IN ABSENTIA

I see In Absentia as little more than a build up to Deadwing. The band was obviously progressing their style, and they hit a bit of a snare when trying to get to where they were on Deadwing. That snare is In Absentia. Stylistically, it's very similar to Deadwing, except the compositions don't have the great melodies or layers that their following album would achieve.

However, from the way the album starts out you wouldn't think it was anything less than a 5 star effort. "Blackest Eyes" and "Trains" are two of the band's strongest songs. Especially the later, a really touching acoustic ballad featuring Wilson's best vocal performance. Afterwards, the album really sinks into mediocrity. I find most of the compositions to be too bland, and unlike Deadwing, the commercial moments are more frequent and tedious.

Without fail Porcupine Tree include a song, "Strip The Soul", that nearly makes me ill. Excluding that track, In Absentia's problem isn't in having bad songs, it's just so mediocre.