THE INCIDENT

Released in 2009, 'The incident' is Porcupine Tree's tenth studio album. Although on the face of it this is a double CD release, it is really a single CD and an EP, and even then the whole lot could fit onto one CD. While not a concept album as such, the first CD is occupied by a single track running to some 55 minutes and is described as a 'song cycle about beginnings and endings'. The phrase 'The incident' reflects a situation Steve Wilson came across which was signed as a 'Police incident', and his reflections on the far more humane circumstances behind the practical but disassociated signage. This led to him reflecting on other occasions where the cold summarising of a situation failed to capture the emotional reality of what had happened. A number of these are then reflected in the 14 sections which make up the track. Conveniently, the CD release is manufactured to have each section as a separate track, rather than having the obscure sub-sections sometime used.

These sections vary greatly in length from the brief dramatic guitar fanfare of the opening 'Occam's Razor' to the almost 12 minutes of the magnificent 'Time flies'. Overall, the piece is constructed more on the lines of 'Supper's ready' or side 2 of 'Abbey road' rather than of 'Close to the edge' or 'Thick as a brick'. What I mean by that is that the sections here are by and large autonomous, and can be listened to in isolation. As with all great prog epics though, the whole is of course much more than the sum of the parts.

There is a fine diversity to the content here, with pop orientated rock sitting perfectly alongside offbeat time signatures and reflective sensitivity. At times our feet are tapping out a beat, at times we are impulsively singing along, and at times we are listening intently to processed vocals and disguised melodies. The title section/track even strays into symphonic territories with delightful orchestration.

Steve Wilson's love of all things Floydian comes through strongly on the aforementioned "Time flies", which draws in sounds and styles from several different eras of Pink Floyd. This track was selected in edited form for release as a single. As with any composition on this scale, "The incident" is not for the feint hearted. While certain passages are pretty accessible, it takes quite a number of listens, and ideally attendance at a live performance, to properly get it.

While I mentioned earlier that the tracks on the second disc could have been accommodated on disc one, Porcupine Tree wished to emphasise the fact that 'The incident' was a complete piece, not just a succession of individual songs. The four other tracks recorded for the album were therefore placed on a separate disc (a sort of 'Nil recurring, part 2'). Each of these is an individual piece, with no connection to either the main title suite or the other tracks on the EP. That said, these tracks are very much from the same mould musically. They range from the pop harmonies of 'Flicker' to the full on thrash of 'Bonnie the cat', the 20 minutes or so of the EP offering as much diversity as on the main title epic.

If I have a minor gripe about 'The incident' as a whole, it is for me just a little too tight. It may seem strange to criticise an album with a 55 minute track as too tight, but not a second is wasted here. I would have liked to have heard a bit more in the way of instrumental development, including greater use of lead guitar soloing and repetition of themes. That though is just a personal thought,and should not put you off what is a superb prog album for the 21st century.

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