Porcupine Tree - Deadwing
Porcupine Tree
Deadwing
Lava/Atlantic 2005
Porcupine Tree are odd. Really odd. In a good way mostly. Started by frontman and guitarist Steve Wilson as a sideproject (his main focus initially being his duet with Tim Bowness known as no-Man), it eventually morphed into his most high profile gig. Maybe rightfully so.
PT is lumped into the resurrected prog-rock camp, and by all accounts this is not an incorrect label. The fact that while there are certain tendencies --concept albums, long tracks, technically intricate musicianship-- put them squarely in that realm, they also lack the self-absorbed pretension and megalomaniacal elitism so endemic to the prog and prog-metal camps. They just kind of do their own thing. Rightfully so.
Deadwing marks a bit of a return to some of the pastoral tendencies of their earlier works, and marries it to the metal-tinged bombast of their major label debut In Absentia. Deadwing is their most well crafted release to date. And while it is arguably their best musically since Lightbulb Sun, lyrically it is quite patchy, with the title track being a particular lowpoint in the bands entire catalog. It is the first album where I think we finally get to hear the full contributions of keyboardist Richard Barbieri (yes, the Richard Barbieri, formerly of new romantics Japan)* whose use of analog synths exclusively makes for an ethereal, warm fullness atypical and seemingly at odds with the norm and is the lynchpin to the lushness in tracks like Halo and throughout various segues in the 12 minute opus Arriving Somewhere But Not Here. Gavin Harrison provides some of the most visceral drumming of his career, and certainly removed from his work with Incognito, and Level 42. It bears a striking resemblance to some of the artier collabrations he has done with Jakko Jaczysyk, only heavier and noisier. This is particularly evident on Glass Arm Shattering and Open Car. There is also some guest stunt guitar by Adrian Belew (King Crimson, Zappa, Talking Heads), which is always welcome.
Wilson himself provides both the strongest and weakest aspects upfront. His compositional tendencies and arrangements musically are impeccable, and his guitar playing is in fine form (his time spent producing Opeth seems to have left a strong influence on his own playing) but a few times seems to fall into nu-metal riffland. His vocals, which are functional if not overly distinct, are singing sometimes dreadful lyrics. He is capable of crafting better (and his back catalog proves this out) and didn't, and is only saved by the fact that the melodies are still interesting and inventive, and the surrounding sonic backdrop works. In the end though, the weaknesses do not kill off the strengths, and we have an album that mixes psychedelic space rock with metal, art-pop, folk and anything offbeat and inventive left in the kitchen sink into a quirky patchwork quilt of sound. It works. Rightfully so.
* Japan, outside of being a country in Asia, was also the name of one of the UK's greatest early 80s bands. It's four members (Barbieri, David Sylvian, Mick Karn, Steve Jansen) would go on to do a slew of avant-pop and fusion experiments in various configurations, a well as work with Robert Fripp, Holger Czukay, David Torn, Terry Bozzio, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Pete Townsend, Kate Bush, h (of Marillion), and many others.
Deadwing
Lava/Atlantic 2005
Porcupine Tree are odd. Really odd. In a good way mostly. Started by frontman and guitarist Steve Wilson as a sideproject (his main focus initially being his duet with Tim Bowness known as no-Man), it eventually morphed into his most high profile gig. Maybe rightfully so.
PT is lumped into the resurrected prog-rock camp, and by all accounts this is not an incorrect label. The fact that while there are certain tendencies --concept albums, long tracks, technically intricate musicianship-- put them squarely in that realm, they also lack the self-absorbed pretension and megalomaniacal elitism so endemic to the prog and prog-metal camps. They just kind of do their own thing. Rightfully so.
Deadwing marks a bit of a return to some of the pastoral tendencies of their earlier works, and marries it to the metal-tinged bombast of their major label debut In Absentia. Deadwing is their most well crafted release to date. And while it is arguably their best musically since Lightbulb Sun, lyrically it is quite patchy, with the title track being a particular lowpoint in the bands entire catalog. It is the first album where I think we finally get to hear the full contributions of keyboardist Richard Barbieri (yes, the Richard Barbieri, formerly of new romantics Japan)* whose use of analog synths exclusively makes for an ethereal, warm fullness atypical and seemingly at odds with the norm and is the lynchpin to the lushness in tracks like Halo and throughout various segues in the 12 minute opus Arriving Somewhere But Not Here. Gavin Harrison provides some of the most visceral drumming of his career, and certainly removed from his work with Incognito, and Level 42. It bears a striking resemblance to some of the artier collabrations he has done with Jakko Jaczysyk, only heavier and noisier. This is particularly evident on Glass Arm Shattering and Open Car. There is also some guest stunt guitar by Adrian Belew (King Crimson, Zappa, Talking Heads), which is always welcome.
Wilson himself provides both the strongest and weakest aspects upfront. His compositional tendencies and arrangements musically are impeccable, and his guitar playing is in fine form (his time spent producing Opeth seems to have left a strong influence on his own playing) but a few times seems to fall into nu-metal riffland. His vocals, which are functional if not overly distinct, are singing sometimes dreadful lyrics. He is capable of crafting better (and his back catalog proves this out) and didn't, and is only saved by the fact that the melodies are still interesting and inventive, and the surrounding sonic backdrop works. In the end though, the weaknesses do not kill off the strengths, and we have an album that mixes psychedelic space rock with metal, art-pop, folk and anything offbeat and inventive left in the kitchen sink into a quirky patchwork quilt of sound. It works. Rightfully so.
* Japan, outside of being a country in Asia, was also the name of one of the UK's greatest early 80s bands. It's four members (Barbieri, David Sylvian, Mick Karn, Steve Jansen) would go on to do a slew of avant-pop and fusion experiments in various configurations, a well as work with Robert Fripp, Holger Czukay, David Torn, Terry Bozzio, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Pete Townsend, Kate Bush, h (of Marillion), and many others.
posted by theloniusfunk at 1:49 AM
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