STEVEN WILSON

Steven Wilson, likely the biggest individual name in the current world of prog, returns with his sixth solo album. After making a name for himself with his longtime prog metal/rock band, Porcupine Tree, he struck out on a solo career (which I've documented here) that has tacked increasingly poppy over his last few releases.

Wilson had commented that he currently does not feel inspired when playing guitar, and his continued gravitation toward synthesizers is evident on The Future Bites. I have to give him kudos for following his musical heart and not kowtowing to prog traditionalists demanding another Deadwing or Hand. Cannot. Erase. I really respect him for broadening his horizons and playing what he wants to play. I wish more artists had that sort of integrity and adventurous spirit.

However, a good attitude will only get you so far. You still need to write good, engaging music. Ulver is the clearest parallel to Wilson's career trajectory. After starting out as raw, kvlt black metal, that Norwegian duo shifted to making some top-notch electronica and synthpop. Unlike Ulver, Steven Wilson's chops as a pop songwriter are iffy, at best.

Many of the songs on this album have sparse arrangements which put his vocals front-and-center. Wilson has a nice voice, but it's more suited to rock or contemplative folk than pop. He lacks the power and oomph you need for something as bombastic as some of these disco-inspired tracks. He heavily leans on falsetto delivery on TFB, and his falsetto simply is not that good.

The lyrical content is something of a continuation of what was on Fear of a Blank Planet: wariness surrounding technology and a fear that people are growing too isolated. While that's a good subject to tackle, it's tough to do well without coming off like some hackneyed boomer-humor-type "phone bad" commentary. Plus, Steven, don't you think it's a bit hypocritical to put out an anti-consumerism album and then turn around and offer expensive limited-edition box sets?

TFB continues to demonstrate his skill as a producer, though. Divorced from the quality of the songwriting, the sounds themselves are very nice and work well together. The volume and textures are balanced.

After a brief, lonely-sounding intro track, "Self" isn't a bad way to kick things off. It's not particularly good, but it's not bad. The verses sound like something that was scrapped during the Deadwing sessions; it bears similarities to "Halo" off that record. The chorus, though, fails to grab any attention, and the melody's not memorable.

"King Ghost", on the other hand, is bad. The moody opening synths again feel like a Deadwing outtake, and this is the first time we hear Wilson deploy his falsetto on this record. Everything comes off as thin and strained, and the musical backing is too light. It's fluff upon fluff, which results in auditory cotton candy.

The next song?"12 Things I Forgot"?might be the worst goddamn thing Steven Wilson has ever recorded. This is one of only a couple songs to feature prominent guitar, and perhaps not coincidentally, it sounds deeply uninspired. This falls somewhere between Christian rock and Roger Waters's solo material. Generic is the best descriptor I can give this song.

The music video for "Eminent Sleaze" showcases Wilson's shallow, latter-season-Black-Mirror-style commentary, and the music doesn't do much to improve upon it. Parts of this sound like a weaker version of "Have a Cigar", and the Middle Eastern-inspired strings and percussion feel incongruous against Western instrumentation and beats. On the plus side, it has an interesting jagged, halting guitar solo that I like a lot.

"Man of the People" continues with its allusions to Roger Waters's work, this time "Welcome to the Machine". Though the allusion is brief, there is a momentary jab of dark, pulsing synth paired alongside acoustic guitar, which feels almost like a rip-off. Beyond that, most of this song is dull, acoustic soft rock that uses too much falsetto.

The nearly-10-minute "Personal Shopper" features some of the most driving, engaging, and fun music on all of TFB, but this is also one of the most maddeningly repetitious things I've heard in a long time. The dark, pulsing synths of the opening lead into a segment which reminds me of Ozric Tentacles' recent electronic experiments. Wilson again over-relies on his falsetto during the verses, but the chorus has good impact. However, this verse-chorus structure quickly wears itself out, and by about four minutes in, I was looking at my watch. After a bit of ambience and narration (provided by Elton John), there's an unnecessary reprise of the chorus, but Wilson delivers another notably odd guitar solo full of squealing, atonal stutters.

