Interesting.
I happen to agree with many of these.
Especially Hounds of Love, Animals, Joe's Garage, and Close To The Edge.
As for Rush, I'd probably choose either Permanent Waves, Hemispheres, or Farewell to Kings before Moving Pictures.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Sound & Vision Magazine - 20 Albums That Deserve To Be In Surround Sound
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Verizon or AT&T?
I've come across quite a few people who are customers of AT&T that say they can't wait until their contract expires so they can switch to Verizon.
Verizon is such a great carrier. Much better reception than AT&T. Is it really?First of all, I've spoken to more than a few people who have Verizon that say it isn't all that great. In fact, I've heard more Verizon praise from AT&T customers than anything else. All that proves is that Verizon's advertising is effective.
Second, I'm of the opinion that ALL carriers have their share of dead spots and dropped calls. It's the nature of the beast. I'm also one of those AT&T customers that can't really complain about AT&T. Sure, I have dead-spots (usually in very woodsy rural areas), and I get dropped calls from time to time, but overall I'm pretty happy with my service....especially for the price. My bottom line bill every month comes to less than $90, and that includes 900 anytime minutes, rollover minutes, unlimited nights/weekends, unlimited AT&T mobile-to-mobile, a 5 person "A-list" (of which I only use 3) which allows for unlimited calling to and from any domestic landline or out-of-network cell phone of my choosing, unlimited text/MMS, and unlimited data on my Windows Mobile Smartphone.
Somehow I don't think I'd get all that for that price at Verizon. In fact, judging from what I saw when I curiously checked Verizon's plans about a year ago, I'm sure of it.
And as for that cute little 3G coverage map they have on TV that shows an almost solid red map for Verizon, and a very sparsely spotted blue map for AT&T goes, I live in NJ, and spend pretty much all of my time in NJ. Next time you see that commercial, you'll notice that on that sparsely covered AT&T map, NJ is solid blue from top to bottom. Whether or not someone in Wyoming has 3G coverage is not my concern.
I'm not saying that AT&T is "the bomb" or anything. I just think that Verizon is not necessarily "it" either. To me, AT&T and Verizon is like Coke and Pepsi. They will likely always hold the top two spots, and each will always have their faithful and satisfied customers. Anyway, here's an interesting article from tech blogger David Pogue about how Verizon is escalating their already suspect business practices.
This is a good example of how the grass isn't always greener.
Verizon is such a great carrier. Much better reception than AT&T. Is it really?First of all, I've spoken to more than a few people who have Verizon that say it isn't all that great. In fact, I've heard more Verizon praise from AT&T customers than anything else. All that proves is that Verizon's advertising is effective.
Second, I'm of the opinion that ALL carriers have their share of dead spots and dropped calls. It's the nature of the beast. I'm also one of those AT&T customers that can't really complain about AT&T. Sure, I have dead-spots (usually in very woodsy rural areas), and I get dropped calls from time to time, but overall I'm pretty happy with my service....especially for the price. My bottom line bill every month comes to less than $90, and that includes 900 anytime minutes, rollover minutes, unlimited nights/weekends, unlimited AT&T mobile-to-mobile, a 5 person "A-list" (of which I only use 3) which allows for unlimited calling to and from any domestic landline or out-of-network cell phone of my choosing, unlimited text/MMS, and unlimited data on my Windows Mobile Smartphone.
Somehow I don't think I'd get all that for that price at Verizon. In fact, judging from what I saw when I curiously checked Verizon's plans about a year ago, I'm sure of it.
And as for that cute little 3G coverage map they have on TV that shows an almost solid red map for Verizon, and a very sparsely spotted blue map for AT&T goes, I live in NJ, and spend pretty much all of my time in NJ. Next time you see that commercial, you'll notice that on that sparsely covered AT&T map, NJ is solid blue from top to bottom. Whether or not someone in Wyoming has 3G coverage is not my concern.
I'm not saying that AT&T is "the bomb" or anything. I just think that Verizon is not necessarily "it" either. To me, AT&T and Verizon is like Coke and Pepsi. They will likely always hold the top two spots, and each will always have their faithful and satisfied customers. Anyway, here's an interesting article from tech blogger David Pogue about how Verizon is escalating their already suspect business practices.
This is a good example of how the grass isn't always greener.
The Latest in Technology From David Pogue
Verizon: How Much Do You Charge Now?
Starting next week, Verizon will double the early-termination fee for smartphones. That is, if you get a BlackBerry, Android or similar phone from Verizon, and you decide to switch phones before your two-year contract is up, you’ll be socked with a $350 penalty (it used to be $175).
This fee drops slowly over time ($10 a month), but after two years, it’s still $110. If the premise of the early-termination fee is to help Verizon recoup its original cost of the phone (see my analysis here http://bit.ly/pOkXz), shouldn’t the fee go down to zero at the end of your contract?
This move doesn’t help Verizon’s reputation for steep pricing and aggressive gouging.
What bothers me more, though, is another bit of greedy nastiness that readers both inside and outside Verizon have noticed.
Here’s one example, from a Verizon customer:
“David, I read your posts about how the cell carriers are eating up our airtime with those 15-second ‘To page this person, press 5′ instructions, but I think Verizon has a bigger scam going on: charging for bogus data downloads.
“Virtually every bill I get has a couple of erroneous data charges at $1.99 each—yet we download no data.
“Here’s how it works. They configure the phones to have multiple easily hit keystrokes to launch ‘Get it now’ or ‘Mobile Web’—usually a single key like an arrow key. Often we have no idea what key we hit, but up pops one of these screens. The instant you call the function, they charge you the data fee. We cancel these unintended requests as fast as we can hit the End key, but it doesn’t matter; they’ve told me that ANY data–even one kilobyte–is billed as 1MB. The damage is done. Read more…
Thursday, October 22, 2009
An invite for spite
This sign was at the end of a McDonald's drive-thru.
So in other words, I can only take up a parking spot if I purchase food from inside the place?
I find it hard to believe that people eating in their cars is such a widespread problem that someone decided that they needed this stupid sign. That sign makes me want to pack my own lunch and go there just to eat it. Btw, it's the McDonald's on Rt. 22W in North Plainfield, NJ...in case you're feeling spiteful. :-)
Thursday, October 08, 2009
King Crimson Reunion At Playback Of Their Classic Albums Albums
/ News / 07/10/2009 14:13pm
Prog history was made last night when seven members of the early incarnations of the legendary King Crimson reunited, albeit in a non-performing capacity, at Air Studios in North London for a playback of the band’s recently re-issued In The Court Of The Crimson King, Lizard and Red albums in 5.1 surround sound.Robert Fripp, Michael Giles, Pete Sinfield, Bill Bruford, Mel Collins, David Cross and John Wetton were all in attendance, as was Porcupine Tree’s Steven Wilson, who, along with Fripp, had undertaken the task of re-working the material.
