I.E.M.

After the release of "The Sky Moves Sideways" album, Porcupine Tree became more of a full-fledged band than a project and the band's music started to move away from the psychedelic mind trips of previous years to a more progressive sound that centered more around the heavier aspects of metal and hard rock. However, frontman Steven Wilson still wanted to have a creative outlet that would continue to explore the psychedelic genre and delve more into the krautrock aspects of that style. For that reason, he continued as a one-man band (with guests) with the beginning of a new project called I.E.M. which stands for "Incredible Expanding Mind[%*!#]".

The debut album was released in 1996 with very little information. There were only 500 copies released on vinyl initially, but a CD version with an extra bonus track would be released in 1998 and have a much wider distribution. The music here has very little resemblance to what most people recognize as Porcupine Tree's sound in their later years, but those that have explored PT's earlier music will find that it does have a lot in common with that music. The music on the debut album is very exploratory, psychedelic with krautrock traits and some eerie passages. As for myself, I really enjoy it as it takes the early PT sound and expands on it becoming even more experimental. However, those also familiar with Wilson's other project Bass Communion, will find that it isn't quite as experimental as that. I.E.M. actually fits somewhere in between the two styles.

Long tracks reflect the exploratory nature of this album that is easy to get lost in. Trying to describe the music to those who are not familiar with the psychedelic or krautrock elements is a bit tough, but the best word is definitely experimental, yet there is always a lot of forward movement as repeating motifs, beats and very few key changes are among the main traits of the music presented here. Percussion is persistent, as you would expect with this style of music, however, there is a bit of variance from one track to another as is especially evident in the two tracks "The Gospel According to the I.E.M." and "Fie Kesh". Each track does have it's own distinct personality which you'll notice even more with repeated listens. The most accessible of the tracks is the bonus track on the CD edition. "Headphone Dust" seems a tad out of place as it features a more acoustic sound as the foundation, and an almost Floyd-ian atmosphere. It is a nice addition, but some might find that it takes away a bit from the cohesiveness of the album. It definitely sounds like a recording from a different session.

This is an excellent example of Wilson's love for krautrock and psychedelic rock from earlier decades, but it doesn't try to copy that sound as much as build upon it, which is something we've come to expect from Wilson. All in all, it works as a great introduction to those that might not have a lot of exposure to those styles of music, but be warned that it isn't anything like the more popular style of Wilson. It is his experimental side. It is a look inside the deep mind of Wilson for those that dare to explore there.

I.E.M. (Incredible Expanding Mind[%*!#]) is a project of Steven Wilson which mostly deals with instrumental music, specifically Krautrock, experimental and sometimes very strange. Wilson has said that he is not the only contributor to the music, but none of the albums have any listing as to who else is involved in the project.

This album, released in 2001, very retro sounding while utilizing updated recording techniques and etc. This was released sometime after Porcupine Tree's 'Lightbulb Sun' to give you an idea of where SW was with his most popular project. The music is very psychedelic and improvisational, sort of like Porcupine Tree's earlier instrumental works like 'Sky Moves Sideways' and 'Voyage 34', but more experimental and less polished. Wilson wanted to make music that was inspired by psychedelic and krautrock music from the 60s and 70s while trying to sound current.

The music on this album is made up of all instrumentals with vocal field recordings interspersed throughout. It starts out with a few short tracks of improvisational noise, and then finally lapses into a longer instrumental called 'We Are Not Alone' with a lot of flute and vocal samples. The topic seems to be the supernatural, ghost and alien related material. This is followed by 'Cicadian Haze' which is more experimental improvisation, with some interesting noises thrown in giving it that hazy feel.

'Politician' is a short track with psychedelic meandering under what sounds like moans of ecstasy from a female subject. Thank goodness this is short. The title track comes next. This one starts off in the same manner, but with nature sounds. A nice guitar solo comes in later and there are also many other processed sounds.

There is another short spoken vocal followed by 'Shadow of a Twisted Hand Across My House' which is a 20 minute track of instrumental music with a nice beat but some spooky psychedelic sounds going on around improvised instruments. There is a nice solo by what seems to be either a sax or alto sax under-layered by the persistent percussion and processed guitar drones. The brass drops out at about the 5 minute mark and the beat continues with more psychedelic meandering until a loud processed guitar interrupts everything and then the beat fades out so you are left with ambient tones and sounds. Things get a little more structured as a keyboard of some kind takes over the spotlight. This sounds is somewhere between a mellotron and an organ, but spookier, with drones going on underneath and percussive sound effects under all of it. Now we are souding less like Porcupine Tree and more like early Bass Communion. This style continues for the rest of the track, and it is quite a nice psychedelic and electronic style track with changing moods and textures throughout its duration.

