GRACE FOR DROWNING

It appears that this album is divided into 2 sections on each of the 2 CDs as it was initially released. I will indicate that as the review progresses. Additionally, as always, I don't include "Bonus Tracks" as they can vary from one version of the album to the next. This album has a host of notable guest prog musicians that I will try to mention as I go along.

Part 1 (CD 1) - Deform to Form a Star:

Track 1 - Grace for Drowning

Some gentle piano chords start this one off. (Jordan Rudess is credited with Piano on this one). This is a very short track with non-word vocals. I believe it just sets the mood for the album.

Track 2 - Sectarian

This one features Nick Beggs on Chapman Stick, and Theo Travis and Ben Castle on woodwind instruments.

Acoustic guitar slowly fades in with drums (Nic France is the primary drummer on the album, but another notable musician turns up on some tracks) then some clean electric guitar on top. At around 1:05 a rhythm begins in the drums, to be joined by guitars, bass & synth. At just after 2 minutes a mellotron joins in and the dynamic level increases. Things ease back off just after the 3-minute mark. There is a brief synth-brass section then a jazzy electric piano solo, following that with the rhythm section behind. I am guessing that the bass notes are on the Chapman Stick, as I have not heard any quintessential "Stick" sounds. This is an excellent instrumental, with traces of King Crimson at times and of course Porcupine Tree. Quiet sounds fade out to bring us to?

Track 3 - Deform to Form a Star

Guests include Jordan Rudess on piano again, Mike Outram on guitar, and one Tony Levin on bass.

Soft piano starts us off in an almost classical manner. It changes to a more chordal pattern on the piano to bring in Wilson's vocals, for the first time singing lyrics on this album. Beautiful mellotron, acoustic guitar vans shimmering vocal harmonies join in just prior to 2:30. There is a clean guitar solo nest with almost slow marching snare rolls behind it. The sound/production on this is (of course) impeccable. After another verse & chorus, there is a distorted guitar solo. Loving the harmonies that build up at around 6:45. I like the way that Levin's bass follows the melody at times in the closing section.

Track 4 - No Part of Me

Guests on this one include Markus Reuter on "U8 Touch Guitar", Trey Gunn on Warr Guitar & Bass, Theo Travis returning on woodwinds, Mike Outram on guitar again, Nick Beggs providing a Bass solo (lots of Bass on this!) Pat Mastelotto on drums, and the London Session Orchestra playing an arrangement by Dave Stewart (the one from the Canterbury Scene).

We begin with some glockenspiel type bell sounds, to be augmented by additional percussion and synth sounds. Wilson joins in on the first verse vocals and the orchestra begins to accompany the proceedings. The sound is lush, but not in a sappy way. Then the rhythm kicks in at around 3:30. Mastelotto plays some outstanding drum parts here. I believe this is a soprano sax solo, but it almost sounds like a bagpipe. Things stop abruptly for some spacy sounds. That leads directly to ?

Track 5 - Postcard

(Dave Stewart provides a choir arrangement for "Synergy Vocals" as well as more strings here.)

This begins with a piano part with possibly some subtle acoustic guitar in the mix. Wilson joins in on the first verse vocals. There is a short orchestral part between the first and second verse. Drums, choir and bass kick in just before the 3-minute mark. Things quiet back down as the song comes to a close.

Track 6 - Raider Prelude

(More choral parts from Dave Stewart and Synergy Vocals on this one.)

The choir fades in beautifully and mysteriously here. The vocal sound is haunting. At around 1:10 there are some bass piano notes joining in. This is a very brief piece.

Track 7 - Remainder the Black Dog

Special guests include Steve Hackett (!!) on guitar, Theo Travis returns on winds, and Nick Beggs on both Bass & Chapman Stick.