Fripp himself said a few words before introducing Wilson, who gave a short speech detailing how he’d gone about undertaking such a mammoth task, before the assembled throng was treated to a selection of tracks in quite stunning new sound.
In The Court Of The Crimson King, Lizard and Red are all available through the Panegryic label, with the remainder of the band’s back catalogue being re-issued throughout 2010.
The three current re-issues are reviewed in the latest issue of Classic Rock Presents Prog, on sale now. The re-issues come with extensive sleeve notes from Prog’s own Sid Smith.
– Jerry Ewing
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Porcupine Tree Philly Setlist
The Electric Factory
Philadelphia, PA
Sept 26, 2009
Philadelphia, PA
Sept 26, 2009
Set 1:
The Incident (full 55 minute suite)
(technical issues with SW's guitar prevented the guitar solo)
Set 2:
The Start Of Something Beautiful
Russia On Ice
Anesthetize (middle section)
Normal
Strip The Soul
.3
Bonnie The Cat
Encore:
Sound Of Muzak
Trains
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Porcupine Tree NYC setlist
Terminal 5
NYC
Sept. 24, 2009
Set 1:
The Incident (full 55 minute suite)
Set 2:
The Start Of Something Beautiful
Russia On Ice
Anesthetize (middle section)
Remember Me Lover
Strip The Soul
.3
Mother And Child Divided
Encore:
Sound Of Muzak
Trains
Posted via email from FZDolfan's Posterous
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Wednesday, September 23, 2009
It's back... Prog rock assaults album charts
Tomorrow night in NYC, Saturday in Philly!http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8266922.stm 
It's back... Prog rock assaults album charts
Porcupine Tree: Steven Wilson, Colin Edwin, Gavin Harrison and Richard Barbieri
| By Tim Masters Entertainment correspondent, BBC News |
Observant chart watchers may have noticed an unfamiliar - and unusual - name in the UK top 30 album chart this week.
Among a flurry of new entries from Peter Andre, Jay-Z, Pixie Lott and David Gray is an album by a band that has been around longer than any of them: Porcupine Tree.
Porcupine who?
 |   If you see someone in the NME talk about progressive rock it's not immediately followed by a snigger.  Steven Wilson, Porcupine Tree |
Although largely unknown to mainstream audiences, the Grammy-nominated band's 10th studio album The Incident went straight in at number 23.
No mean feat considering The Incident is a 55-minute song cycle in 14 parts.
Along with Muse's entry straight into the number one slot, it's a combined assault on the charts by two bands who are often tagged "progressive rock".
"I have less on an issue with the word 'progressive' than I did even five years ago," says Steven Wilson, Porcupine Tree's founder and frontman.
"I think it's been legitimised again. If you see someone in the NME talk about progressive rock it's not immediately followed by a snigger."
Wilson is currently in the US where Porcupine Tree have just embarked on the first leg of a world tour which will see the them playing The Incident in full every night.
"It's not an easy piece to pull off live," says Wilson. "In the first 15 minutes I have five or six instrument changes. It's getting better. I'm sure by the time we hit Europe we'll be able to pull it off beautifully!"
Porcupine Tree started life as a creative project for Wilson in 1987 - in Hemel Hempstead.
It wasn't until 1993 that a full band was in place, including keyboardist Richard Barbieri - formerly of 80s art rockers Japan.
The current line-up of Porcupine Tree is completed by Gavin Harrison (drums) and Colin Edwin (bass).
Trojan horse
 The album was inspired by the scene of a road accident |
Prog rock, which grew out of 1960s psychedelia, was originally associated with 70s bands including Pink Floyd, Genesis, Yes and King Crimson.
It flourished again in the 80s with bands such as Marillion, and Porcupine Tree have helped carry it into the 21st Century.
"To see someone like Muse and Porcupine Tree cracking the top 25 together shows the huge shift in terms of where people see progressive music is coming from, and also how popular it is becoming," says Jerry Ewing, editor of Classic Rock Prog Magazine.
"Progressive music is such a broad category from Muse to Radiohead all the way across to Mastodon and Dream Theater," he says. "It's drawing in a whole younger audience which has never heard of Yes or Genesis, and they don't have the preconceptions that they used to have."
Wilson concurs: "It's no coincidence we are seeing bands like Muse, Porcupine Tree, Sigur Ros, Flaming Lips and The Mars Volta having top 30 albums, because I don't think ambition is a dirty word any more.
"Radiohead were the Trojan Horse in that respect. Here's a band that came from the indie rock tradition that snuck in under the radar when the journalists weren't looking and started making these absurdly ambitious and pretentious - and all the better for it - records.
"And Muse have very much consolidated that. They make records that Queen would blush at - and I totally applaud them for it."
Muse's Dom Howard told the BBC last week he'd always been a bit confused by the progressive rock tag.
"I associate it with 10-minute guitar solos, but I guess we kind of come into the category. A lot of bands are quite ambitious with their music, mixing lots of different styles - and when I see that I think it's great. I've noticed that kind of thing becoming a bit more mainstream."
Download culture
Porcupine Tree are playing The Incident in its entirety on their world tour
Porcupine Tree's new record - The Incident - was inspired when Wilson became caught in a traffic jam near the scene of a road accident. He noticed a sign saying "POLICE - INCIDENT" and was struck how such a "cold expression" was often applied to destructive and traumatic events.
The album (which includes four standalone songs on a separate CD) demands to be heard as a linear experience. Wilson compares it to reading a book or watching a film.
"My favourite period of music is the great album era, from Sgt Pepper through to punk rock," he says.
"That 10-year window is still the most inspirational. There was a tradition at that time of the album being elevated much higher than the individual song.
What's interesting now is that we are moving back to that tradition as a by-product of download culture."
And he had no fears about making such a conceptual piece with a 14-part suite.
"Our last record had an 18-minute track on it and people loved it," he says.
"The more self-indulgent we became, the more people liked it. It gave us this confidence to do something even more absurdly ambitious."
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
Interview: Porcupine Tree
A nice little interview just in time for the release of The Incident.
More on: Porcupine Tree Hemel Hempstead progressive rock dynamos Porcupine Tree are gearing up for the release their new double CD album 'The Incident' on 14th September, which showcases a mammoth 55 minute title track. We caught up with their mainman Steven Wilson to share a few words on the band and their new release. For someone who hasn't heard of you, how would you describe your music and why should they listen to you?
Well if you like the idea of a movie as an adventure - or reading a novel from beginning to end and being taken on a emotional trip – or the idea a journey through different sounds, textures, atmospheres and feelings, that's what Porcupine Tree is all about. We don't write ten pop songs and throw them together – not that there's any problem with that idea, but that's not what we do. We're more interested in this idea of the musical journey, Our albums are like movies in that way, or a great novel, so you're expected to engage in the music in a way perhaps that is a bit of a lost art these days - to sit down and listen to the record from beginning to end. How does 'The Incident' compare to your last album?
