Steven Wilson S/D (Porcupine Tree, No-Man, Blackfield, the mixing desk, etc.)

I really liked the last LP and EP but this isn't doing anything for me yet

Listening to the Raven
Pretty impressed, had no idea anyone still made capital P prog like this,but also it doesn't completely feel like a retro throwback, there are modern elements

nothing epic like "the watchmaker" on this but intriguing first listen nonetheless

new album is #1 on the UK charts, congrats man

It was number 1 mid-week, but finished at 3 in the final count today, which is pretty amazing nonetheless!

"ask me nicely" starts out borderline progstep

I’ve been trying to get into this guy’s stuff after years of listening to (and generally being mightily impressed by) his remix work. But my attention tends to drift when I put Wilson’s own material on.

However, Schoolyard Ghosts is really hitting the spot. Other than one tune that has a big blaring crunch, this is a really rich, engaging listen. Bowness’s vocals are terrific, Wilson’s piano-based arrangements are great, and there are lots of good tunes and melodies here (not always prog’s greatest strength). 5.1 mix is terrific as well.

Good entry point.

Two prog quiz videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2InJpqo_bw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veOMUKQwjiY

This could be interesting:

Every time I make a new album, it’s hugely important for me that it holds a unique place in my catalogue and won’t simply be more of the same. Moving into the third decade of the 21st century and my second decade as a touring solo artist, it felt like time to apply the same philosophy to the live experience. I want to challenge myself to create something that confronts my own notions (and hopefully the audience’s too) of how to present my music in a concert situation. This has become The Future Bites – a series of special events at larger venues, something on a grander and more immersive scale.

Bunch of arena dates announced for Sep 2020, hopefully more to come.

Don't particularly care for his own music but, man, if this guy isn't my favorite living go-to "classic album remixer". He works magic.

A new No-Man album is also on the way:

https://www.loudersound.com/news/no-man-return-with-two-track-love-you-to-bits

I've been lucky enough to hear said No-Man album -- an enjoyable experiment, it's the two of them basically going "We had that moment with dance music in a way at the start of the nineties, what does an attempt to reexplore those aesthetics sound like?" (Aesthetics, though, not full sound -- it's like they're experimenting with remix ideas on core tracks.)

Anyone bothered to check out the trailers for this new thing?

He's *still* wagging his finger at social erosion/social media zeitgeist, zzzzzzzzz OK Computer was 23 years ago mate, if you wanna make a straight-up glitch pop album just grow a pair and put it out without dressing it up in this done-to-death art/media snark, whoever thought of it deserves a punch in the cock.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_H0NO-Cyew

I mean he *does* take a shot at himself here but c'mon if you're looking for something that's innovative and original you're looking at the wrong guy, like he's always been somehow worse than Trent Reznor when it comes to this stuff

that said I actually think this tune is pretty good? a 50 year old man suddenly jumping to EDM makes me think of Todd Rundgren but he pulls it off waaay better than Todd ever did

yeah the song is good. concept is kind of played out and he touched on this a bit with the last one (to the bone; at least live).

btw if you're wondering how Steven Wilson's older fanbase is taking this song, here's the answer: not well

friendly reminder that SW kind of BEGAN with electronica - and *huge challop* Up The Downstair, where this element is at its most prominent, might still be his best overall album

predictably this is sounding like one of the best things he's ever written to me :D

I dig that album a lot but c'mon now

He gots the money now finally, he can do the kinda music that the 50 yr old prog blokes are sniffy about, they'll still buy the super deluxe box set and the live blu-ray all the time bitching and moaning on forums.

He's been making electronic music with No Man, Bass Communion and whatever the hell else since the early nineties, sure.

oof what is the bridge of this song doing though lol

I'm not even that huge of a fan, I liked the last record well enough and he seems like a nice enough dude, but it's very bad sixth-form art, all of it and it's preachy and obvious and disingenuous all at the same time.

