Porcupine Tree - Signify
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Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Bands, Artists and Genres Appreciation
Forum Description: Discuss specific prog bands and their members or a specific sub-genre
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=108027
Printed Date: March 10 2025 at 17:25
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Topic: Porcupine Tree - Signify
Posted By: fracturematt
Subject: Porcupine Tree - Signify
Date Posted: October 07 2016 at 16:13
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fqMWkXA-NY" rel="nofollow -
This is a very underrated prog album imo. I believe it's one of Porcupine Tree's best. Great for sitting back, relaxing, and enjoying whatever kind of hallucinogenic you're into.
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Replies:
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: October 08 2016 at 00:56
Top album and their finest studio offering in my books. But Coma Divine is beyond INCREDIBLE. |
fracturematt wrote:Posted By: SteveG
Date Posted: October 08 2016 at 04:00
| Signify is regarded as a transitional album for PT between their earlier ambient based albums and middle era albums like Stupid Dream and Lightbulb Sun. I feel that it works quite well on it's own terms. |
Posted By: micky
Date Posted: October 08 2016 at 07:16
^ agreed. Probably why I enjoy that album more than any of them.  ------------- The Pedro and Micky Experience - When one no longer requires psychotropics to trip |
Posted By: Eastwood
Date Posted: October 08 2016 at 08:11
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this one is definitely one of the top fav PT albums, guess this one will share second place for me, but still i listen to it a lot ) great album, PT at their best |
Posted By: omphaloskepsis
Date Posted: February 13 2017 at 05:37
| Back in the day my granola girlfriend gifted me Signify. Secretly, she played Signify for a month before giving me the disc. Consequently, She fell in love with Porcupine Tree. I guess it was the melancholy, since she was a huge fan of Morrissey, The Trashcan Sinatra's, and Natalie Merchant. |
Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: February 13 2017 at 07:13
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Excellent album. My second PT fave after In Absentia. Signify has a very unique atmosphere and still sounds pretty fresh today. I much prefer it to Lightbulb Sun and Stupid Dream. ------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy! |
Posted By: Kingsnake
Date Posted: February 13 2017 at 07:17
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I don't know if it's overrated. I think it's rather popular. I bought this album a really long time ago (non-remastered version) and thought it sounded like nothing I've ever heard in prog. I thought it was more of an Industrial/altrock band than a progrockband. Of course I wasn't on the internet yet, so how could I know. Later on found out, people called it spacerock. And I was flabbergasted. This isn't spacerock I thought. Then I bought The Sky Moves Sideways. Now, that's what I call spacerock. Anyhow, the days that I really enjoyed Porcupine Tree are long gone. But I had some great listens back in the day. I never really liked Signify. Just a handful of songs, wich were okay. I like the livealbum that came out almost the same time. The songs sounded musch better there.
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Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: February 14 2017 at 23:06
| I don't currently own it and so I haven't heard it in a while(except for a few tracks on youtube)but it's a really great album. I think the ones right after it were their best but this one is right behind them. I know I'm in the minority here but I don't care much for their metal period. |
Posted By: Jeffro
Date Posted: February 15 2017 at 04:54
I always appreciate artists who aren't afraid to break out into new things. I'm glad PT went to a heavier sound. You can only listen to psychadelic/spacerock for so long before you slip into a coma.
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Posted By: Watchmaker
Date Posted: February 15 2017 at 06:46
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All right, short story time So, I was travelling by bus again and I was getting into PT at the time. After having listened to 3-4 of their albums, it was time for Signify. I press play and the narrator invites me to relax and enjoy some music. I don't kick my shoes off because I am not at home, but the seat is relatively comfy. I should mention that I was already a big fan (iirc I had just listened to Lightbulb Sun or something) so Signify wasn't my initiation to PT. I went on hearing almost all songs of the album. To be honest, I don't remember much and that is, I believe, a small drawback of the album. Some of the songs are very nice to listen to, but not remarkable and, thus, not memorable. It is one of the strangest PT albums in terms of categorisation. Many fans have trouble describing the sound. Some say it's dark prog (is that even a genre?), while others say it's still old, psychedelic PT. I think it is a less schizophrenic version of The Incident. A great album overall. Anyway, the ride was about to end so I paused the music just before Dark Matter, the last song. About two weeks later I stumbled upon Dark Matter and remembered about the unfinished album, so I gave it a listen. Have you ever experienced these absolutely mind-blowing moments while listening to music? There are only two or three that I can recall and that is the most remarkable of all. Of course, if you have already heard the song, you know that I'm talking about the guitar solo at the second part of the song. Now that's a revelation. Speechless. And then "You've just had a heavy session of electroshock therapy, and you're more relaxed than you've been in weeks". Truer words were never spoken. So, yeah, that's how Dark Matter is now my favourite song by the band. I had the joy to listen to Steven Wilson play it live in Athens last May, after playing the entire HCE. But that's another, even longer story... |
Posted By: Roj
Date Posted: February 15 2017 at 07:10
