DEADWING

I'm somewhat a newbie fan of Porcupine Tree, but their latest offering, Deadwing, is one of the best albums I've ever heard, nevermind simply one of my favourite albums from the band themselves.

In-Depth:

"DEADWING"

And so it begins. The title track is a 9 minute refreshing blend of soft vocals and gritty sounding guitar riffs. The only way I can describe this song is "fresh". Steven Wilson's voice changes significantly during the course of these 9 minutes. Even though the song is this length, it wastes no time and only seems to last as long as a 3 minute radio song, because I have so much fun listening to it. There's some interesting guitar solos in here.

"SHALLOW"

A very cool classic rock style riff is used at the start and almost runs through, while the chorus breakdown continues the mood of the first song, but less dark and more catchy. It is instantly likeable, unlike some other songs on this album. It sounds very hard but also very beautiful, as it really opens up in the chorus. This is one of the catchiest songs on the record. The later end of the track starts to get a little chaotic and some electronics are used along with a thrashing guitar outro, before continuing the opening riff.

"LAZRAUS"

Wow. This song is the softest in the record. The use of the piano really sets a calming mood, and Steven Wilson's voice is really expansive. The lyrics are genius and this really explores a soft side of the band. Excellent, to say the least. After the song ends, we hear the cluttering of some trains. A short and sweet track, but one of the best on the record. Reminds me of the album cover.

"HALO"

Probably one of the easy to get into songs on the record. The guitar and bass sounds quite close to funk. The chorus is catchy and reminds me of something a mainstream band would have done in the early 90's. The effects used in Wilson's voice fits in with the feel and mood of the song. Pretty unique while sounding very simple standard at the same time.

"ARRIVING SOMEWHERE, BUT NOT HERE"

The longest, proggiest song on the album. The intro has a long build-up before the main beat kicks in, and that's where things start to sound interesting. It reminds me of being on a journey and I'm determined to get to the end. The length of the song and the continuous break-downs and build-ups probably help to sum up that feeling. The song gets quite heavy towards the end, and the guitar work, at this point sounds like something a heavy metal band would be pulling off. This is no bad thing, and surprisingly fits in with the mellower sections of the song.

"MELLOTRON SCRATCH"

A very mellow song, like a lot of this album. Very peaceful and relaxing to listen to. The last part of the song has some good switching vocal effects to continue that mood. The piano is used again in this song and some tinny drumming. It's as soft as "Lazarus", but not in the same way at all.

"OPEN CAR"

This song ranges from fast riffs and vocals to slowed down mellow backing vocals. Quite a schizophrenic sounding song. The guitar work sounds something in- between "Deadwing" and "Shallow", while the piano reminds of "Lazrus". Pretty much a sum-up of what to expect from the whole album.

"START OF SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL"

This song doesn't fit in that well with the rest of the album. It uses a strange time signature, and the spacey effects bring Pink Floyd to mind, something which Porcupine Tree's earlier work sounds like. Again, the piano is used to a good effect. Listening to the different layers of the instruments in this song is interesting, as it sounds quite complex.

"GLASS ARM SHATTERING"

A very hypnotic and relaxed ending. Vocal layering is used to an extent, and the song portrays the mellower side of the album, yet again. Not a powerful climax, as the song kind of dies out/fades away, but it is equally as satisfying as one.

- - - [5/5]

One of the most interesting sounding albums I have ever heard. This album doesn't sound a lot like Progressive rock, as the only thing that's complex about the sound of the music is the layering used and the extent that everything is mastered. The music is very easily approachable, and would be reccomendable to even a casual music fan.

This is probably the best place to start with Porcupine Tree, and that isn't an easy thing to decide, seeing as their albums can sound very different and their style changes. Their back catalogues can be confusing to decide against, but this and "In Absentia" are highly reccomended.