THE INCIDENT

"The Incident" is the 10th full-length studio album by UK progressive rock act Porcupine Tree. The album was released through Roadrunner Records in September 2009. "The Incident" features both a full album and a seperate second disc with a 4 song EP. Disc 1 contains one 55:08 minute long concept story, sub-divided into 14 tracks that seque into each other while disc 2 features the 4 EP tracks. I recently read an interview with frontman and main composer Steven Wilson, where he explained that he wasn´t fully satisfied with the fact that the band had chosen to release "Fear of a Blank Planet (2007)" and "Nil Recurring (2007)" as two seperate releases. He didn´t feel that "Nil Recurring (2007)" got enough attention compared to "Fear of a Blank Planet (2007)". So this time around, when Steven Wilson had written some songs that he didn´t feel fit the overall concept of "The Incident", he opted to release those songs on an EP which would be released with the full album. So with "The Incident" you get a full album plus an EP for the price of only the album. A real treat if you ask me.

The 14 tracks that make out the 55 minutes long concept story on disc 1 are quite the exciting journey to my ears. As always it´s the melancholic emotions that are in focus and the songs go from subtle quiet parts to more energetic and loud ones. The songs are generally shorter than usual except for the 11:40 minute long "Time Flies". The choice of track order is exceptionally well thought out IMO which makes for an excellent listening experience. It´s obvious that the songs were written for the concept and they work well within that concept. Tracks like "The Blind House", "Drawing the Line", "I Drive the Hearse" and "Time Flies" are simply born "classics" in Porcupine Tree´s discography. Many of the shorter tracks are very enjoyable too. Most work as atmospheric interludes that help bind the album together. I have to give a special mention "Your Unpleasant Family" too because the lyrics made me smile the first time I listened to the song. Great lyrics on that one. The 4 tracks on the EP are of the same high quality as the material on the main album. "Flicker" and "Black Dahlia" are pleasant high quality songs but it´s mostly the experimental "Bonnie the Cat" and the beautiful closer "Remember Me Lover" that stand out.

The production is excellent. Powerful and perfectly mixed. One of Steven Wilson´s best IMO.

Porcupine Tree albums usually takes a while to sink in for me, but "The Incident" really nailed me to the chair from first listen. It´s melodic, memorable, progressive, powerful yet pleasantly subtle. It´s the most complete release by the band so far. A 5 star (100%) rating is deserved.