Dissonant piano arpeggios start us off with vocals with many effects on it joining soon after. A slow plodding drumbeat and bass join in before the second verse. Awesome mellotron joins in at around 2:45. Theo Travis gives us an Avant-garde sax solo at around 4 minutes in. Awesome prog riffing joins in as we proceed. The band locks into a cool 7-8 rhythm. The acoustic guitar is featured. The playing on this is badass. If Wilson is playing all the keyboard parts on this, he is better on the keys than I realized. Hackett's guitar feedback is in the background at around 7:45. Nic France is playing drum parts that remind me of Gavin Harrison (that's a compliment).

Part 2 (CD 2) - Like Dust I Have Cleared from My Eye

Track 8 - Belle De Jour

(Dave Stewart arranged strings return on this one)

Acoustic guitars mixed with other sounds initiate this song. The strings join at around 1:15. This seems, much like the title track on part 1, to be a brief instrumental mood-setter for part 2. This is basically an augmented classical guitar piece.

Track 9 - Index

(No special guests credited here)

Synth sounds fade in followed by electric piano bass notes and snare drum rolls. Wilson joins in on lead vocals. There are various sound effects following verse 1. Verse 2 begins a cappella, excepting the percussion sounds. In the second part of the verse, the synths return with harmonized vocals. We are in a moderately slow 4-4 here, but the sound is captivating. He is building beautiful soundscapes here.

Track 10 - Track One

(Pat Mastelotto returns on drums, and Dave Stewart provides another string arrangement.)

It's interesting that track 10 is Track One ("Always mess with their minds?."). This one begins quietly again with nylon string guitar & vocals. At 1:10, the sound gets enormous. Then things come back down at around 2:45 with mellow guitars and a bluesy guitar solo on top of it. Things fade out with electric piano.

Track 11 - Raider II

This 23-minute epic includes the following players:

Mike Outram - Guitars

Sand Snowman - Acoustic Guitar (sounds like an alias name, but not sure if it is or not, and for whom it would be)

Theo Travis - Woodwinds

Nick Beggs - Chapman Stick

Nic France - Drums

Dave Stewart choir arrangement for the Synergy Vocals

Dave Kerzner - "Sound Design-Coda"

Deep foreboding piano starts us off. There are long pauses between phrases. A clarinet joins in as we go along. Steven Wilson's voice with effects enters next. The sound gets MASSIVE at 2:35. The feel of the song could best be described as "sinister." There is a strong early King Crimson feel on this one, almost like 21st Century Schizoid Man. Lots of flute and other wind instruments flourish the sound as we go along. I just read that this track is based on the BTK Killer Dennis Rader. That explains a lot. The big sound returns just before 8 minutes with gothic choir sounds. Then we get fast guitar/keyboard riffing. This is a prog-gasm. Things mellow out a bit for a sax solo with effects. Feeling a bit fusion-y here. Then we start jammin' at about 11:10. The quick riffs return. Then things get eerily quiet with just some spacy sounds. Things begin to crescendo slowly as we approach 16 minutes. The vocals return at around 16:45. A bass solo (possibly Beggs on the Stick) follows that. An accelerating ascending scale pattern starts happening around the 19-minute mark. The sax is going wild. Shades of KC again. It sounds like we are ending at around 20 minutes, but still 3 minutes to go. OK, things come back down with some sound effects, then the bass quietly takes over. A few jazzy guitar fills happen on top of that. Things seem to be gradually winding down. OUTSTANDING TRACK!

Track 12 - Like Dust I have Cleared from My Eye

(No guests on this one)

Steven gets the first word on this one, followed by a guitar strum. The various instruments add in one by one on this moderately slow ballad, along with vocal harmonies. Drums join in and he takes a bluesy guitar solo at around 2:45. Another verse follows. Wilson likes to have bits of songs that seem like we are floating through the void of space, and this song is no exception. As it turns out, though, it's the final 3 minutes of the song. That seems a bit excessive. Otherwise, it's a good song.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

What a great album! I like it much better than Insurgentes. I would stand this up with any Porcupine Tree album. Rader II can stand proudly in the company of the great "sidelong" tracks of prog. My only deduction is for the ending of "Like Dust?" That seemed to be unnecessarily padding the length of the album. I'm going to give this a 4.75 out of 5 stars.

Clicking 5, but really 4.75, 4 is too low.

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