The Incident

I think any doctoring of the statistics must be done very cautiously. Of course on your site you can do it however you want.

Negoba wrote: I think any doctoring of the statistics must be done very cautiously. Of course on your site you can do it however you want.   I'm still very stuck on whether the album is 3 stars or 4. I'll hearing something I really like and then I finally noticed (as apparently everyone else already did) the direct lift off of "Dogs." There's another melodic lift that's more subtle.   Part the Second remains the album of the year for me in a spectacular year for good prog.

I don't consider it to be a "lift" ... Animals was the first album SW ever bought (if I remember the article correctly), so I'd rather call it a hommage.

Hmm, I don't even get the Part the Second super mega 5 star business, it's good but it ain't no Bath either, but that's just me.
As much as I didn't like the album I will at least agree with Mike that I think it was more of a homage than a direct lift from "Dogs".

As far as Time Flies/Dogs is concerned it is entirely deliberate. SW said so in an interview. He was completely unapologetic (why shouldnt he be?). I can hear parts of DSotM in there too.

As Mike says (Mr Progfreak, now there's a potential concept album...) one politely refers to this replication as an "homage" and so it is.

^ I honestly can't imagine listening to this album without paying attention to the lyrics. I *guess* that if someone listened to the album like that it would be a lot less impressive.

^ I'm just saying that especially with a band like Porcupine Tree and an album like The Incident, knowing what the songs are about can make a huge difference. It can put your mind into a position where your imagination can be inspired by the music. For example, when The Incident (the track) begins I tend to imagine being in a car in the evening on a road with heavy traffic, slowly rolling towards the scene of an accident with blue light everywhere.

The first time i heard it i liked it, then i saw it live and loved it. Now ive heard it a few times and dont care as much.

Negoba wrote: I just read all the lyrics and I'm still not sure what it's all about....it certainly doesn't seem to be about one particular incident but many of the ones SW says got him started on the concept.

i have mixed feelings about this album. i mean, i was a little let down. here is a band who releases albums CONSTANTLY, and they are consistently good! 2007 saw "fear of a blank planet". it was a far cry different from 2005's "deadwing", not better or worse, but a different animal! in less than 6 months, they release "nil recurring", leftovers from "blank planet", and i enjoyed that more than the "real album"!

so, what have we here? my ears do not hear that fresh new album (sort of like the "new car" smell for the ears). and yes, it is a good album. but, i hear a lot of rehashings...a little "trains", some of the same sounds from the last album...not really a brand that i expect from this kind of band.

there are a few positive things i can say about it...

the opening HUGE chord in "occam's razor" which reappears in "degree zero" reminded me some of rush's "xanadu"!

and, no, the idea that this is a concept album has nothing to do with it. i understand the concept, a sort of agnostic story, and i have read about the occam's razor theory...it is not where i am coming from in my beliefs. but, this has nothing really to do with my feelings....it is a good album, but coming from such a prolific band, it seems mediocre to me, like they are repeating themselves. it is less experimental than previous albums.

bonnie the cat has to be my favorite song...and it is outside the concept. actually, i enjoy the bonus disc more than the "album".

after this album, i think i will be listening first before buying.

lazland wrote: I've listened to the album about twenty timers now since buying it. I love this band, and I have really tried to give the album a fair chance, certainly before attempting to review it on PA. However, I'm sorry, but I am now finding it almost impossible to listen all the way through. I never thought I would say this about any prog LP, and certainly not about PT, but I find it unutterably BORING. I have prog LPs which I find bad, self indulgent, crazy, but never dull, and this one is. As things stand, it would only get a 2 star review from me, and that would probably be because of the shameless rip off of Animals, which remains my favourite PF album. Am I alone in thinking this? (and, no, I haven't read all the posts)

Not a damn bit.