The last album, 'Fear Of A Blank Planet', was very much driven by the concept and its lyrics. It was very difficult to listen to that record without engaging in some the way with the ideas behind it, and I don't think that's true of this record - it's more about the music. Another difference is that it's conceived as a long song-cycle, so it is meant to be listened to from beginning to end in the way you'd read a book in that respects. But lyrically there's no narrative, no story to be told in that respect. The story is in the music. Was this shift in your approach to lyrics and music a conscious change?
I think it was a bit more organic than that. It was simply that I didn't necessarily have anything that I wanted to write about on this record whereas I did on the last one. I came to the decision early on that I wanted to set myself a challenge and do something a bit different - I didn't want to make another record in the same style. Are you worried this might alienate some fans?
I think if was worried about that then that's something a little creatively arresting. If you're always considering what your fans want, your record company want and what your manager wants, for me that's not the definition of a truly creative artist. An artist is someone in a way very selfish. I think all the great artists – painters, writers, film makers or musicians - one thing they have in common, or most of them anyway, is basically that they were very selfish about the way they made their art, and luckily, for whatever reason or not, they managed to connect to an audience. So you create music for yourself?
Well I think the definition of all good art is that it is created purely to satisfy the person who created it - it's almost like holding up a mirror. And you can hold up the mirror to the rest of the world and say, well, do you see yourself in that too? So far in my career I've been fairly lucky in that enough people have recognised enough of themselves or seen enough that they like in that I do to respond to it, but I believe that's what all great artists do. Not that I'm a great artist, but that's what they do and I try to find that tradition. Do you have any personal highlights on the new album?
I'm fed up with all of it at the moment. I've spent the last year of my life writing recording, mixing and mastering it so right now, although I'm very proud of it – I don't want to give the impression that I'm not – from a listening perspective it's very hard for me to be objective about it. I think it's the same with any musician or artist who has spent a long time working on something - you're almost too close to it to be objective about it. Are there any specific influences that shone through on the album, or is it purely Porcupine Tree?
As you get older and further into your career, the most important influence does tend to become your own history in a way - the mistakes you've made and how you don't want to repeat them, wanting to continue evolve and develop as an artist. My major influences when I was growing up, which are still very much part of my DNA, was '70s - progressive music, art rock, kraut rock. It was a great era for albums, which lasted pretty much for about 10 years between say 'Sgt. Pepper' and the beginning of punk rock, so you have that window between '67 and '77 when everything became about making the album as an art form. Of course in the last 30 years we've had the return of the dominance of the three minute pop song and how you can sell yourself in a three minute video or song, but I still come from the tradition of people who think about the album as a musical journey, a musical adventure. Have you ever come close to bowing to industry pressure and in turn compromising your sound?
Luckily, no. I think the reason is because I started off on a very small label that was specifically focussed on niche market music anyway, and the band proved itself on that level of being capable of attracting a fairly large audience, much bigger than anyone expected. So subsequently when we moved to major labels we were in a position to say look, this band already sell a lot of records, wouldn't you be really stupid to mess about with their sound, but hey, if you put more money into marketing then you could have a really big success here? Luckily most of the labels have taken that on board so we're in a very fortunate position where we deliver finished records to our record label and that's the first time they've ever heard them. At that point the label always have ideas about what's the single and the best way to market it but the important thing is that the music is made in a vacuum, in an uncompromised way. Is it fair to say that in Porcupine Tree most of the money is made touring, not through sales of music?
Most bands do these days I think. When you look at the decline in commercial music and certainly selling albums through retail, then you have to expect that touring bands that can sustain a long touring career will make a lot more money from that. Going to see a live experience or live concert is not something you can download or digitise, so in that sense bands that have been able to sustain themselves through touring are probably in a much better position to ride the so called death of commercial music. And that certainly seems to be case with us. We do very well on an international level - we don't fill stadiums in any country, but we can pretty much go to any country and play to two, three, four thousand people. We're very fortunate to be in that position. You play at a lot of big venues but in the mainstream you're largely unheard of. Does this bother you, or are you happy with it?
It's frustrating in a way not to have more mainstream recognition, but on the other hand mainstream recognition can be very fickle - you only have to look at the turnover of bands in the same mainstream, particularly in the UK press, to see that it's not always a great thing. Bands that were getting all the front covers in magazines five years ago have disappeared, likewise the bands of 10 years ago, or 15 years ago when we started. All the bands that were getting incredible accolades have all disappeared, stopped selling records and given up, so in that sense we've come in like a Trojan horse through the back door and gradually, piece by piece and mainly by word of mouth. Ultimately that seems to have been the best thing that could have happened for us in the sense that we don't have a fickle audience. People who have discovered our music have discovered it through word of mouth and that kind of thing and I think that means they're much less likely to lose interest in the band – it's as if they're part of an exclusive club. There are many bands like that over the years. Think of Grateful Dead in the USA, who had a massive following and were one of the biggest touring attractions in the world, yet mainstream media gave them virtually no attention whatsoever. They're part of that tradition, and it's something that seems to have given us more longevity than we might have had, let's put it that way. Do you think 'The Incident' will push Porcupine Tree closer to the mainstream?
I do wonder. The history of the band shows that the more wilfully obscure and the more self indulgent we get, the better we seem to do. The last record was pretty indulgent, pretty angry and a dark conceptual album and it was our best selling album. And this album in many ways is even more uncompromising, so we'll see if that trend continues. There certainly seems to be more buzz about the band than ever before, which is very gratifying but again it's not through design. I see similarities between Porcupine Tree and Dream Theater. [progressive metallers whose popularity has risen and risen despite having been around for 24 years]
There's another band that seems to be doing better than ever. I wonder if it's because a lot of the mainstream music scene is falling away a bit, and bands like us and Dream Theater are getting more attention because we are bands that can go out and play live, we are real musicians, it's not about the artifice, it's not about the image or the pop videos. It's about, in some ways, a very old fashioned model – we make an album and we tour, we make an album and we tour and we build up a fanbase that way. And it does seem to be a return to that model now, partly I think due to the impact of download culture, which again works very well for us. Have you felt a first-hand impact of the internet generation then?
Absolutely. It's one of those things where if we hadn't had the Internet in the last 10 years - or longer, I think there were fansites dedicated to the band in the mid '90s – if we had not had those ways of reaching new people, in other words people actually sharing their love of the band by setting up websites and sharing files, then I don't think I’d be sitting here speaking to you today. During that whole time we had no radio play and no support from the media, so the internet has been a great help to us. But at the same time I have to recognise that it is partly responsible for changing peoples listening habits, perhaps not in a good way. iPods for me, in terms of quality and the experience, are never going to match up to a beautifully mastered CD or vinyl on a good stereo at home. So although I'm ambivalent about iPods in that respect, I also have to recognise that more people are listening to more music than ever before – they're not paying for it, but at least they're listening to it, and music is ultimately there to be shared with as many people as possible, so that's got to be a good thing. Are you a musical perfectionist? You often release, for example, surround sound editions of the band's albums.