"Follower" is probably my favorite song on the album, and even that is a mixed bag. The opening percussion sounds like a minimalist post-punk composition, but the sparse arrangement once more emphasizes how un-robust Wilson's voice is. It's not weak, but he can't really belt it out or command the listener's attention. After about two minutes of unimpressive power-pop, though, the song improves markedly. Warm synths and piano tones remind me of Klaatu, and I really enjoy the diversity of this song's second half.

The Future Bites ends on "Count of Unease", a weak retread of some of his past gentle piano pieces. "Collapse the Light into Earth" is the clearest comparison, but this song suffers from severe aimlessness. Aside from some dramatic piano chords in the middle, this track is too wispy and ethereal.

TFB is about what I expected. It's the logical culmination of Steven Wilson's recent proclivities, and I can't say I love it. I admire him for steadfastly doing what he, as an artist, wants to do. But the result is half-baked, shallow, and unremarkable.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2021/02/08/album-review-steven-wilson-the-future-bites/

Steven Wilson's next album was 2017's To the Bone. He'd never been shy about incorporating pop elements into his music, and he was open from the get-go that this would be his poppiest release to date. It's mostly smart pop-rock, but it's unimpressive. Song structures are predictable, instrumentation is pretty standard, and accessibility appears to have been a prime concern.

To the Bone isn't the flaming trainwreck I'd feared it would be (though the same can't be said of its artwork; whose idea was this album cover?), but it isn't particularly interesting. It doesn't offer much for those of us who most enjoy Porcupine Tree's late '90s and '00s material. Wilson has proven he can write interesting music with good pop hooks and conventional structures, but when he writes a whole album exclusively in that style, he seems to run thin on material. I acknowledge I am an outlier in the intensity of my distaste for this album. I'd never thought I'd use the word anodyne to describe Wilson's music, but that descriptor applies to an awful lot of the tracks here.

Wilson's pop album isn't all bad. There are a few good songs on it, but it should be noted that there are no really good songs on it. "The Same Asylum as Before" has some interesting moments, despite passages that remind one of churchy acoustic guitar music. "Permanating" is my favorite track on the album, partially because it's the place where Wilson most thoroughly dropped his pretension and made a straight pop-rock cut. He didn't try to pull any of his aren't-I-clever(-and-sad) moves and put out a direct piece of piano-pop. "People Who Eat Darkness" and "Detonation" are the most reminiscent of his past output and as such, are other highlights for me.

Most songs on To the Bone, though, follow the mold of songs like "Pariah", "Song of Unborn", and "Refuge". They're slow, bland ballads that take far too long to get going, if they do so at all.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2019/11/24/deep-dive-porcupine-tree-steven-wilson/

If The Raven that Refused to Sing was Steven Wilson embracing many tropes of classic progressive rock, then his fourth solo album, 2015's Hand. Cannot. Erase. is him wallowing in them. The nods to giants of the genre are blatant enough to be distracting. This album is Wilson's first release since the early-to-mid-90s that I would describe as derivative or uncreative. Hints at his future pop direction are evident on a few tracks as well. This release is also where I break most strongly from critical consensus, judging by the Metacritic score. (An aggregate of 89? Really?)

"Three Years Older", the second song on the album (following a brief instrumental intro), is my favorite here. It draws heavy-handed inspiration from Yes and is enjoyable overall. But where "Luminol", another very Yes-ish song, had significant dashes of Steven Wilson's unique style, this cut lacks it almost entirely.

Following this track are the two lead singles off the album. They're also the two worst songs on the album by a wide margin. The title track is bland power pop, and "Perfect Life" is dull-as-dirt trip hop topped with flat narration in its first half and underwhelming vocals from Wilson in its second half.

"Routine" is enjoyable as I listen to it, but I struggle to remember specifics about it once it's done. Except for guest vocalist Ninet Tayeb, though that's mostly because I don't like her voice. "Home Invasion" is one of the stronger songs on the album. It's one of few tracks that sounds uniquely Wilsonian, with its mad, jazzy electric piano and biting guitar lines.

