Search - Porcupine Tree :: Deadwing

If you loved "In Absentia", then you should already own this

Dan Solera | Chicago, IL USA | 05/01/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you haven't heard anything by Porcupine Tree, then this album is a perfect place to start.



Following in the large footsteps of their groundbreaking 2002 release, "In Absentia", Porcupine Tree has crafted yet another masterpiece. With "Deadwing", songwriter Stephen Wilson has mastered the art of blurring the lines between genres. The album further develops the unlikely combination of progressive metal's heavy guitar crunch with the warm passion of radio-friendly pop-rock, always retaining that vintage Porcupine Tree psychedelic and effects-driven ambience.



Combining a trance-like atmosphere with pounding guitar riffs is a daunting task if you think about it. Yet Porcupine Tree has managed to perfect a remarkably organic sound that they execute almost effortlessly. Even fellow prog-rock juggernauts Spock's Beard have distilled and one-dimensional songs that never take off with imaginative fireworks. Other bands, like the hyper-progressive Magellan cram as much musical firepower as they can into every song to the point that it makes your head ache. Stephen Wilson and the `Tree keep every element in check and make "Deadwing" come alive.



All the innovative elements of "In Absentia" are here: heavier songs, a greater focus on Wilson's guitar work and singing, and a profound emotional depth. Heavier pieces like "Shallow" and "Halo" emphasize the guitar and, surprisingly, the bass lines rather than the synthesized elements of earlier albums, giving the songs a more authentic sound and an added appeal. This convention is comforting, really. The British band's earlier recordings contained songs that were simply ambient sound with little or no apparent instrumentation.



This is not to say that the album is heavier on the whole. Although some come close, no song ever reaches the intensity of their previous album's face scratching "Wedding Nails". The overall heaviness of the album is kept slightly lower than its predecessor by certain standout tracks. The tear jerking "Lazarus" is guided by a cheery piano, accompanied by Wilson's soft, vulnerable voice. The album's hidden track, "Shesmovedon" (a remake of an earlier song), is another classic Porcupine Tree gem - acoustic guitars layering Wilson's harmonized vocals, soft-to-angry guitars, and a heartbreaking narrative ("She changes every time you look, By summer it was all gone - now she's moved on"). It's easy to compare the album's painfully melodic textures to mainstream artists Pete Yorn and Colplay, musicians who are rarely described as heavy or aggressive.



The majority of "Mellotron Scratch" is led by a repeated guitar line (very reminiscent of earlier, trance-like albums), but builds in intensity until it is a straightforward rock number, ending with a beautiful vocal arrangement. Similarly, "Glass Arm Shattering" leads you across its landscapes with a slow, repeating twang, stopping occasionally to let Wilson's delicate, almost feminine voice take the spotlight. Although not a spectacular cut, it follows the format.



But the album's truly outstanding pieces are also the longest. The title-track almost touches the 10-minute mark and exemplifies everything that makes Porcupine Tree such a noteworthy creative force. The song is framed by a repeated keyboard and a pounding bass line, joined by a reckless guitar and fast drums. Like most of the other offerings on "Deadwing", it is both catchy and technically challenging. In addition to exploring the trance-inducing textures that have characterized the band's catalogue, the song flaunts the edgy, bleak voice of Opeth's frontman Mikael ?kerfeldt.



And now we come to the album's magnum opus, the song everyone's talking about - the multi-dimensional "Arriving Somewhere (But Not Here)". The piece is a musical feast of every Porcupine Tree element thus far, and at 12 minutes it feels more like a generous buffet. It begins with a hypnotic keyboard/synthesizer duo, which is later joined by an ominous guitar and the dual attack of Wilson's and ?kerfeldt's morose voices. At the 4-minute mark, the song erupts with drums and a simple but impressive guitar solo. From here, the song builds in intensity, adding layer upon layer of guitars and keyboards, coming to a maddening halt around the 9-minute mark, where ?kerfeldt's guitar work shines in a soothing, bluesy solo. The song finishes brilliantly, fading with its original melody.



The cynical listener may chime in by claiming that "Deadwing" is a clone of "In Absentia" with a few bonus tricks. To be perfectly honest, it's a decently accurate description. But replicating "In Absentia", a modern masterpiece in the inscrutable arena of progressive rock, would be impossible. Porcupine Tree have taken a canonical album and explored the limits in each direction. The work is truly a five-star effort and a reassuring deposit into the constantly evolving world of progressive rock.