For me, a perfectionist is someone that's never happy, someone who will spend ten years making one record, and as you see I'm quite prolific - I release two or three ablums a year and have already released a solo album this year – so a perfectionist would never be able to maintain that degree of output. But what I am is someone who loves good sounding records. I'm very much an advocate for sonic quality in recorded music. I grew up loving great producers who could make beautiful sounding records that you could just lose yourself in, with all their textures and the atmosphere, and MP3s unfortunately render that in some ways a lost art - MP3s are a very nasty sonic standard. But as time goes on, I think what we'll see is MP3s disappearing. The need to compress audio will disappear because as internet speeds get faster and hard disk capacities get bigger and bigger, the need to compress audio files will disappear, so people will have full resolution files on their iPods instead of these little horrible compressed MP3s. So I think in time that quality issue will become probably irrelevant, and so people like me who really care about audio quality and sonic superiority will hopefully not have as much to get concerned about. So do you see a distinct connection between your music and art, cinema, etc?
Well I've always had a strong affinity with cinema. I particularly like European cinema – I'm not so crazy about Hollywood films, but I love European cinema and the idea of a slightly more surreal approach to narrative. Hollywood films tend to be all very neat and the plot is carefully laid out and everything ties nicely up in the end, but I love the more surreal, almost being inspired by dreams and taking the listener, or viewer in the case of cinema, on an unexpected journey and into areas that they didn't expect to go to. I've always liked music like that - something a little unexpected. Generic music does nothing for me, I don't like music that sounds like other music, I'm always looking for something that sounds different to anything I've heard before so in that sense I've always looked at cinema in particular and some of my favourite directors to give me ideas and inspire me. Is that reflected in your live shows and the band's visual back-drop?
The visual side is very important to us and always has been. When I'm writing the songs I'm always thinking in terms already of what's going to be on the screen and how can we present a visual interpretation of the song. I guess that comes from my love of the cinema. I've always felt sound and picture together is the strongest combination - stronger than either in their own right - so I guess it's the next logical step for me to try and move into soundtracks for movies or trying to write my own scripts, something which I've been doing recently.Chris Cope
More on: Porcupine Tree Hemel Hempstead progressive rock dynamos Porcupine Tree are gearing up for the release their new double CD album 'The Incident' on 14th September, which showcases a mammoth 55 minute title track. We caught up with their mainman Steven Wilson to share a few words on the band and their new release. For someone who hasn't heard of you, how would you describe your music and why should they listen to you?Well if you like the idea of a movie as an adventure - or reading a novel from beginning to end and being taken on a emotional trip – or the idea a journey through different sounds, textures, atmospheres and feelings, that's what Porcupine Tree is all about. We don't write ten pop songs and throw them together – not that there's any problem with that idea, but that's not what we do. We're more interested in this idea of the musical journey, Our albums are like movies in that way, or a great novel, so you're expected to engage in the music in a way perhaps that is a bit of a lost art these days - to sit down and listen to the record from beginning to end. How does 'The Incident' compare to your last album?
The last album, 'Fear Of A Blank Planet', was very much driven by the concept and its lyrics. It was very difficult to listen to that record without engaging in some the way with the ideas behind it, and I don't think that's true of this record - it's more about the music. Another difference is that it's conceived as a long song-cycle, so it is meant to be listened to from beginning to end in the way you'd read a book in that respects. But lyrically there's no narrative, no story to be told in that respect. The story is in the music. Was this shift in your approach to lyrics and music a conscious change?
I think it was a bit more organic than that. It was simply that I didn't necessarily have anything that I wanted to write about on this record whereas I did on the last one. I came to the decision early on that I wanted to set myself a challenge and do something a bit different - I didn't want to make another record in the same style. Are you worried this might alienate some fans?
I think if was worried about that then that's something a little creatively arresting. If you're always considering what your fans want, your record company want and what your manager wants, for me that's not the definition of a truly creative artist. An artist is someone in a way very selfish. I think all the great artists – painters, writers, film makers or musicians - one thing they have in common, or most of them anyway, is basically that they were very selfish about the way they made their art, and luckily, for whatever reason or not, they managed to connect to an audience. So you create music for yourself?
Well I think the definition of all good art is that it is created purely to satisfy the person who created it - it's almost like holding up a mirror. And you can hold up the mirror to the rest of the world and say, well, do you see yourself in that too? So far in my career I've been fairly lucky in that enough people have recognised enough of themselves or seen enough that they like in that I do to respond to it, but I believe that's what all great artists do. Not that I'm a great artist, but that's what they do and I try to find that tradition. Do you have any personal highlights on the new album?
I'm fed up with all of it at the moment. I've spent the last year of my life writing recording, mixing and mastering it so right now, although I'm very proud of it – I don't want to give the impression that I'm not – from a listening perspective it's very hard for me to be objective about it. I think it's the same with any musician or artist who has spent a long time working on something - you're almost too close to it to be objective about it. Are there any specific influences that shone through on the album, or is it purely Porcupine Tree?
As you get older and further into your career, the most important influence does tend to become your own history in a way - the mistakes you've made and how you don't want to repeat them, wanting to continue evolve and develop as an artist. My major influences when I was growing up, which are still very much part of my DNA, was '70s - progressive music, art rock, kraut rock. It was a great era for albums, which lasted pretty much for about 10 years between say 'Sgt. Pepper' and the beginning of punk rock, so you have that window between '67 and '77 when everything became about making the album as an art form. Of course in the last 30 years we've had the return of the dominance of the three minute pop song and how you can sell yourself in a three minute video or song, but I still come from the tradition of people who think about the album as a musical journey, a musical adventure. Have you ever come close to bowing to industry pressure and in turn compromising your sound?
Luckily, no. I think the reason is because I started off on a very small label that was specifically focussed on niche market music anyway, and the band proved itself on that level of being capable of attracting a fairly large audience, much bigger than anyone expected. So subsequently when we moved to major labels we were in a position to say look, this band already sell a lot of records, wouldn't you be really stupid to mess about with their sound, but hey, if you put more money into marketing then you could have a really big success here? Luckily most of the labels have taken that on board so we're in a very fortunate position where we deliver finished records to our record label and that's the first time they've ever heard them. At that point the label always have ideas about what's the single and the best way to market it but the important thing is that the music is made in a vacuum, in an uncompromised way. Is it fair to say that in Porcupine Tree most of the money is made touring, not through sales of music?
