GET ALL YOU DESERVE

It's always tough to review a recording that you value so highly, in fact this is my favourite from 2012 and it wasn't a difficult choice. I have to be honest I haven't watched the visual discs yet, i've only listened to the two cds. Mind you I saw them on this particular "Grace For Drowning" tour only it was in Toronto not the Mexico City show that they used here. While we waited for the concert to begin in Toronto they played music from Wilson's BASS COMMUNION project and there was this see-through veil across the stage that a projector was fiming against. Man his was eerie and the BASS COMMUNION music certainly helped with that mood. In looking at the veil it was like we were looking out of a back of a house through these large sliding doors or French doors or whatever they were. You could see far in the distance, like looking out at your backyard that was maybe an acre in area when suddenly this person in black starts to walk across the screen but he's far away and he's moving slowly. Then he's gone out of site, but say 10 minutes later he's back again walking across the screen the other direction now as we look out the doors but he's closer this time and again he walks out of site. Then 10 minutes or so later he's walking in front of the doors but he's right there close. As he walks across he stops at the doors and turns towards us and looks in. My God ! This faceless person in black robes is going to kill us all ! Haha. Man that was freaky to watch and the show hadn't even started yet.

What is different with the music here compared to PORCUPINE TREE is that the music feels like it's being played by a lights-out good Jazz / Fusion band. The guys in the band are all gun slingers and Wilson admits that he doesn't measure up to these guys when it comes to his playing but hey it's his band and compositions so he's smart in bringing in all of amazing players. When I saw the tour it was drummer Marco Minnemann who blew me away, I have seen some incredible drummers live but my jaw was on the floor. I loved Theo Travis too playing flute, clarinet and sax. I don't even know where to begin with this and hesitate to go track by track because of all the gushing i'll be doing. There's a nice mixture of laid back tunes and songs where all hell breaks loose, and of course tracks that have both of those qualities. It was cool hearing "Luminol" which is on the new album that was just released recently. This for me was an event, and to see it live in such an intimate setting in an opera house where the sound quality was excellent was just priceless. The Mexican crowd on the audio discs were so enthusiastic which only added to my enjoyment knowing how they felt during those incredible moments, and there were lots of them.

Masterpiece !