The album is not the best put out by I.E.M., with only two strong tracks, however, these tracks do take up most of the album, so that is a saving grace. If you love electronic prog and krautrock, you will love this album. Also, if you like the early improvised music by Porcupine Tree, you will probably like this too. It's not for everyone, but it is still a good album, especially the title track and the long 'Shadow'' track. This is not SW's best recording either, but it is good enough for 3 stars at least.

If you take the long, spacey jams of early Porcupine Tree and progress that music over the years, then this is a good example of what to expect of I.E.M., especially this album Those of you who are familiar with the long tracks from early PT from the albums "On the Sunday of Life", "Voyage 34", "The Sky Moves Sideways" and "Moonloop" will find this album by Steven Wilson's project I.E.M.as the logical progressing of that type of music, and fans of that sound will be happy to know that SW continued to develop that sound. Fans of Krautrock and Space Rock will also love this album.

Now, everyone pretty much knows that Steven Wilson has a lot of projects going on out there. Some of them require an acquired taste and others are more readily accessible. This one falls between the two extremes. It is not as experimental as Bass Communion nor is it ambient or minimalistic like that and it isn't as accessible as No-Man or Blackfield. It is more experimental than more recent Porcupine Tree and it is a lot more developed than early Porcupine Tree (as I said, it's a natural progression from early PT).

The album is divided up into 6 untitled tracks that are each separate and distinct, but carry the same floating vibe alternating from beauty to harsh dissonance, from melodic flute to heavy distorted guitar and it's all instrumental. The music on the album, at least tracks 1 - 5, is all taken from I.E.M. improvisations done around the time of the recording of their 1st full album "Arcadia Son" and those recordings have been overdubbed and reprocessed and made into some amazing tracks. The first track is 35 minutes long and actually is an improvisation based on the title track for the first album. This is probably the most accessible of the album, even though it is a very long track, it is a very beautiful and flowing piece for the most part but don't get too comfortable because there are a lot of amazing surprises along the way. This I quite an amazing track that you can easily get yourself lost in, but it manages to keep itself fresh through the piece by not relying on repetition too much like some of the early PT tracks did.

Tracks 2 - 4 are more experimental and very innovative. They remain quite interesting and consist more of an even flow of music. Quite beautiful, meditative, yet always throwing in things that keep the music interesting and moving forward. Flowing and soft at times, yet brash and unconventional at others. The fifth track however will come as a shock with some very distorted drums and guitar making for some really exciting sounds and dissonance. If you are playing this over your speakers and not your headphones, you might scare anyone around you when this track starts. The 6th track is not taken from any source material as the other tracks were and is an original piece for dulcimer and mellotron. Lovely and spacey and a nice way to end the album.

As far as SW works go, this is one of the best of his more experimental albums and ranks up there with his best work. It is a definite 5 star album that takes the krautrock and space rock genres to new places and as such is a definite masterpiece of the genre. Search this one out and get it if you are interested in SW's experimental work, because this is some of the best.

This is a short 12" single put out to promote another one of Steven Wilson's projects. The overall feeling of this is a lot like the space rock side of Porcupine Tree. There are two songs on this single/E.P. The first side is a multi-track suite called "An Escalator to Christmas" which overall lasts 10 minutes and goes by rather quickly. The suite is divided up into 10 short tracks, but only 3 of them actually have music on them while the other tracks have sound and voice snippets that tie it all together. I am not sure what the concept behind this is, but the sound and voice bits are somewhat humorous, yet tragic sounding also, almost what you would expect from Steven Wilson. The 3 parts of the suite that are actually musical are definitely short studies in spacey instrumentals. "Sign Language" is more upbeat with a strong bass line and a strong percussion throughout with spacey keyboards and an occasional strong guitar solo being the main focus. "An Escalator to Xmas" is a very minimal bongo-like sound with a psychedelic organ and sustained guitar notes floating around. "In Place of a Requiem" is more spacey and seems to be all keyboards playing sustained notes that fade in and out. These three musical sections are very short, not lasting more than 3 1/2 minutes each, so just as you are feeling it, the suite passes on to another track.