Most bands do these days I think. When you look at the decline in commercial music and certainly selling albums through retail, then you have to expect that touring bands that can sustain a long touring career will make a lot more money from that. Going to see a live experience or live concert is not something you can download or digitise, so in that sense bands that have been able to sustain themselves through touring are probably in a much better position to ride the so called death of commercial music. And that certainly seems to be case with us. We do very well on an international level - we don't fill stadiums in any country, but we can pretty much go to any country and play to two, three, four thousand people. We're very fortunate to be in that position. You play at a lot of big venues but in the mainstream you're largely unheard of. Does this bother you, or are you happy with it?
It's frustrating in a way not to have more mainstream recognition, but on the other hand mainstream recognition can be very fickle - you only have to look at the turnover of bands in the same mainstream, particularly in the UK press, to see that it's not always a great thing. Bands that were getting all the front covers in magazines five years ago have disappeared, likewise the bands of 10 years ago, or 15 years ago when we started. All the bands that were getting incredible accolades have all disappeared, stopped selling records and given up, so in that sense we've come in like a Trojan horse through the back door and gradually, piece by piece and mainly by word of mouth. Ultimately that seems to have been the best thing that could have happened for us in the sense that we don't have a fickle audience. People who have discovered our music have discovered it through word of mouth and that kind of thing and I think that means they're much less likely to lose interest in the band – it's as if they're part of an exclusive club. There are many bands like that over the years. Think of Grateful Dead in the USA, who had a massive following and were one of the biggest touring attractions in the world, yet mainstream media gave them virtually no attention whatsoever. They're part of that tradition, and it's something that seems to have given us more longevity than we might have had, let's put it that way. Do you think 'The Incident' will push Porcupine Tree closer to the mainstream?
I do wonder. The history of the band shows that the more wilfully obscure and the more self indulgent we get, the better we seem to do. The last record was pretty indulgent, pretty angry and a dark conceptual album and it was our best selling album. And this album in many ways is even more uncompromising, so we'll see if that trend continues. There certainly seems to be more buzz about the band than ever before, which is very gratifying but again it's not through design. I see similarities between Porcupine Tree and Dream Theater. [progressive metallers whose popularity has risen and risen despite having been around for 24 years]
There's another band that seems to be doing better than ever. I wonder if it's because a lot of the mainstream music scene is falling away a bit, and bands like us and Dream Theater are getting more attention because we are bands that can go out and play live, we are real musicians, it's not about the artifice, it's not about the image or the pop videos. It's about, in some ways, a very old fashioned model – we make an album and we tour, we make an album and we tour and we build up a fanbase that way. And it does seem to be a return to that model now, partly I think due to the impact of download culture, which again works very well for us. Have you felt a first-hand impact of the internet generation then?
Absolutely. It's one of those things where if we hadn't had the Internet in the last 10 years - or longer, I think there were fansites dedicated to the band in the mid '90s – if we had not had those ways of reaching new people, in other words people actually sharing their love of the band by setting up websites and sharing files, then I don't think I’d be sitting here speaking to you today. During that whole time we had no radio play and no support from the media, so the internet has been a great help to us. But at the same time I have to recognise that it is partly responsible for changing peoples listening habits, perhaps not in a good way. iPods for me, in terms of quality and the experience, are never going to match up to a beautifully mastered CD or vinyl on a good stereo at home. So although I'm ambivalent about iPods in that respect, I also have to recognise that more people are listening to more music than ever before – they're not paying for it, but at least they're listening to it, and music is ultimately there to be shared with as many people as possible, so that's got to be a good thing. Are you a musical perfectionist? You often release, for example, surround sound editions of the band's albums.
For me, a perfectionist is someone that's never happy, someone who will spend ten years making one record, and as you see I'm quite prolific - I release two or three ablums a year and have already released a solo album this year – so a perfectionist would never be able to maintain that degree of output. But what I am is someone who loves good sounding records. I'm very much an advocate for sonic quality in recorded music. I grew up loving great producers who could make beautiful sounding records that you could just lose yourself in, with all their textures and the atmosphere, and MP3s unfortunately render that in some ways a lost art - MP3s are a very nasty sonic standard. But as time goes on, I think what we'll see is MP3s disappearing. The need to compress audio will disappear because as internet speeds get faster and hard disk capacities get bigger and bigger, the need to compress audio files will disappear, so people will have full resolution files on their iPods instead of these little horrible compressed MP3s. So I think in time that quality issue will become probably irrelevant, and so people like me who really care about audio quality and sonic superiority will hopefully not have as much to get concerned about. So do you see a distinct connection between your music and art, cinema, etc?
Well I've always had a strong affinity with cinema. I particularly like European cinema – I'm not so crazy about Hollywood films, but I love European cinema and the idea of a slightly more surreal approach to narrative. Hollywood films tend to be all very neat and the plot is carefully laid out and everything ties nicely up in the end, but I love the more surreal, almost being inspired by dreams and taking the listener, or viewer in the case of cinema, on an unexpected journey and into areas that they didn't expect to go to. I've always liked music like that - something a little unexpected. Generic music does nothing for me, I don't like music that sounds like other music, I'm always looking for something that sounds different to anything I've heard before so in that sense I've always looked at cinema in particular and some of my favourite directors to give me ideas and inspire me. Is that reflected in your live shows and the band's visual back-drop?
The visual side is very important to us and always has been. When I'm writing the songs I'm always thinking in terms already of what's going to be on the screen and how can we present a visual interpretation of the song. I guess that comes from my love of the cinema. I've always felt sound and picture together is the strongest combination - stronger than either in their own right - so I guess it's the next logical step for me to try and move into soundtracks for movies or trying to write my own scripts, something which I've been doing recently.Chris Cope
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Altsounds.com Reviews | Porcupine Tree- The Incident
Yet another glowing review for (to borrow from Frank Zappa) "the best band you never heard in your life."
Are you a prog rocker?
Interesting little piece, authored by one of the few types of women who like prog....a musician.
For the initiated, it came to be known as prog rock, or progressive rock, and was first brought into popularity by bands like King Crimson, Yes and Emerson Lake and Palmer in the late 1960's. Later, many subsets were dispersed throughout the musical cosmos, such as space rock, neo-classical, art rock and Kraut rock.
What elements tie together the many family members of prog? For one thing, a total disregard for popular song structure. Also, a combination of rock, classical music, folk, jazz and occasionally world music. You can also expect extreme dynamics - ugly to beautiful, chaotic to enchanting ballad, thunderous to a barely audible hush.
So who listens to this crazy stuff? Kerry Gluckman of Ferndale, Michigan for one. The drummer of space rock band THTX owns a huge collection of music, much of which is comprised of progressive rock in all its many forms. He says he was attracted to the sound of the recordings, particularly the organs. "Anything with a mellotron gets my vote - definitely makes my atoms vibrate. I'll never forget the first time I heard In the Court of the Crimson King (King Crimson). I was transported to another time and place." We discussed why it's not for everyone. "I think it takes too much effort for most people. It's music that demands your attention - the level of musicianship, weird time signatures, the amount of notes. Too much statistical density, to quote Zappa." So what does he get out of listening to progressive rock? "I need a certain quota of notes every day to keep my interest in music, and prog provides that for me."