See also: Porcupine Tree - "In Absentia", Opeth - "Damnation""

Better than Great and then some

Eugenius Dobson | from a global perspective I'm right here. | 04/02/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm closing in on 50 years of age. Way back in the late sixties and the early seventies I was constantly bombarded with music that was inventive and always good. It was a high point in the history of rock, and from what I had been able to hear since then I assumed I would never hear anything that good again. Sure there were some good things coming out now and then, but nothing compared to those old bands and so I resigned myself to what I thought was the fact that the greatest that rock music had to offer was in the past. In fact I have to admit I was starting to grow a little bored with the whole rock and roll scene recently. And then just two weeks ago I heard Porcupine Tree for the first time. I couldn't believe my ears! Here was a band that created not just good music, but great music! I heard Deadwing and immediately went out and started buying their records. I bought Up the Downstair and In Absentia along with Deadwing, and I loved it all. The next day I sought out more. I found Signify and Stupid Dream and ordered copies of Coma Divine, On the Sunday of Life and The Sky Moves Sideways. All of those arrived within a week and during that week I downloaded the unreleased and live music available from their online shop. In short I've become a Porcupine Tree addict! And what luck: they have a new album coming out later this month! I went to a rather well known download store and bought the Blackfield 2 release mainly because it includes the title track from the forthcoming album, but I'm also really enjoying the Blackfield record as well. Needless to say I've spent a lot of money on their music in a very short period of time, and every single dime was well spent. According to the insert information in the repackaged versions of Signify and Coma Divine, both Lightbulb Sun and Recordings will also be re-released later this year, so I'll hold off on buying used copies of those (if I can wait).

Porcupine Tree have restored my faith in rock music again. I haven't been this excited about music since the good old days. In fact, thanks to Porcupine Tree, the good old days are here again. Unfortunately you just can't hear great music like this on the radio, so the only way to know it's there is for people who know about it to spread the word. For anyone who loves Pink Floyd, King Crimson, and Tangerine Dream I would say buy some Porcupine Tree. You'll probably wonder why you've never heard of them before as well. It surely shows the sad state of the music industry when something this good doesn't get the exposure it deserves.

Buy it. Play it. Buy a copy for a friend. Long Live Porcupine Tree.

If anyone has any recommendations beyond Porcupine Tree that they think I would like, I would appreciate it."

What a stunner!!

P. D. Austin | Auckland New Zealand | 09/08/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Just brief history of this prog fan, I differed from my peers as a kid growing up in the 60's I liked the non-commercial contempory artists, spending hours under the bed cloths listening to the likes of Captain Beef Heart on radio Luxenberg, being blown away by Page,Clapton, Genesis, Yes, to name a few artist's that my hard earn't paper run money helped fund!! Well I found the same excitment all over again with Deadwing, listening to samples on the prog rock archeives to begin with, simply curious about an unusual name. I was just as stunned as when I was a child in the 60's again! The track "arriving somewhere but not here", sounds as classic and iconic as the best from all those previously mentioned artists, it brought back memories of the pleasure of discovering "wish you were hear" "Lamb lies down on Broadway" Led Zep 4 etc. The music could best be described as similar to Pink Floyd, perhaps less commercial, and with no known boring tracks. I found the clean licks of Steve Wilsons guitar very similar to David Gilmour, and the quiet understated vocals with simple harmonys intoxicating. There could be similarities to Steve Hillage, though the songs are very current and will have a more modern atmosphere, also I felt that the music was very carefully crafted with slightly ambiguous lurics that I love, giving an overall impression of being incredibly well produced and engineered. Gavin Harrisons drumming is a revelation in its self, complicated, meticulous and above all interesting. The bass guitar of Colin Edwin providing additional melody lines, rather than just filling out the sound with depth and rhythm complementing the other musicians beautifully. The atmospheric keyboard work of Richard Barbieri I think lends a huge hand in giving the music such a strong colour and vitality, with captivating intensity and charisma. This was the first Porcupine tree CD I bought and it is now one of my favourites of all time, I am learning more and more new things so it seems every time I hear it. I have heard critism that is less favourable than some of the earlier CDs, but I would have to say this Band is heading in a great direction and manage to change and do something different, as in true progressive music. Yes Porcupine Tree are hard to catagorise, they are obviously on a journey which I will follow with great interest, and am trying to drum up interest down here in this part of the world, but if you want to succeed in New Zealand or that little place next door you will have to tour!!! (Please) GO BUY THIS CD!!!!!"