"Headphone Dust" is the b-side and is a +6 minute instrumental that finally lasts long enough for you to be taken away into the music. It is very mellow and spacey and again takes on the sound that you can hear on the early Porcupine Tree albums. If you liked PT's albums like "Sky Moves Sideways" then this might interest you, but this isn't long enough to really have much of an effect. As for "Headphone Dust", you can actually find that track on the CD version of the I.E.M. self titled album, so this particular release is only of interest for collectors, which would be happy to have this rare find as part of their collection. Otherwise, there really isn't a lot of value to this single.

Alongside "Moonloop", this is the best work Steven Wilson was involved in creating. This modern vanguard of prog polarises with his meticulous style of constructing tracks and albums, but if there is any place his talents and style shine brightest, it is on this throwback to that sort of inbetween genre where parts of krautrock were adopted by Bowie, Iggy, Joy Division, and Public Image Ltd. in their pioneering of post-punk. It also remains heavily indebted to a more proper style of krautrock. The result? Well, the first, sprawling half hour track alone is a masterpiece. Especially at the point where Wilson pans a drone from one side to the other and back and forth for awhile, making it feel like the drone is constantly buzzing straight through your head if you are wearing headphones! The main guitar line is very mesmerising, and the whole cycle includes plenty of variation in instruments, sounds, and moods, with several climaxes. The rest of the tracks follow in much the same fashion, each focusing on a single idea and expressing it to the fullest. The final track mixes things up with some very strange sounds completely different from the rest of the record, but it works. Again, some of Wilson's very best work, fans of ambient and drone will love his experiments here.

I am one; of the thousands of prog-audiophiles that greet Steven Wilsons´s arrival to the progressive scene. No one has done so much in so little time; for the new-next prog generation. I will accept that as a fact. And he also has touched lots of grounds within the same scene. His different oriented than PT works: No-Man , Blackfield, Bass Communion, his solo works and I.E.M. short for "Incredible Expanding Mind[%*!#]". So; not only has he become a valuable asset in general; but also to different "ProgArchives´s" prog sub-categories. So;.. if you really;..really, really like Steven Wilsons´s talents AND are really, really interested to find out how multi-talented he is? (for me it has been quiet clear by now; but anyway); and imagine how far can SW carry a whole experimental project just by himself; shutted-down inside his studio, alone, at his wildest ??? Well hard-core SW folowers and close-fans! this is for you. Some RIO followers also should find here the closest he gets to this prog sub-category. (besides the newer "Raven" subtle hints) Experimentation with all kind of tricks, of his vast, vast instrumental/recording/performance skills and pre-taped material; with no apparent direction but having fun for himself; for the sake of it;. in an almost "paradisiacal" environment... So I admire this guy as any progger does.- IF! I had NOT gotten this album as a gift... I will still think I was not missing any "obscure" SWs´s "jewel". The un-released-"Electronic Experimentations" album is by far; more fun and creative! ...This is like the Beatles´s "Revolution#9" song; but all the way through; as a whole album in XXs. So? if you really, really want to spend your own bucks on this; you have the right!.. I myself will save it, for some other SW project,.. but that is me!...**2 " fans, die-hard followers, some RIO/AG people" Stars

Steven Wilson's musical persona is said by some to be divided between his vast array of projects (more than 8, if you count Continuum and Storm Corrosion), but it is actually the equivalent of having eight musicians into a single body. All his projects, many of them being worked upon simultaneously, and spanning very different origins (Blackfield, for example is mainly based in Tel Aviv), reside in a world of their own, even if they share Wilson's compositional traits, and characteristic aspects of the kind of music they release.

IEM, as is known, is Wilson's Krautrock/Cosmic Jazz outlet, and one in he is virtually beyond recognition (if judged by Porcupine Tree standards). In it, Steven is completely uninhibited by any sort of songwriting theme, or structure, or time limit (precisely the reason why there were so few IEM albums). Not that this is unique to IEM, or that any of his projects sees him inhibited by anything at all, but this fact is the very driving force behind IEM, and Arcadia Son is a very good example of it.

Arcadia Son is an album that has a very clear path in terms of exercising IEM's influences, and in the kind of structure used in their songs. While it is nothing unlike IEM, it is perhaps the most "normal" IEM album by pop music standards.

TRACK BY TRACK

WRECK: An intro? A teaser? Wilson starts off Arcadia Son in pure IEM fashion, true to its influences. A very random, erratic intro that has no seeming structure or sense at all. The tempo-less drums, the erratic notes on the sax and the purely chaotic feel to this minute-and- a-half opener is a very good description of the album, but it is rather vague, and thus invites you to listen.

BETH KRASKY: IEM is known to release things like this. This track is simply Beth Krasky (anyone know who she is?) speaking about her likes in music and her abilities therein. It's not really a song, but it does contribute to that uninhibited beauty that is customary in IEM.