"Ancestral" is another highlight. Wilson's use of electronics and violin in the opening lend it distinct character. Some instrumental moments come off as overwrought, rather than genuinely dramatic, but it's an overall effective suite that sees Steven Wilson veer into metal for the first time since The Incident.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2019/11/24/deep-dive-porcupine-tree-steven-wilson/

Grace for Drowning was followed in 2013 by The Raven that Refused to Sing (and Other Stories). The Raven that Refused to Sing is a fantastic album. However, I find it funny that Steven Wilson so fully embraced many of the tropes of classic progressive rock on this album, considering his derision of the term. He's called the phrase progressive rock "the p-word" and nearly goes into apoplexy if it's used to describe his music.

"Luminol" opens The Raven the Refused to Sing with a bang. It's an extremely Yes-like opening, with its Chris Squire-inspired (in-Squired?) bassline and lush Mellotrons. Steven Wilson's first vocal lines are also reminiscent of Jon Anderson's first (wordless) notes on "Close to the Edge". The song's middle section is more standard fare for Wilson: gently strummed guitar and personal lyrics, though the flute and piano demonstrate that the jazz touches are still here.

"Drive Home" is something of a mix of new and old Porcupine Tree sounds. It's got the melodicism of their late '90s output while channeling some earlier spacey elements, particularly in the closing guitar solo. "The Holy Drinker", meanwhile, continues Steven Wilson's King Crimson kick. Oppressive, jazzy, dissonant textures dominate the song's first few minutes, though the verses are surprisingly poppy.

The title track closes the album. The song sounds heartbroken, desperate, and lonely; but it's gorgeous. Wilson cranked up his usual sadness to eleven here, particularly in the first half. Beneath this mood though, hints of hope shine through. The music is deeply affecting, and this is absolutely one of Wilson's highlights as a songwriter.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2019/11/24/deep-dive-porcupine-tree-steven-wilson/

Steven Wilson followed Insurgentes with Grace for Drowning in 2011, a huge double album that saw him branching off in some directions Porcupine Tree never took. Most notably, there is a not-insignificant amount of jazz flavor present. (Jazz in Porcupine Tree's music never went beyond brief interludes and the occasional flourish.) Wind instruments like flute, sax, and clarinet are common over the course of this album. Wilson stated in an interview that one of the members of Porcupine Tree (he didn't say who) was not a fan of jazz and would veto most attempts to include it.

"Sectarian" has many of Wilson's trademarks. It's a dark instrumental based around an uneven guitar riff, with dramatic Mellotron effects, squealing sax, and extreme dynamic shifts. "Deform to Form a Star" is one of the most uplifting things the famously-gloomy Steven Wilson has ever recorded, and "Remainder the Black Dog" has a looming, evil atmosphere that would have been at home on a King Crimson record. "Index" is Wilson's best-realized integration of electronic and rock music.

The clear star of Grace for Drowning, though, is the 23-minute "Raider II". Opening with somber piano and clarinet underpinning Wilson's softly-muttered vocals, it suddenly explodes with Mellotron, saxophone, and crashing drums. Jordan Rudess of Dream Theater provides piano on this song, and though I often lambaste him for his masturbatory instrumental tendencies, I think this demonstrates that the environment in Dream Theater is what fosters that impulse. His playing is masterful in its transitions between rock and jazz orientation. The rest of the song veers from high-octane arpeggiated riffs to mellow, jazzy atmospherics, to chaotic King Crimson-esque dramatics.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2019/11/24/deep-dive-porcupine-tree-steven-wilson/

Steven Wilson's solo career began before Porcupine Tree's disbandment, in 2008, with the release of Insurgentes. Compared to Porcupine Tree's output, Insurgentes is more rooted in alt-rock than metal, and there's a greater electronic footprint. It's got some weird, dissonant moments mixed in among the more traditional song structures.

Insurgentes is fine. Not an awful lot stands out, and its second half drags at points. This collection of songs feels like a rough draft of a Porcupine Tree album that needed some workshopping. Wilson had always been the band's lead songwriter, but the other members did contribute, and that lack of outside input probably hampered the development of a lot of the songs here.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2019/11/24/deep-dive-porcupine-tree-steven-wilson/

Though the preceding To the Bone saw Steven Wilson pivoting from a prog revivalist approach to something more akin to the progressive pop of crossover artists like Peter Gabriel or Kate Bush, even that couldn't have prepared listeners for the left turn into full-on synthpop offered up on The Future Bites.

