INSURGENTES

As I prepare to listen to this one, I would say I am at level 1. I have heard a few tracks. I am more familiar with Porcupine Tree than Wilson's solo work, of which this is the first. With Gavin Harrison on board for much of the album it is bound to at least bear some resemblance to PT. Also, I see that Tony Levin plays on a few tracks, always a big plus. Let's get this ball rolling.

Track 1 - Harmony Korine

I think I have possibly heard this song before. We begin with triplet guitar arpeggios; Harrison's drums enter and give a nice rhythm before the vocals begin. The music opens up on the choruses. So far this would not be out of place on a PT album. At around 3:30, after an instrumental break, some bell-chime kind of sounds enter. Strong track, again, very PT-like.

Track 2 - Abandoner

We begin with a distorted distant drum machine beat, followed by electric piano and vocals. Slightly dissonant acoustic guitar enters after the first verse. The track is slowly building by adding various sounds as we progress. The second verse has harmony vocals. We have an instrumental break starting around 2:20, including son guitar feedback sounds and glockenspiel. Heavier guitar joins around 3:40. It is an interesting soundscape he is developing. The heavy guitar drops back out a short while before the abrupt ending. Good track but not as good as the one before it.

Track 3 - Salvaging

Various sustained sounds and effects start this one, then guitar & drums create a rhythm. The vocals join with distorted guitar flourishes. At around 3 minutes in, Harrison starts playing more fills with the rhythm and we have an instrumental break with an uncomplicated keyboard solo. The drumbeat is somewhat like Kashmir, but not exactly. The rhythm drops out before the 5-minute mark in favor of sustained string-like sounds. A 60-cycle hum buzz is audible at around 6 minutes in, then there is a slow crescendo building. Its slightly like a Day in the Life near the end of the track. Pretty good track.

Track 4 - Venero Para Las Hadas

Much of this album was recorded in Mexico City, so the influence is shown in the title Venero Para Las Hadas, which (after a quick Google check) is translated as the title of a 1984 Mexican Supernatural Horror film meaning "Poison for the Fairies". It begins with volume swells on clean guitar with a lot of reverb. The bass creates a simple eighth- note rhythm underneath as we go on with some sprinkles of piano on top. The sparse vocals join in over that soundscape. There is an instrumental break with some chord changes, but the overall tonality remains. So far, this track is very mellow. It seems like an experiment in creating a mood. Not bad, not great either.

Track 5 - No Twilight Within the Courts of the Sun

I-Tunes tells me I have heard and liked this track before. Let's see if me from the present agrees with me from the past. We begin with a bit of a Dazed & Confused vibe turned sideways. Dream Theater's Jordan Rudess is on this one playing piano, with Levin on bass. Quite a prog supergroup in the making. Wilson is improvising guitar licks over a rhythm that has transitioned to something similar to the riff in Blackest Eyes from an earlier PT album. There is a slow dynamic build and then a big volume jump at around 3:10. Excellent Harrison drum fills. The instruments drop back down to bass & drums and quiet dynamics when the vocals enter around 4:00, but then we kick back in around 4:45. So, we are now getting alternating loud-soft dynamic sections. Rudess' piano solo starts at around 6:30. The piano style reminds me of Wakeman's playing in South Side of the Sky. This one would also fit nicely on a PT album. Excellent track.

Track 6 - Significant Other.

A moderately slow drumbeat and dreamy guitar with subtle bass. The vocals continue the dreamy vibe. Once again, we get sudden dynamic shifts?kind of a Steven Wilson trademark. Again, this could just have easily been a PT track. We end with background noise and more glockenspiel.

Track 7 - Only Child

A bass and drum groove with atmospheric keyboards begin this song, joined by vocals. The rhythm changes around 1:40, and the dynamics begin to build slightly. Again, sounds a lot like PT.

Track 8 - Twilight Coda

A mellow start here with keyboard & acoustic guitar. Rudess returns on piano. There are lots of background noises/sounds. Just a short instrumental?. not bad, not spectacular either.

Track 9 - Get All You Deserve

The mellowness carries over from the previous track. Piano & vocal with soft background sounds. Things slowly begin to build after 2 minutes. There is a heartbeat/pulse on the bass drum, but no steady drumming until about 4:00, when things start opening up more. Huge guitar sustained chords with other sounds in the background. Big crescendo! The background noises take the lead as the guitar fades. Then everything begins to fade before it stops abruptly.

Track 10 - Insurgentes

We kick off the title track/closer with piano and vocals. Moderately slow tempo. A little guitar melody joins between verses, then we have harmony vocals. A nice shift of feel at about 2:30. But then the song fades out after a minute or so. Kind of an anticlimactic ending.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: This very much could have been a Porcupine Tree album. Very little here would have felt out of place on one. It is very solid, but it didn't blow me away. I'm going to give it a 3.5 out of 5 Stars.

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