He goes on to describe a typical prog rocker as 45 years or older, going bald but refusing to cut the mullet or pulling what's left into a pony tail, and still wearing a 1991 Yes tour shirt that's been washed multiple times. Nine times out of ten, they probably don't have a wife or girlfriend. "Women and prog rock are like oil and water. I observed this at the Near Fest a few years ago, where out of 2,000 people 5% were women." Not that it's unheard of for a chick to enjoy listening to Thick as a Brick, but it just doesn't happen too often. "Perhaps it's like math," he theorizes.
Think you're a prog rocker or might be interested in exploring their music? Here are some bands to get you started and thinking in 7/8:
Originators: King Crimson, Yes, Jethro Tull
Neo-classic: Emerson, Lake & Palmer, The Nice
Kraut rock: Can, Amon Duul 2
Art rock: Gong, Genesis
Euro prog: Magma, Univers Zero, Art Zoyd
Afraid? Don't be. You never know until you try, and you can always go back to the usual verse/chorus/verse/chorus song structure whenever you feel like it. As with all musical preferences, the choice is up to you.
Thursday, September 03, 2009
Porcupine Tree Cause An 'Incident' At Terminal 5 Sept. 24
New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Shore Fire Media) - It's not often that a band will play their new album from start to finish in concert, but that is exactly what British art-rockers Porcupine Tree will do with 'The Incident' when they arrive at New York's Terminal 5 September 24th."A compelling album that's diverse and full of drama" (Mojo), 'The Incident' showcases the band's many strengths: exquisite melodies, instrumental virtuosity, and richly detailed paeans to madness, lost youth, and redemption.
Following the album playback, they'll dip into their extensive catalogue for the second half of the show.In concert, Porcupine Tree combine the volume and energy of Nine Inch Nails or TV on the Radio with the finely wrought melodic hooks of Radiohead. The Boston Herald praised their "unique gift for shifting sound dynamics [in] a mind-bending two-hour performance" at a recent show. With a devoted and diverse fan base, Porcupine Tree routinely sell out their U.S. theater tours.
Watch Porcupine Tree performing "Trains," their most-requested song, at the sold out Park West in Chicago here:
And watch the video for "Time Flies," the single from 'The Incident' here:
Porcupine Tree are Steven Wilson (guitar, vocals), Gavin Harrison (drums), Richard Barbieri (keyboards) and Colin Edwin (bass). John Wesley (guitar) joins the ensemble on tour.
Who: Porcupine Tree
What : The Incident album release show
When: September 24. Doors at 7, King's X at 8, Porcupine Tree at 9.
Where: Terminal 5 (610 w. 56th St. NY NY)
Tickets: $35/$40, http://www.terminal5nyc.com
via top40-charts.com
Three weeks from tonight!!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
Friday, August 07, 2009
Busted!
This dickwad decided he was going to pretend he was a car and drove in the left lane of a very congested Rt. 78 in NJ. He didn't even acknowledge the cop for about a mile. Finally, I got to witness a jackass getting pulled over. Nice!
Posted via email from FZDolfan's Posterous
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Saturday, August 01, 2009
From the Desk of David Pogue - Take Back the Beep Campaign
Last week, in The Times and on my blog, I've been ranting about one particularly blatant money-grab by U.S. cellphone carriers: the mandatory 15-second voicemail instructions.
Suppose you call my cell to leave me a message. First you hear my own voice: "Hi, it's David Pogue. Leave a message, and I'll get back to you"--and THEN you hear a 15-second canned carrier message.
* Sprint: "[Phone number] is not available right now. Please leave a detailed message after the tone. When you have finished recording, you may hang up, or press pound for more options."
* Verizon: "At the tone, please record your message. When you have finished recording, you may hang up, or press 1 for more options. To leave a callback number, press 5. (Beep)"
* AT&T: "To page this person, press five now. At the tone, please record your message. When you are finished, you may hang up, or press one for more options."
* T-Mobile: "Record your message after the tone. To send a numeric page, press five. When you are finished recording, hang up, or for delivery options, press pound."
(You hear a similar message when you call in to hear your own messages. "You. Have. 15. Messages. To listen to your messages, press 1." WHY ELSE WOULD I BE CALLING?)
I, the voicemailbox owner, cannot turn off this additional greeting message. You, the caller, can bypass it, but only if you know the secret keypress--and it's different for each carrier. So you'd have to know which cellphone carrier I use, and that of every person you'll ever call; in other words, this trick is no solution.
These messages are outrageous for two reasons. First, they waste your time. Good heavens: it's 2009. WE KNOW WHAT TO DO AT THE BEEP.
Do we really need to be told to hang up when we're finished!? Would anyone, ever, want to "send a numeric page?" Who still carries a pager, for heaven's sake? Or what about "leave a callback number?" We can SEE the callback number right on our phones!
Second, we're PAYING for these messages. These little 15-second waits add up--bigtime. If Verizon's 70 million customers leave or check messages twice a weekday, Verizon rakes in about $620 million a year. That's your money. And your time: three hours of your time a year, just sitting there listening to the same message over and over again every year.
In 2007, I spoke at an international cellular conference in Italy. The big buzzword was ARPU--Average Revenue Per User. The seminars all had titles like, "Maximizing ARPU In a Digital Age." And yes, several attendees (cell executives) admitted to me, point-blank, that the voicemail instructions exist primarily to make you use up airtime, thereby maximizing ARPU.
Right now, the carriers continue to enjoy their billion-dollar scam only because we're not organized enough to do anything about it. But it doesn't have to be this way. You don't have to sit there, waiting to leave your message, listening to a speech recorded by a third-grade teacher on Ambien.
Let's push back, and hard. We want those time-wasting, money-leaking messages eliminated, or at least made optional.
I asked my Twitter followers for help coming up with a war cry, a slogan, to identify this campaign. They came up with some good ones:
"Where's the Beep?"
"Let it Beep"
"We Know. Let's Go."
"Lose the Wait"
"My Voicemail, My Recording"
"Hell, no, we won't hold!"
My favorite, though, is the one that sounds like a call to action: "Take Back the Beep."
And here's how we're going to do it.
We're going to descend, en masse, on our carriers. Send them a complaint, politely but firmly. Together, we'll send them a LOT of complaints.
If enough of us make our unhappiness known, I'll bet they'll change.
I've told each of the four major carriers that they'll be hearing from us. They've told us where to send the messages:
* Verizon: Post a complaint here: http://bit.ly/FJncH.