In retrospect, the logic behind this has become somewhat clearer. It would have been around now that the gradual, careful sessions for the Porcupine Tree reunion album Closure/Continuation would have been coming to fruition - so with his old outlet for his prog instincts coming back into service, Wilson was freed up to concentrate on other musical inspirations in his solo career.

Impeccably produced as always, this isn't cheap, sleazy, straightforward synthpop either - it's spacey, tripped-out, paranoid, and out-of-left-field synthpop which adventurerous listeners will find a lot to like in, and which sounds absolutely bang up to date and modern. If you genuinely only find Steven Wilson interesting when he's being retro, then you'll probably not be took keen on this. On the other hand, if "Steven does synthwave" sounds like a thing that would appeal, then you are in for a serious treat - and for my part, I'm in the latter camp.

Hello fellow music lovers. To the bone remains among my favourite S.W albums along. There is a lot of criticism I've noticed regarding this album, maybe it's not for prog purity?

The opening title track has an absolutely great groove and a really excellent bridge going through to a unpredictable ending. What's there not to love about it, solid groove, solid rhythm, big fat drums/guitars and progressive enough.

Yes there are a couple of pop style tracks on here which is sure not to please prog purists (however the concept behind those songs are great) I like to consider our crowd pretty open minded with a love for good music, if not there's 7 other pretty strong tracks including same asylum as before, detonation and song of unborn which has a KILLER breakdown solo part mid way through which really developes in intensity. The amazing guitar solo I think was played by Dave kilminster.

While this album isn't the quintessential masterpiece, it's still a fine album. To the bone in my view demonstrates the pinnacle of audio recording quality and exhibits some of the finest vocal harmonies (nowhere now, same asylum as before) drum and guitar sounds out there and remains one of my reference records along side lightbulb sun and a king of blue from miles Davis.

I think it's a great listen with a nice diversity of track swhich is best consumed in 1 whole session so the succession of tracks, the track segues and concept is more coherent, like all Steven Wilson/ Porcupine Tree albums.

Home Invasion would be Steven Wilson's first solo live album since Get All You Deserve, which was recorded at the tail end of the Grace For Drowning tour. Home Invasion takes in a show from the To the Bone tour, and incorporates both solo material (with welcome live outings for choice cuts from his solo albums from that album back as far as The Raven That Refused To Sing; by comparison, material from Insurgentes and Grace For Drowning is given a rest this time, and Wilson's band also tackle a few choice Porcupine Tree pieces.

This takes in a span of Wilson's career ranging from the highly progressive to the more art rock/pop-oriented; the live set ends up leaning towards the progressive, but Wilson takes the opportunity to speak in defence of pop and decry music snobbery and play some more accessible numbers midway through the set as well, and they feel like a welcome palette-cleanser between the more progressive and darker sections of the setlist. The end result is a set which encapsulates the full breadth of Wilson's solo work, and another fine live release.

Sure, Steven Wilson's To The Bone is pop - but Peter Gabriel made pop, Kate Bush made pop, Brian Eno and David Byrne made pop, even Robert Fripp has been known to dabble in the form from time to time.

To The Bone is very much an entry in the same tradition as the progressive pop/art rock output of such artists, and Wilson applies himself to the form adeptly. After all, hasn't he been in this sort of territory before? Late 1990s Porcupine Tree and No-Man have their pop aspects, after all. If all pop music were like this, then top 40 radio would be a much more pleasant experience - but really, the album more or less lands on the art rock side of the art rock/pop divide if it resides anywhere.

If you think Wilson has no business doing anything but putting out 20-minute long jazz-prog explorations like Raider II from Grace For Drowning (with perhaps some breaks allowed to remix a few classic 1970s prog albums), then sure, this isn't going to be for you. If, on the other hand, you enjoyed the lighter moments of Porcupine Tree - or, for that matter, the man's own solo career! - then this isn't going to be a shocking departure so much as it is a return to a corner of his creative garden he goes back to from time to time. The end result isn't earthshaking, but it is rather lovely.