WE ARE NOT ALONE: Anyone who doesn't like songs that aren't songs would have ejected the CD by now, just when Steven comes in greatly with this simply exquisite song. A song clearly inspired in 60s and 70s cosmic jazz, We Are Not Alone is a sort of jam that is bass- guitar-based, with a very catchy drum set line, and somewhat disturbing apocalyptic announcements carried by Wilson's voice, which is constantly tweaked with, high- or low- pitched, slowed and sped up. The musicians seem to really be enjoying themselves and the song has an awesome atmosphere to it, that sort of cosmic, empty feeling that is really relaxing and makes for a great listen.

CICADIAN HAZE: Theo Travis' flute is the big star here. Over a percussion and bass line, and on top of a vast array of pads and textures created by the masterful Wilson, Travis shines with his melodically beautiful but erratic flute tirades, and delights us with six minutes of his wonderfully proficient playing. Though the atmosphere is not as evident as in We are not Alone, Cicadian Haze does a good job of keeping you there and creating a very calm mood in the album.

POLITICIAN: Another rarity if you will, this is merely a minute-long track with a sort of Bossa Nova music and heavy breathing, moaning and groaning (which heightens itself to climax at the end of the track) that is clearly sexual, and reminiscent of old time pornographic movies. The music, again is kind of Bossa-ish, and could be labeled with "Elevator music". It's weird, but it's there to create the atmosphere IEM is known for.

ARCADIA SON: The title track is a very nice, structured piece of music in which the drums and bass serve as a seemingly monotonous and unchanging foundation to Wilson's effected guitars, the echoes and reverbs galore, and again, Theo Travis' masterful jazz inspired flute. Arcadia Son is very much in the vein of We Are Not Alone, albeit a bit more structured and less reliant on its atmosphere.

SHADOW OF A TWISTED HAND ACROSS MY HOUSE: Well it had to come. A 20-minute piece that is fast-paced and tension-plagued, with mellotron voices creating a sense of angst that is made into a pulsating urge by the bass and the drums. After eight minutes, we are left with an organ that starts to move around, and fades into a very suspenseful set of textures with pads, mellotrons, the organ itself, and several noises which are very much like Bass Communion, albeit much less chaotic. Then the tempo comes back with a melodic line that creates more of that tension and ends the song without resolving it. This is a dense and hard to digest piece, but it really is a good listen. I think it could have been shorter, but it is very good.

GOLDILOCKS AGE 4: Is this Steven Wilson at age 4 telling the story of that bear family? It seems like it. A rarity started the album, and a rarity ends it. This is simply that: a little boy telling the story of Goldilocks (the part when the bears come into the house and see everything where and how it shouldn't be), that ends abruptly and without prior notice, giving the album a very strange end. This is IEM, and this is something you have to get used to if you listen to their music.

OVERALL: Arcadia Son is a terrific album. It explores influences in a way that is so free and so careless that makes for an amazing listen (especially with those tracks that do have a musical structure). Wilson sets himself free in the studio by adding quite a lot of his production magic, sometimes even shadowing the instruments and the music itself. This is a very likeable album, although very unlike anything else Steven does (which can be said about any of his projects). Four stars for this. Not five because I think it is an album that really requires much concentration to analyse, and sometimes less density is good, especially in the minimalistic music it was inspired by (take Neu! as an example). But I love this album, and I love IEM. It is simply breathtaking in every aspect, and this album is no exception.

I was so excited to find a copy of this limited edition release available somewhere and was so stoked to have it arrive in the mail. IEM was always one of my favorite Steven Wilson projects because the music they produced was so innovative and nostalgic and I think nostalgia is what the group is really about.

The project's entire discography is here and within you will find some of the greatest psych jams ever released, and impressive blend of krautrock, space rock, free improv and electronic. I literally enjoy every single second of music this band put out and with good reason. This is the kind of music that will take your mind places, make you feel like you're floating and most importantly it just plain sound good. From the craziness to the ambience, Steven Wilson really had a high point with IEM.

And as an added bonus, the packaging is downright superb, a cool little box covered in a nostalgic World War II photo that comes with excellently designed mini-vinyls and 60 pages of more nostalgic photos that are incredibly enjoyable to look at while listening to the music.

If you can find one of these boxsets by chance, do not hesitate. I believe tonefloat has sold their every last copy so now they will be difficult to find.

An incredibly interesting experimental outing from Steven Wilson.

