Porcupine Tree - Stupid Dream (12 tracks) +Album Reviews

Porcupine Tree is musical genius.

C. Boros | Cleveland, OH United States | 08/03/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It seems in this day of age we are bombarded with music from bands that simply have no talent. Groups like Limp Biskit or Godsmack are on the top of the charts. Why is this when there is quality rock and roll being made?You can hear this quality from Porcupine Tree. Steven Wilson gives you more than most bands--he takes you places with his songs and lyrics. While other bands are pumping out standard rock--PT utilizes elements of folk, classical, and the progressive sounds of the 70's. Using guitar, piano, synthesizer, bass, banjo, dulcimer and whatever else they can find, PT produces an album that is pure narcotic genius.It's not often I find an album where I can listen to every track. With "Stupid Dream," each song is a stand-out cut. From the melow hard rocker "Even Less," to the spacey and brilliant "Baby Dream in Cellophane," PT simply delivers real music and real rock to the masses. With lyrics dealing with alien contact, the end of the world, and the acceptance of oneself, it's hard to believe this band is not on a major label.Buy this record--you must. It's one you must have in your collection. Why is a band like PT being overlooked by mainstream music? Maybe it's too much to handle for those people who want the same pre-fabricated garbage that is out there. If you want sophisticated music with an edge--this is the band for you!"

Excellent

Michael Toland | Austin, TX USA | 01/03/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"As you can tell by all the other reviews, England's Porcupine Tree are a bit difficult to describe. Are they psychedelia? Progressive rock? Pop? A little of all of those, actually. Up until now they've been content to seamlessly mix elements of every era of Pink Floyd (Syd Barrett, Roger Waters, post-Waters) with electronic touches, but this is the first album where extended instrumental passages and trippy ambience take a backseat to actual songs. And what songs they are: "This is No Rehearsal," "Even Less" and "Piano Lessons" are right up there with the best rock songs of '99, or even the '90s in general. Hardcore prog fans seem to be crying "sellout" due to leader Steven Wilson's increased interest in song structure, but don't let them put you off - Stupid Dream is a gem."

PT's best album

Bradley Kirk | SLC, UT USA | 10/30/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Having listened to Porcupine Tree since just after the release of Signify (the album preceeding this one), I was very comfortable with the sound they had perfected on albums Up the Downstair, The Sky Moves Sideways and Signify. As I remember being very excited for the release of Stupid Dream, I also remember being VERY disappointed upon first listening to this album.

I think the main reason for this was it seemed so simple and most of the songs were short! Especially compared to such masterpiece songs like The Sky Moves Sideways Phase One and Darkmatter. However, this album has since become my favourite PT album, and yes, I own and love all the albums (Lightbulb Sun, In Absentia and Deadwing) since the release of this album.

PT's has recieved a ton of praise for In Absentia and Deadwing, and while I agree that those albums are fantastic, I think Stupid Dream is Steven Wilson at his absolute best.

This album holds its own throughout, there isn't a throwaway track on it. This album demonstrates how straightfoward songs should be written, Steven Wilson is an absolute genius. In his career through Porcupine Tree and his many side projects he has released over twenty full length albums, not to mention his skills as a producer, which you will notice as you listen to any PT album. Album highlights include Even Less, Piano Lessons Slave Called Shiver and Stop Swimming.

If you own In Absentia and Deadwing, you should be very excited for the re releases of this album and Lightbulb Sun, due in early '06. As for the four albums preceeding Stupid Dream, you should definately get Stars Die, one of the best Greatest Hits collections ever created, masterfully documenting PT's first 4 albums. PT is an amazingly talented and unique band in a world of amazingly untalented and commonplace bands. Check them out!!"

Awesome! Not old-school prog rock by any means.

Alexander N Smith | Claremont, CA | 11/13/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have to disagree with the official reviews given above, because this sounds very little like the overblown '70s prog that they compare it to. I hear much more modern rock like Radiohead and the Verve here than I hear anything resembling Yes, Genesis, ELP, etc. It seems that nowadays a lot of prog is saddled with the absurdity of its past, but the fact is that this is complex, engrossing, very modern rock. I love it, this is my first PT album, and I was afraid that it might be a Yes-clone or something, but it's about as close to Jon Anderson as Beethoven is to Yanni. If you like a mix of Radiohead, the Verve, and Spiritualized with a smidgen of Pink Floyd, Marillion, and the Beatles, this is definitely for you."

"You'd find inside my mind things so surreal..."

spiral_mind | Pennsylvania | 10/07/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album's reissue in early 2006 (for real this time!) can't come soon enough. Even though I'm one of those lucky folks who managed to snag a copy of this small masterpiece despite its being out of print for years, I look forward to its being back anyway, just so the rest of the world can discover (or rediscover) the awesomeness of Stupid Dream and help give it some of the praise it deserves.

The weirdest thing is that I can't really put my finger on why it's so great. This is possibly the most accessible PT album yet - or at least on a level with the three that have come since - and the tunes are (mostly) more straightforward than anything they'd done previously. Yet the catchiness never seems to wear off, the brilliance in writing isn't lessened in the least, the musicianship is tight/tasteful as ever and reams of texture and atmosphere make the sound so tasty it's almost too much to handle. This disc includes a helping of Peter Gabriel, some earlier Radiohead, a little Ozric Tentacles, a dash of Brian Eno and a smidge of King Crimson's ProjeKcts to give it a little extra space-jazz flavor.. all amid the indefinable element that makes it distinctly a Porcupine Tree work.

Some fans of the band's psychedelic/prog roots didn't care for the more simplified stuff here, but 'poppy' or not, these are some of the greatest PT songs ever. "A Smart Kid" is a bleak post-Dr. Strangelove landscape by way of Pink Floyd... "Pure Narcotic" is surprisingly pretty and almost whimsical, while you'll find yourself gladly singing/humming "Piano Lessons," "Stranger by the Minute" and "This Is No Rehearsal" for days since their hooks won't let you go. Just to top it off, the fiery kinetic "Tinto Brass" could rank with the most intriguing instrumentals you've ever heard. I could nitpick about "Even Less" being cut in half, but the shorter take fits better with the conciseness of the rest of the album, and the yummy perfection of the whole thing really isn't lessened because of it.

Psychedelic music-heads, texture lovers and Radiohead fans take note: you've got a real treat coming once this is available again, and experiencing Stupid Dream for the first time is a marvel. I'm almost jealous."

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