By: Padraic
Date Posted: September 27 2011 at 15:52
Thanks. The drumming is overall excellent on the record. |
Posted By: Andy Webb
Date Posted: September 27 2011 at 16:31
I just ordered it and payed 14 cents for it  (With the help of a gift card, though )------------- http://ow.ly/8ymqg" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: Angelo
Date Posted: September 27 2011 at 16:49
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This is way beyond Blackfield (which I don't like at all), and I'm glad I bought it. For me he'll never beat Sky Moves Sideways though... ------------- http://www.iskcrocks.com" rel="nofollow - ISKC Rock Radio I stopped blogging and reviewing - so won't be handling requests. Promo's for ariplay can be sent to [email protected] |
Posted By: Tony R
Date Posted: September 27 2011 at 16:57
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http://www.popmatters.com/pm/post/149001-grace-under-pressure-an-interview-with-steven-wilson/" rel="nofollow - http://www.popmatters.com/pm/post/149001-g...-steven-wilson/
Grace Under Pressure: An Interview with Steven Wilson Steven Wilson is music’s answer to Chuck Yeager: He’s continually striving to break sound barriers. On his second solo album, Grace for Drowning (released September 27 on K-Scope), the frontman of the rock band Porcgupine Tree has forged an unusual sonic alchemy of progressive rock, textural electronica, piano-pop balladry, soundtrack-like soundscapes, doom rock . . . and jazz. When a rock musician admits to a new jazz direction, you’d be forgiven for conjuring up images of a cheesy confection akin to Spinal Tap’s Jazz Odyssey. But Wilson had a specific template in mind: King Crimson’s pioneering 1970 album Lizard. “Lizard is basically Robert Fripp’s solo album”, explains Wilson, who recently remastered the King Crimson back catalog in 5.1 surround sound. “King Crimson had broken up. It was just him. What did he do? He didn’t get in a load of rock musicians, he got in a load of jazz musicians. That’s really the approach I took with this record.” Taking advantage of Porcupine Tree’s current hiatus, Wilson recorded the album with some of Britain’s top jazz musicians, including drummer Nic France, guitarist Mike Outram, and Theo Travis, a flautist and sax player who has worked with Fripp, Soft Machine Legacy, Gong, and some of Wilson’s previous projects. But the biggest change wasn’t Wilson’s musical company, it was his own modus operandi. A musical Magellan who is constantly exploring the exotic sounds inside his head, Wilson is accustomed to mapping out each musical coordinate prior to recording. This time, Wilson encouraged his musicians to improvise their solos. He even instructed Nic France to treat each song as if it were an extended solo rather than focus on holding down a groove. “Another interesting thing about the Crimson records is that none of those drum tracks were cut to a click track”, marvels Wilson. “The drummer is speeding up and slowing down all the time. In a way that is not rhythmically precise but is musically exciting.” Relaxing in a New York studio control room that resembles the bridge of the Starship Enterprise (albeit with expensive teak paneling), Wilson stresses that he has never been a fan of instrumental virtuosity for its own sake. Indeed, most tracks on Grace for Drowning sit in the sweet Lagrange point between the often-opposing gravitational forces of melodic songcraft and showboat musicianship. The result is an ambitious double album filled with audibly tactile textures. “I was really focused on one thing on this record, and that was the beauty of sounds”, reveals Wilson who, at 43, seemingly hasn’t aged in 10 years. “The tone of the snare drum, which you don’t hear in metal music. To hear the breathing of woodwinds and the creaking of old mellotrons and Leslie cabinets and a real choir. A very kind of organic palette of golden sounds, which is something I associate with that period of experimentation and searching of the early 1970s.” For all its modern flourishes, Grace for Drowning deliberately harkens back to the sound of early progressive rock bands such as Henry Cow, Van der Graaf Generator, Dr. Strangely Strange, Yes, Caravan, and Jethro Tull. Not coincidentally, Wilson has recently created 5.1 mixes for the latter two groups. “If you analyze what happened to progressive rock after punk came along—and there have been various resurgences and revivals of progressive rock since then—they’ve all eliminated jazz from the equation”, says Wilson. “Jazz is the forgotten element of that music. When bands play progressive rock now, it’s more clinical, it has that metal sound—and I’m including some of my own music in that category, too.” Wilson’s vast discography encompasses a wide variety of bands and ongoing collaborations. Though he is best known as the leader of Porcupine Tree (a band whose “progressive metal” tag barely describes its stylistic range), Wilson’s extracurricular activities include the art-rock group No-Man, the pop-rock band Blackfield, the Krautrock of I.E.M., and the minimalist drone electronica of Bass Communion. Throughout his work, Wilson has often created brooding and ominous music. Grace for Drowning certainly has its fair share of dark elements, but it is just as often resplendent with exultant, joyous sounds. “You’ll notice the use of choir on some of the songs”, enthuses Wilson. “It’s almost over the top on ‘Postcard’. It’s almost like a Hollywood moment. Sickly sweet. That’s new for me—to not be afraid of being even a little bit kitsch in a way. Because there’s always a danger, when you do things like that, that people will accuse you of being pretentious, pompous, over the top. I don’t care anymore.” Wilson is so proud of the record that he is mounting his first-ever solo tour, which arrives in North America in November (for tour dates, see http://www.gracefordrowning.com%29" rel="nofollow - http://www.gracefordrowning.com) . The concerts will feature big-budget production values, including screens that will spool specially made videos for songs from Grace for Drowning, as well as videos for Wilson’s 2009 solo album, Insurgentes. (Notably, Grace for Drowning is the first-ever new rock album released primarily as a Blu-Ray video disc, with music in 5.1 surround sound and accompanying video content.) Yet Wilson is all-too-aware that his solo music faces an enormous challenge finding a mainstream audience. Last year, Porcupine Tree sold out Radio City Music Hall in New York City—just a few blocks away from the studio where Wilson is sitting this late July afternoon—but the band scarcely attracted any media attention for that show. The band’s 10th album, The Incident, breached the Top 25 album charts on both sides of the Atlantic, but Porcupine Tree hasn’t garnered much airplay. “If I had been an equivalent artist in almost any other genre, I’d probably would have done a lot better than I have because I chose to work in the progressive rock—or, rather, it chose me”, muses Wilson. “It’s the hardest music, i) because of its reputation, and ii) because it’s music that, by definition, requires more listening attention to absorb and to engage with.” Nevertheless, the British musician says he is thrilled with the devotion and engagement of his fans who, he says, tend to buy the entire back catalog. Besides, he’s reached a point of acceptance—though not acquiescence—about the lack of greater mainstream attention. “The album title came from reading stories and accounts of people who have had near-death experiences with drowning”, says Wilson. “They all say the same thing: They got a point where they stopped struggling where they reached a point of calm, of grace. I like Grace for Drowning as a metaphor for my life. I don’t really care anymore if I’m successful or if I’m going to be more successful than I am already. I’d still like to share my music with more people. But I’m not stressed about it. I’m making the best music I’ve ever made now because I feel totally liberated from trying to please anyone.” |
Posted By: Andy Webb
Date Posted: September 27 2011 at 17:08
That looks like a nice couch! Oh, and a beautiful album, too ------------- http://ow.ly/8ymqg" rel="nofollow">
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