Thankfully for the sake of SW's dignity as a 50 year old man this is more Italo or 80s synth pop than what "pumping EDM" had brought to mind. I like those chords.

I'm a 50-year-old prog bloke and I defend my right to be sniffy about his recent direction. Sure, he can do as much electronica and 80s pop stuff as he likes as long as he also does the grandiose prog stuff I love him for. The first four solo albums were fantastic but he's been coasting since Hand Cannot Erase.

Deluxe edition of PT's In Absentia album now out:

https://kscopemusic.com/artists/porcupinetree/

Enjoyable
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbtvzJdKYTc

New album is mediocre, standout track 12 Things I Forgot excepted. Hopefully he's got the '80s prog pop thing out of his system now after two albums and can go back to doing what he does best, i.e. neo-prog.

Yeah, I feel like he’s too talented to make an outright bad album, but this is just... blah. It’s not quite as awful I feared based on “Personal Shopper”, but easily his most disappointing solo record and I hope this is the end of the road for his art pop thing. The hectoring lyrics don’t really help me love the best parts either. Feel like I might add “Eminent Sleaze” and “Follower” to “12 Things” for some comp of this era someday and forget the rest. Not worth an additional year wait.

https://www.superdeluxeedition.com/interview/sde-talks-to-the-man-who-spent-10k-on-the-steven-wilson-ultra-deluxe-tfb-box/

At least he's giving the money to charity, still kind of a dick move though.

Making something so rare and expensive?

I'm not a fan of the general conceit, SW's preachy criticism of consumer culture that results in the production of an irresistible geegaw for hare-brained collector types with the strong urge of sole ownership.

I mean, yeah, the layers of irony are piling up with this one, when he spends part of one song railing against consumers wasting money on luxury items, one of which is specifically named as "box sets", as he ships out multiple deluxe versions of a mediocre album.

Like he's done with every solo record/live recording and a good deal of the PT back catalogue and will, no doubt, continue to do until he's amassed enough money to retire.

don't hate the player, etc etc

One thing I will say is that I'm very much looking forward to seeing what he does with this live, if the shows scheduled for this autumn end up happening. He said in one interview I read that he had originally booked arenas but has now had to downsize to theatres because the arenas are booked for three years ahead. He's been dropping hints about the shows being "immersive", not sure what that means but it sounds intriguing, like some kind of Punchdrunk thing.

curious. would he sell out arenas?

Originally he was booked to play the O2 in London. I was surprised as well.

New album is mediocre, standout track 12 Things I Forgot excepted. Hopefully he's got the '80s prog pop thing out of his system now after two albums and can go back to doing what he does best, i.e. neo-prog.

Sums it up, really.

he's an incredibly talented dude but the melodies he writes are just so unmemorable, outside of maybe that 2000-2002 period of PT. I can't quite place why that is exactly, it just sounds like library music to me, the stuff you get when you *want* King Crimson on your soundtrack but don't want to pay to license it so you pay someone $300 to write something with a similar atmosphere & chord progression. it doesn't surprise me his synthpop album is really well-made but ultimately something I don't have much desire to hear again.

I've only heard Hand Cannot Erase, and found it completely unmemorable, and later The Incident which was a decent emulation of his influences. Wilson's voice lacks any sort of character.

I'm listening to The Incident now, and it's so much about imitating older prog, it's like a more tasteful version of Spock's Beard.

Like he's done with every solo record/live recording and a good deal of the PT back catalogue and will, no doubt, continue to do until he's amassed enough money to retire.

― Maresn3st, Friday, February 5, 2021 7:03 PM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

don't hate the player, etc etc

― frogbs, Friday, February 5, 2021 7:04 PM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

Oh of course he will, I'm not knocking him for that, fans are clearly willing to shell out for it all. Good for him, just noting the irony given the entire concept of this album.