* AT&T: Send e-mail to Mark Siegel, executive director of media relations: MS8460@att.com.
* Sprint: Post a complaint here: http://bit.ly/9CmrZ
* T-Mobile: Post a complaint here: http://bit.ly/2rKy0u
Three of the four carriers are just directing us to their general Web forums. Smells like a cop-out, I know. (As for AT&T: Props to the guy for letting me publish his e-mail address! Hope he knows what he's in for!)
Yet all four carriers promise that they'll read and consider our posts. And we have two things going for us.
First, I have a feeling that the volume of complaints will be too big for them to ignore. To that end, I hope you'll pass these instructions along, blog them, Twitter them, and spread the word. (Gizmodo, Consumerist and others have agreed to help out.) And I hope you'll take the time to complain yourself. Do it now, before you forget.
Second, we'll all be watching. I'll be reporting on the carriers' responses. If they ignore us, we'll shame them. If they respond, we'll celebrate them.
Either way, it's time to rise up. It's time for this crass, time-wasting money-grab to end for good.via nytimes.com
Sunday, July 26, 2009
When will George Lucas stop fisting me...??? An open letter to all...
Found this customer review for Star Wars BluRay on Amazon, and it's probably the best essay I've ever seen on an item. :-)
All I want in life is one simple thing:
The original Star Wars trilogy as seen in it's original theatrical release, in the best possible format technology will allow: BLU-RAY. That's it.
That means:
1- Take the original three films (SW, Empire, Jedi), do NOT change the story at all...don't add in new footage, cut old footage, change any story elements...don't make Greedo shoot first, Luke scream, Yoda dress in drag, Threepio with a gold metal boner, Jawas dancing around a campfire as they cook s'mores, Wampa enhancements, CGI-ing a Colt-45 bottle into Lando's hand, putting Jabba's fat sister in the same sexy outfit as Slave Leia, or ANYTHING other than what folks actually saw in the theatres the first time the films were released...
2- Take as clean-image print of the original films you can find and transfer it over to 1080P.
3- Take the sound and adjust it over to as high-def a format as you can without adding anything new, altering anything, etc, just mix it to sound as good as your studios can possibly get it to sound in my home theatre...ah ah ah...George...I see you starting to add new Ewok songs...stop right there and just do as I say...
4- Now add an extra disk in each package for bonus features such as "making of" documentary, director and actor's commentary, special effects features, and all the other material we buy on dvds from bootleggers at Comic-Con because you don't release them officially...
5- Release them NOW...not when my great grandchildren are having great grandchildren...I know you plan to release a different variation of the original Star Wars trilogy every 2 years and STILL never want to give the fans what they actually want (see #1-4 above), and plan to use your special effects team to turn your aging human body into a cyborg-hybrid-clone so you can live for 200 years or more all while you pull the same cruel tease to your fans every 2 years...but just this once George...JUST...THIS...ONCE...remove your fist from my rectum (is my prostate okay?), and do the right thing...give the fans the ONE version of the trilogy that they want to buy...
...and if you do this for us, we'll cancel our plans for the geek-raid on Skywalker Ranch in Star Wars costumes that we have planned...and we're not going to bathe before the raid George...just imagine...500,000 pimple-faced-overweight-unbathed nerds walking around your property in stormtrooper armor and ewok suits...it'll be just like Comic-Con...
So please do the right thing for us just this once George...the fans will thank you, Amazon will thank you, and in one fell swoop, you'll be helping the nation's sagging economy with a sudden massive influx of consumer cash that will suddenly be spent...Obama will thank you too...
thanks,
JONATHAN MANKUTA (TV/Film actor, voiceover artist, producer, comic geek)
When will George Lucas stop fisting me...??? An open letter to all..., February 19, 2009
| By | JONATHAN MANKUTA (Hollywood, CA United States) - See all my reviews |
The original Star Wars trilogy as seen in it's original theatrical release, in the best possible format technology will allow: BLU-RAY. That's it.
That means:
1- Take the original three films (SW, Empire, Jedi), do NOT change the story at all...don't add in new footage, cut old footage, change any story elements...don't make Greedo shoot first, Luke scream, Yoda dress in drag, Threepio with a gold metal boner, Jawas dancing around a campfire as they cook s'mores, Wampa enhancements, CGI-ing a Colt-45 bottle into Lando's hand, putting Jabba's fat sister in the same sexy outfit as Slave Leia, or ANYTHING other than what folks actually saw in the theatres the first time the films were released...
2- Take as clean-image print of the original films you can find and transfer it over to 1080P.
3- Take the sound and adjust it over to as high-def a format as you can without adding anything new, altering anything, etc, just mix it to sound as good as your studios can possibly get it to sound in my home theatre...ah ah ah...George...I see you starting to add new Ewok songs...stop right there and just do as I say...
4- Now add an extra disk in each package for bonus features such as "making of" documentary, director and actor's commentary, special effects features, and all the other material we buy on dvds from bootleggers at Comic-Con because you don't release them officially...
5- Release them NOW...not when my great grandchildren are having great grandchildren...I know you plan to release a different variation of the original Star Wars trilogy every 2 years and STILL never want to give the fans what they actually want (see #1-4 above), and plan to use your special effects team to turn your aging human body into a cyborg-hybrid-clone so you can live for 200 years or more all while you pull the same cruel tease to your fans every 2 years...but just this once George...JUST...THIS...ONCE...remove your fist from my rectum (is my prostate okay?), and do the right thing...give the fans the ONE version of the trilogy that they want to buy...
...and if you do this for us, we'll cancel our plans for the geek-raid on Skywalker Ranch in Star Wars costumes that we have planned...and we're not going to bathe before the raid George...just imagine...500,000 pimple-faced-overweight-unbathed nerds walking around your property in stormtrooper armor and ewok suits...it'll be just like Comic-Con...
So please do the right thing for us just this once George...the fans will thank you, Amazon will thank you, and in one fell swoop, you'll be helping the nation's sagging economy with a sudden massive influx of consumer cash that will suddenly be spent...Obama will thank you too...
thanks,
JONATHAN MANKUTA (TV/Film actor, voiceover artist, producer, comic geek)
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Porcupine Tree - Meantime
Just listened to this, and I gotta say that not only is it cheerful sounding (while actually being about as cheerful as Drown With Me), but it sounds nothing like Porcupine Tree. It's more of a Steven Wilson acoustic piece. I would have never been able to guess what sessions this was from.
That being said...I love it!
That being said...I love it!
Porcupine Tree - Meantime
Deemed too cheerful by half to take its place on the otherwise dark In Absentia album, this track was later pitched (unsuccessfully) to film production companies. Written by SW, and recorded at Avatar Studios, New York during the IA album sessions.
This download is available as a FLAC download only.
