INSURGENTES

Noisy and dreary is how I would describe this completely disappointing purchase. Previous to this album, I was under the belief that anything Steven Wilson crapped out in the studio was gold- not so anymore. The music here is either quiet and boring, or drenched in guitar that effectively amounts to white noise.

"Harmony Korine" This is familiar territory for fans of Porcupine Tree- quiet riffs, repetition, and then heavier parts fused together to make a solid track. Perhaps this track was intended to "sneak" the rest of the album onto the unsuspecting fan of Porcupine Tree, because everything hereafter is very different.

"Abandoner" Wilson's unmistakable voice croons over a drowsy beat and not unpleasant acoustic guitar. Eventually, noisy walls of guitar sludge over the music like a heavy, toxic ooze.

"Salvaging" A dark, looming rock track, full of heavy guitar and bass juxtaposed with Wilson's soft singing makes this tolerable, but not memorable. Gorgeous strings abound on the second half of the track.

"Veneno Para Las Hadas" Sleepy swells of sound and a simple bass thudding along make for pleasant but completely uneventful music. It sends me to sleep. The literal translation of the title is "Poison for the Fairies."

"No Twilight Within the Courts of the Sun" A nice bass groove with some interesting and quiet drums set the beginning of this, as Wilson's grating guitar cuts through the mix. It just becomes noisier and noisier until it is practically screeching. This is not the work of a genius. It's more in the vein of a loud and obnoxious garage band next door. After almost four minutes of this business, Wilson's dreary vocals return, but at least he stopped playing his guitar. The last few moments are an avant-garde mess, but at least its quiet. Oh wait, no it isn't. Just as I turn up the volume to hear what's going on exactly, I get assaulted by overdriven guitars and noise.

"Significant Other" Wilson's much more enjoyable side returns here on this peaceful track. Thankfully, the guitar is clear and clean, and the vocal melody is rather delightful. Too bad that's short-lived. The loud guitars come back at the end, as though they were a necessary ingredient.

"Only Child" This song has a pretty good bass riff and some interesting sounds, but overall, it's fairly repetitive and uninteresting. I just bob my head along with the beat.

"Twilight Coda" Every time this track came along, I missed it.

"Get All You Deserve" Soft piano and Wilson's falsetto make for more dreary and disinteresting fare. Then, of course, the strident guitars come in and dominate the mix until everything is swamped in white noise.

"Insurgentes" The title track is another snoozer, but I prefer the boring nature of the last track to the noise the overshadows the rest of many of the songs. As usual, acoustic guitar, piano, and Wilson's quiet voice make up the last one.