THE INCIDENT

Is The Incident as good musically as Stupid Dream or Lightbulb Sun? No, probably not but I do like it more than Fear of a Blank Planet. Regarding the material itself, my first listen was a bit "meh" but after giving it a chance, I realized that there are some amazing lyrics here, which continue past themes of murder, death and the afterlife explored on In Absentia and Deadwing. I also believe that there is an overall theme to The Incident that Wilson is not talking about nor is he obligated. Connecting the dots I come up with something like this...

1) Occam's Razor - The explanation for something unknown is probably the most likely one. This seems to target religion and brainwashing, which is heavily featured in the first few songs.

2) The Blind House - Young girl and future spouse is sent to a religious all-girl boarding school to protect her from the real world. There she learns about lesbian love with lyrics like, "Free Love" and "Bring love to all my sisters", not to mention, "You don't need to know their secrets". This sets the stage for her inability to "love" the male protagonist. Probably one of the more mainstream songs on the album

3) Great Expectations - What the girl could have been had she not been "locked up" in the religious school.

4) Kneel and Disconnect - Title reaffirms religion disconnects one from the real world.

5) Drawing the Line - Our protagonist is being drawn to the girl, even though he tries to resist what he knows will be a destructive relationship, i.e., "I'm drawing the line, I'm taking control, I'm shutting you out". A nice melody however I find the chorus to be a bit annoying.

Note: There is no expected song regarding the actual marriage, which makes a statement in itself...i.e., the marriage should never have happened.

6) The Incident - Life changing event (car accident) that makes the protagonist realize that his life is being wasted married to this person who cannot love in the way that he desires. The line, "Got a feeling that I want you to be there" is the first indication that he is fantasizing about the death of his wife in the accident. One of my favorite songs in the cycle.

7) Your Unpleasant Family - The wrecked car is a metaphor for his wrecked life in which the husband realizes that her family is the source of his wife's issues.

8) Yellow Windows of the Evening Train - A childhood reference which leads into...

9) Time Flies - Remembering a childhood true love who gives him good advice, "You are what you make of yourself". Basically saying his current predicament is his own choice. Probably the best song on the album and certainly pays homage to Pink Floyd's Animals.

10) Degree Zero of Liberty - The current relationship robs him of the freedom and true love that he once experienced.

11) Octane Twisted - He kills his wife and the line, "Give me a sign that I can breath air" indicates that she still has a hold on him. Also, the DVD contains a bonus version of this song with imagery of a man murdering a woman.

12) The Seance - Again, the line "Give me a sign that I can breath air" indicates that he is unable to release himself from her hold even after death.

13) Circle of Manias - One mania (desire, futility, depression, denial) follows another in endless succession, describing the husband's incurable mental state. Nice rockin' tune with some heavy riffs.

14) I Drive the Hearse - The protagonist daydreams about driving the hearse containing his wife's body, which he believes is his only chance at freedom from his never-ending manias. Various lines reiterate his misery, "When you cry, I take the blame", "You were always my mistake", "When this boredom wears me out", "Denial is a better way". A great song that reminds me a bit of Feel So Low from Lightbulb Sun.

Regarding the songs on disc 2, I think that they are leftovers from The Incident that either didn't quite make the grade lyrically (Flicker) or they are too dark and gruesome. For example...

Bonnie the Cat - Our protagonist discovers that his wife is pregnant and knowing how the child would be raised by the mother and her parents, "I know what will be", decides that it is better to kill her.

Remember Me Lover - Refers to his earlier love from "Time Flies", which we learn was also a destructive relationship.

Black Dahlia - Reveals that he kills the earlier lover. This really adds to the dark tone of the album because now we have a serial killer, which is no surprise if you've read the lyrics to the album In Absentia.

Another interesting observation is that Wilson goes out of his way to dismiss these songs as being a cohesive whole, referring to them instead as separate incidents in his life. He also seems to have purposely chosen song titles that do not reflect the lyrical content. For example, Bonnie the Cat he claims is just a jumble of lyrics that he could think of no better song title. Yet if you read the lyrics carefully, you can see how the song fits in with the concept as I describe above. Again, I think that perhaps Wilson viewed the concept as too dark and gruesome to be acceptable by many fans. Nevertheless, this is a cohesive, deep concept album and deserving of four stars.