Monday, July 20, 2009
STEVEN WILSON (PORCUPINE TREE) TALKS ABOUT 'TIME FLIES' - Roadrunner Records UK
PORCUPINE TREE are currently working on the first video from their upcoming album THE INCIDENT with director Lasse Hoile, which will be for the track Time Flies- the central part to the opening 55 minute track of the album.
In the video interview below, Steven fills us in on what 'Time Flies' is all about, the vibe in the studio during it's recording and what Lasse plans for the video.
Click on the player below to see the interview and head back here on JULY 31st to hear the track in the full, right here on Roadrunner UK.
Last week we revealed a 'sampler' of the first track off the album. If you missed that, head HERE to have a listen and read some first impressions of the album from the recent listening session in London.
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VIDEO!Tuesday, July 14, 2009
STREAM NEW PORCUPINE TREE, CHECK OUT FAN REVIEWS
New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ RoadRunner Records) - You can now stream a medley of several songs from Porcupine Tree's upcoming album, The Incident, due out this September. Recently, the band played the album to key media and some competition winners. We asked some of the attending competition winners if they would be willing to write up thier thoughts on the new record and they were only too happy to oblige.
Here are two of our favorite write-ups:
Just how do you describe a listening experience like that which I have been privy to? A musical movement that carries your emotions along through its monstrous highs and languid depths, one which captivates your from that first chord to the fading out of its last - some 55 minutes later, and one which you wish you could relive over again. Just how do you describe that to someone? Well, let's start by telling you just what that listening experience was... for those that have yet to guess, I'm of course referring to Porcupine Tree's latest opus, The Incident.
I can't attest to being a 'massive' prog fan. I own no Pink Floyd, and not much Genesis or Rush. But I hasten to point out that I do know good music when I hear it, and PT have ticked all those boxes for me in the past: awesome sonic soundscapes created with utter mastery of music and melody. When I heard on the grapevine that they were planning a 55 minute song I was excited, and couldn't wait to see how this was interpreted and realised in the final product... and yesterday, I had my chance.
To some, I'm sure the '55 minute running time' is a bit off-putting - just how can a song last that long? To a dedicated PT fan, this is a salivating proposition, but to a 'normal' music fan? 'Daunting' is the word I'd use. Let's set things straight here - this is no Catch 33 by Meshuggah (another epically long 'song' put out a couple of years ago). For me, that particular album dragged and a lot of the rhythms wore thin after a short while. Porcupine Tree have crafted an album that seems like it's over in an instant, but is massively Moorish - more-so than crack to a desperate junkie. What makes this passage of time so speedy is how the 'song cycle' (to quote Mr. Wilson) blends seamlessly and really does take the listener on an emotional journey. Ideas and themes re-emerge before giving way to the next inspirational idea. It really was a captivating listen that I wish I could replay, but sadly is one I cannot.
So, what can you expect? You've definitely got a PT album on your hands, and one which really explores the depths of what the band is, and it really does bring out the best in them. I would love to say of the 'Floyd' influences... but, as I've already attested to, I'm no 'Prog-maestro', so a comment such as that would be futile from myself. Essentially, if you're a PT fan you're going to simply love the exquisite production values (5.1 mix especially!) and the attention to detail you've come to love and adore from the band. I can honestly say that I've not heard an album that makes me sit up and think 'wow, this is special' for quite some time now, well, if we were to eradicate Mastodon's Crack The Skye from my memory anyway. But what for the non-PT fans, and the curious listener? If you appreciate music, whether from the current roster of 'rockstars' or from yesteryear, then there really is something here that demands your attention. Much like that first taste of love, you'll be back for more.
Just wait until you hear the haunting chanted chorus of 'Octane Twisted', or the mournful tale of loss in 'Time Flies'. Also, who'd have thought that a song about a motorway accident ('The Incident') could be so insightful and beautiful? And there-in lies the solution to my initial question: how do you describe what I've heard? Beautiful. It's a savage, raw and untamed beauty - much like the natural world that surrounds us: for every moment of peace and tranquillity, there is turmoil and upheaval. The listener truly is taken on a ride lyrically and musically, and invited into Steven Wilson's world for 55 minutes.
I, for one, just wish I was back there in that world. Lamentably I'll have to wait until mid-September to once again hear those blissful sounds when I pick up the album, and I suggest that you do the same.
~ AARON EVERITT
Occam's Razor is an instrumental that begins with alternating crashing and gentle acoustic guitars before moving into a cave-like space and calm before climbing out with spiral guitar riffing before leading straight into the vocals of The Blind House. This is a lovely clean song, beautifully produced again moving forward as if swimming and then again into some marvellous rhythms and riffs to finish. Great Expectations follows, which is a very short piece, very minimal with some beautiful guitar work. Already I was bowled over by the shear range of PT's music, so much contrast in what is essentially one track with many movements. Track 4, Kneel and Disconnect had a greater presence of keyboards and what sounded like a xylophone and to me had some real King Crimson overtones. This moved on to Drawing the Line which is probably the most different track of them all, it is difficult to put a finger on exactly why, especially after only one listen but suffice to say that it could really grow one me with time.
The Incident starts in a very similar vein to the material from Fear of a Blank Planet, PT's last album, with many whispers, spoken vocals, industrial tension and distorted vocals and guitars. I loved the way the last phrase is repeated over and over at the end of the track before moving into Your Unpleasant Family which despite the name has some very definite Beatles' influences. Steve really hits the high notes on this one. The Yellow Windows of the Evening Train is a really contrasting track which has overtones of Sigur Ros to start and then it slides into probably the definitive track of the album, Time Flies. This is clearly a nod to the music of Pink Floyd though still very much PT at heart. It reminded me a lot of the Album Animals with brilliant bass riffs and some superb guitar work. A real masterpiece!
The next two tracks, Degree Zero of Liberty and Octane Twisted, could not be more different to Time Flies. Much harder and riffy, a slight oriental feel from the former and very Opeth from the latter. That said as for all PT material the mixing is incredible and the contrast between the heavy industrial riffs and the quiet spaces is amazing. For me I think Octane Twisted is my second favourite of the album. Then before you can draw breath The Seance starts which in stark contrast takes one back almost to the time of Stupid Dream, before plunging back into Circle of Manias which has could be compared with some of the heavier material from the In Absentia album. The track stops abruptly moving into silence for a second or so before gentle vocals take us into the final and quite beautiful track, I Drive the Hearse. Colin plays a lovely fretless bass and the melody is not as sad as the title suggests. A fitting end to in my opinion is a brilliant album.
There is amazing contrast, light and shade but the production is incredible and everyone in the band is able to shine. My only worry will be how this will be played live as there will be a lot of equipment changes and Steve is going to need to keep his vocal chords in good working order.
After having only listened to this once, I know I am going to listen to it again and again and again. The only thing is that I am going to have to wait until September until that happens!!
~ EWAN KELLAR
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