IN ABSENTIA

Thanks to my son, I've discovered Porcupine Tree and after hearing "In Abstentia", I was hooked. Sounding like a mixture of Pink Floyd and Yes with the vocal harmonies of the Beatles and CSNY, Porcupine Tree is a long overdue return to well-crafted music that rises above the endless generic mush of today's music scene. Growing up during the sixties and the early seventies, I developed a love for the music made during that era (Yes, The Beatles, etc.) and although Porcupine Tree combines many musical elements from that period, they do so masterfully, forging a unique identity that sets them apart. Their sound is at once familiar and yet different, a modern synthesis of those past influences rather than a 'retro' recreation. Could this be a sign of a new musical direction away from vocal trampolining divas and obscenity-laced rantings over an electronic drumbeat? One can only hope. No matter, I'm a fan now and looking forward to any new music from these English gentlemen. Hopefully, there'll be much more from them in the future.