His mentioning deluxe box sets in Personal Shopper is likely just an acknowledgement that he also succumbs to the same temptations. To me, he's complaining more about the appeal of shiny but unnecessary consumer products than suggesting that he's above them and we should be too.

I love the title track on The Incident. There's usually a few good tracks on his albums. I still really don't think he sounds like 70s prog bands.

OK, he imitates Radiohead too.

I heard the Radiohead way more

I only just now found out that's Elton John doing the spoken word bit on "Personal Shopper".

Gotta admit that I'm intrigued by this new compilation he curated:

Demon Records release Intrigue - Steve Wilson Presents: Progressive Sounds In UK Alternative Music 1979-89, a new compilation assembled by acclaimed musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer, Steven Wilson. The collection explores the creativity, experimentation and progressive spirit of alternative British music from 1979-1989. Artists include Wire, XTC, The Stranglers, Ultravox, The Durutti Column, Cocteau Twins, Kate Bush, Tears For Fears, and many more.

tracklist:

CD 1
1. I Should Have Known Better – Wire
2. A Better Home In The Phantom Zone – Bill Nelson’s Red Noise
3. Back To Nature – Magazine
4. Complicated Game (Steven Wilson 2014 Mix) - XTC
5. Careering – Public Image Limited
6. The Raven – The Stranglers
7. Puppet Life – Punishment Of Luxury
8. Astradyne (Steven Wilson Stereo Mix) – Ultravox
9. Contract – Gang Of Four
10. I Travel (Extended Version) – Simple Minds
11. Sketch For Summer – The Durutti Column
12. Health And Efficiency - This Heat
13. Burning Car – John Foxx
14. Cognitive Dissonance (Steven Wilson 2022 Mix) – Robert Fripp And The League of Gentlemen
15. Fatal Day – In Camera

CD 2
1. I Can't Escape Myself - The Sound
2. The Eternal - Joy Division
3. Big Empty Field - Swell Maps
4. Enemies - Art Nouveau
5. The Joy Circuit - Gary Numan
6. The Gospel Comes To New Guinea - 23 Skidoo
7. All My Colours - Echo And The Bunnymen
8. Ghost Town (Extended Version) - The Specials
9. They All Run After The Carving Knife - New Musik
10. The Him - New Order
11. White Car In Germany (Single Edit) - The Associates
12. Hit - Section 25
13. Sealand - Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
14. Talking Drum - Japan
15. Faith - The Cure

CD 3
1. Three Dancers (Steven Wilson 2021 Mix) - Twelfth Night
2. Airwaves - Thomas Dolby
3. Are You Ready? - Crispy Ambulance
4. The Outsider - Rupert Hine
5. Knife Slits Water - A Certain Ratio
6. Memories Fade - Tears For Fears
7. Patient - Peter Hammill
8. Donimo - Cocteau Twins
9. In A Waiting Room - Mr And Mrs Smith And Mr Drake
10. Close (To The Edit) - The Art Of Noise
11. Dalis Car - Dalis Car
12. Rawhide - Scott Walker
13. Brilliant Trees - David Sylvian
14. Dream Within A Dream – Propaganda

CD 4
1. Waking The Witch - Kate Bush
2. Ivy And Neet - This Mortal Coil
3. Beehead (7” Version) - Perennial Divide
4. This Corrosion – The Sisters Of Mercy
5. Ascension - O Yuki Conjugate
6. No Motion - Dif Juz
7. Gutter Busting – SLAB!
8. Murderers, The Hope Of Women - Momus
9. The Host Of Seraphim - Dead Can Dance
10. R.E.S. - Cardiacs
11. Good Morning Beautiful - The The
12. Omega Amigo - The Shamen
13. Night Sky, Sweet Earth - No-Man
14. The 3rd Time We Opened The Capsule - Kitchens Of Distinction

Yeah he's got crazy broad tastes and that's to the good; anyone -- especially some fans, frankly -- who just want him to be 'the prog guy' are severely misunderstanding him.