THE FUTURE BITES

As a long time fan of PT and Steven Wilsons work, this album really came as a bit of a shock to the system. Hard on the heels (if a four year gap counts as that!) of his last album, it was difficult to see which way Wilson would jump? Would he go for a more traditional sound, as heard on his three prior albums, or keep pushing the more commercial envelope, and a sound more akin with his Bass Communion project? With 'The Future Bites' we got the answer - and it wasn't a good one. Now, I have nothing against artists wanting to release material that is a homage to their musical inspirations. But Wilson had already done this with 4 and a half. So why repeat the process, and moreover, do it in a way that leads the listener to believe its 'not really' a homage,- but merely 'drawing inspiration' from his favourite 1980's acts? I got into a row with a reviewer for one of the well known hifi mags over this issue. He sneeringly rejected any criticism of Wilson's last two albums as the 'sad moaning of proggers', as of course, prog fans have no right not to like an album if it doesn't appeal to their music tastes. A common theme, but, well, lets leave it there. On listening to the album, the impression I had, was that Wilson had run out of ideas, and was simply producing an album with a 1980's theme, and drawing overtly from the artists of the day. Now, a guy as gifted as Steven Wilson, is surely unlikely to need do that? So why then are we treated to tracks that are indistinguishable from Ultravox? From Jimmy Sommerville? From a host of electro pop acts? No criticism of them, for example I have Ultravox albums in my collection, but why does Steven Wilson feel the need to produce an album that contains tracks that sound almost exactly like them? Call me old fashioned and contrary, but if I want to listen to acts from the 1980's all I have to do is rustle up some vinyl or CD's from my collection, and bobs yer uncle. Why do I need Steven Wilson, a man who's produced masterpieces like In Absentia, Fear of a Blank Planet, Grace for Drowning and the Raven that refused to Sing, to chuck out stuff that others have already done, and in all honesty, done better? What's worse, is that if you put forward these views in the wider World, with Stevens current profile, its seen as heresy, and receives the usual abuse from people who should know better. This album, for me, had very little to redeem it. He'd already done the covers thing, he already has Bass Communion to express his love of electronic music, so why release this? Pressure from the record company? A bad tab? Who knows? All we can hope, is that he's now got this out of his system, and better is to come, because for me (and this is only 'my' opinion) this was a massive disappointment.