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The last of their psychedelic era, and though it's weaker than it's predecessors it's still one of their best overall. The bonus disc on the re-issue is very good. In fact I think this is due a listen, not heard it for possibly a couple of years now. |
Posted By: Jeffro
Date Posted: February 15 2017 at 07:13
Yeah, Dark Matter is great. I've had a couple of those mind blowing moments. I bought V by Spock's Beard and was completely unimpressed after one spin. I put it on my CD rack and forgot about it. About a year later, on a whim, I decided to try it again and was blown away by the track At The End Of The Day. I came to love the entire album. Another time many years earlier I was driving to a comic book show about 30 minutes away and I decided to listen to Operation Mindcrime by Queensryche. (on cassette!) I was pretty big into Queensryche back then but had listened to the album a couple times and it wasn't clicking. However, for some odd reason when I heard it during this particular drive, it instantly clicked and became one of my all time favorite records. The third time was when I first heard The Power and The Glory by Gentle Giant. After hearing that, I felt like a born again progger
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Posted By: Watchmaker
Date Posted: February 15 2017 at 07:32
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Yeah I've thought about the circumstances and conditions under which we hear each song many times. But the moments I was describing above are a bit different than your second experience. I'm talking about mind-blowing without any other stimuli, just the music. My equivalent to your Gentle Giant moment is Thick as a Brick. Same feeling, different artist. A whole new world opened to me. Sometimes I pity those who listen to whatever is served to them and never try new, out of the ordinary things... Another similar moment was Porcupine Tree again. Stupid Dream was the album, Even Less was the song. It was actually the first time I listened to PT and didn't know what to expect. Good times those were. Few things can surprise me any more as much. |
Posted By: Jeffro
Date Posted: February 15 2017 at 07:45
Well, unless you're in a sensory deprivation tank there is always stimuli of some kind. For me, I listen to music mostly when driving so that's my normal environment. I really don't think that had anything to do with the music suddenly clicking with me. I've never been the type to just lie down, close my eyes and listen to music. I'm always doing others things at the same time.
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Posted By: Watchmaker
Date Posted: February 15 2017 at 07:53
I agree, but I believe there is a threshold after which things like your surroundings, your feelings or what you are doing are affecting your experiences (and maybe even the way you shape your memories) to a significant degree. Sometimes we shouldn't thank the music for being superb, but luck for being in our favour. |
Posted By: Guldbamsen
Date Posted: February 15 2017 at 07:57
Pretty much sums it up for me as well. I too prefer Sky Moves Sideways and Up the Downstair to Signify...but not by a whole lot. This era of PT smokes everything that came after. Hell I even prefer Chris Maitland to Gavin's brainbending rhythmic prowess...and that is saying something (Looove Gavin's drumming). Oh and don't forget about Voyage 34, Metanoia and Transmission IV  ------------- “The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.” - Douglas Adams |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: February 15 2017 at 14:09
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I actually like this one over Sky.....which to me was basically Wilson trying to do Pink Floyd. Dark Matter from Signify is still one of my all time favorite PT tracks....especially the live version. I pull this one out on a reg basis when I want to hear early PT. ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: Roj
Date Posted: February 16 2017 at 05:49
Totally with you on those three too Dave. I have the Metanoia cd in the car at the moment in fact (went for that over Signify this morning!) |
Posted By: Guldbamsen
Date Posted: February 16 2017 at 06:56
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Heh Metanoia is the go-to album my friend pops on when he picks me up at the airport (if it's raining he prefers Catapilla's second album Changes). Regarding Signify; I rather dig the overt NEU! influences although Steven manages to turn em around to something altogether more melodic and dare I say radiofriendly. ------------- “The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.” - Douglas Adams |
Posted By: Catcher10
Date Posted: February 16 2017 at 08:42
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Signify, probably my most spun PT album in my collection although Lightbulb Sun is a close 2nd. Signify has an organic (what a dumb word), sound to me that I can listen to it at anytime of the day, week, year...it has a flow. Maybe it is me but I find it hard to say it has a Floyd sound, its a dark album with dark emotions, nothing happy about it. Dark Matter is clearly the highlight of the album also.... -------------   
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Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: February 16 2017 at 13:15
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[You're post was exactly fine up until this point. ] Oh come on. What's wrong with sitting back and relaxing? ;) |
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: February 16 2017 at 13:20
And you can only head bang for so long before you go into a coma. Actually, you'll probably go into a coma a lot quicker.  I actually like some of the later ones just not as much as their middle period. I think In Absentia was really good because it's sort of half way between the metal phase and the alternative phase. Even SW himself has said he is done with metal though and if there ever is a PT reunion they won't do another metal album. I actually never heard the Incident(their last)but from what I understand that was a bit of a move away from metal.
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Posted By: Catcher10
Date Posted: February 16 2017 at 14:22
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No "metal" in The Incident -------------
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