After months of waiting, the long out of print I.E.M discography finally became available to fans in a limited edition boxset, composed of the original 3 album releases and the EP. Simply buying this on a whim (and a strong Steven Wilson fanboyism) I had no real idea what to expect, and this is the disc which I consider to be the strongest of the bunch.

I.E.M is essentially another Steven Wilson experimental project. I.E.M. is an abbreviation for 'Incredible Expanding Mind[%*!#]', and on repeated listen, this name seems to become somewhat more sensible. I.E.M. is heavily influenced by the Krautrock scene of the 70's, by artists including, but not restricted to, Neu!, Faust and Amon Duul II. The psychedelic influence is also incredibly prominent here. It is fair to say that Porcupine Tree fans may not enjoy this project as much as they would other SW projects, such as no-man and Blackfield, as this is really nothing like Porcupine Tree whatsoever, which is a credit to SW as a writer and a mutli-talented musician - you don't walk into one SW project expecting it to sound the same as the last, and this is especially true with the curiosity in Steven Wilson's musical history called I.E.M.

I.E.M. opens up with 'The Gospel According To I.E.M.', a delicious extended jam track composed of a thumping bass, rockin' drum beat and an improvised guitar solo section. There is also background noise, whistles, synth noise, scratches and other such oddities adding to the depth of the track. The track slowly descends into a mist of flute, haunting vocals and deadening silence, and shortly after, the drum track and guitar jam from before return in greater force. Eventually, the guitar picks up additional distortion and becomes an all-out electronic mess, yet remains incredibly controlled and balanced within the context. The last two droning minutes of this track drift into the follow up...

...'The Last Will and Testament of Emma Peal', which is a droning, foreboding synth based journey. The use of stereophonics in this track are wonderful and really help to create a mental journey. The drums are panned to the right ear and far in the background of the overall noise, as if they were being played by someone in your attic in the opposite end of the house - quite spooky in parts and incredibly interesting none the less.

Fie Kesh is track seeping with tribal drums and guitar with a nearly middle-eastern overall sound. The guitar solo is another welcome addition, and at times, it's difficult to believe that this is a one man band, and no less, the one man who wrote other brilliant tracks and albums within entirely different fields. The thumping bass rhythm is intrinsic to I.E.M., as a listener will begin to notice on further listens, and plays wonderfully throughout this jam, sporadically disappearing and returning.

Deafman is an incredibly uplifting and different track from the rest of the album, and stands out as the most relatively poppy. The wonderful rhythm guitar, bass and drum combo nearly make it sound like an early Porcupine Tree demo and the lead guitar solo which later joins is a wonderful closer to both a brilliant track and an album.

This album is easily worthy of 4 stars, although I feel doesn't quite reach up into 5 star territory - there is absolutely nothing wrong with this album, and it is indeed fantastic, although I don't quite feel like it pushes into masterpiece territory. None the less, a brilliant album in it's own right which stands out as the strongest within the I.E.M. discography. Highly recommended to all listeners who are looking for great experimental music which doesn't fear paying homage to its influences, but never becomes a tribute. Fantastic.

IEM's complete discography has seen a marvelous and final reissue on this 2010 boxed edition. The lavish photographic artwork alone already provides a reason good enough to spend some well-earned cash, but of course, the fact that this music has finally been made available for purchase again is the real reason to throw a party. Or to kick my lazy holiday head back into reviewing mode.

Apart from a few extra's on the expanded Escalator to Christmas album; the music collected here will be entirely familiar to the few souls that ventured out to discover the music of Wilson's most psych incarnation. All albums are presented in their original form, not remixed nor remastered (not that they needed any tampering), and they come in beautiful Japanese mini album sleeves, accompanied with a booklet full of early 20th century black & white photography. No band history or liner notes are provided, but given the mystery surrounding IEM, that's just fine.

If you're only familiar with the music from Porcupine Tree's second decade, IEM might come as a kind of a shock. Abstaining from anything resembling heavy riffs or poppy tunes, the long fluid improvisations, space explorations and the flirtations with early progressive electronic experiments in the vein of Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze will be entirely unpleasant to many Porcupine Tree fans. So if you thought Metanoia was self-indulgent drivel, then you should sure stay clear from each of the 2.000 copies this box-set was distributed in.

However, if you love mind-expanding kraut and space-rock, then you will find some of the best music in that field in this box set. Even if Wilson considers IEM as something of a not too serious indulgence, his passion and talent for this type of music shines all the way through. Each individual IEM album rates four bright stars, all of them together is a supernova.