Steven Wilson v. To. The. Bone.

[XB0BX]

I find it nice that Steven didn't hear about that previously, which kinda tells me he isn't all consumed in the social media world

I guess I'm not surprised by that.

[ErHaO]

A line about facebook isn't inherently bad writing in my opinion, it is one of the major communication platforms of modern society. Though I do pefer not having brands/companies in lyrics myself, so maybe thats why.

Also, I really like the new teaser and am glad we will get more Ninet as well. Musically, I hope it does not get too poppy or electronic as the overall direction. I prefer prog/singer songwiter/rock/metal SW music.

[rumborak]

For me the FB line makes me a bit worried that be might be going back to the outright negativity of FOABP. It's the main reason I don't listen to that album much.

[pfillion]

New interview with Steven

https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/upcoming_releases/steven_wilson_what_to_expect_from_my_new_album.html

"It's a new day and a new direction. Of course, it's still going to sound like one of my records, but it's a little more song-based, a little more contemporary-sounding.

"And I'm playing more guitar myself, which is very different. Because on the last couple of records I had Guthrie Govan doing most of the guitar work. But this time around, I've gone for a different approach.

"I've played some solos that I'm really pleased with. It's nice to be back in the saddle of actually being a guitar player again."

[ReaperKK]

I'm interested in hearing this album. While I will really miss Guthrie's guitar playing SW has written some great solos so I'll be interested in hearing what he has going.

[Serah Farron]

I've been listening to his solo album lately and I have to say that "Harmony Korine" has officially become my favorite song by him. His voice is so beautiful in the song and it just sends pleasure through my whole body. It's like a soft lullaby and I always listen to this song in loop as it always puts me to sleep peacefully. Love him and his songs. I'm a sucker for those haunting songs...I'm happy I found out about him.

[KevShmev]

Even though it rocks pretty hard at times, it does have that "soft lullaby" feel at times, the way those guitar lines in the verses move along slowly while he sings.

Also, it's great to see SW will be playing guitar a lot again.  He is a great soloist, in particular.

[Sacul]

I've been listening to his solo album lately and I have to say that "Harmony Korine" has officially become my favorite song by him. His voice is so beautiful in the song and it just sends pleasure through my whole body. It's like a soft lullaby and I always listen to this song in loop as it always puts me to sleep peacefully. Love him and his songs. I'm a sucker for those haunting songs...I'm happy I found out about him.

Hope you check his other solo albums and his work on Porcupine Tree. And the Blackfield and No-Man projects as well

[Prog Snob]

I've been listening to his solo album lately and I have to say that "Harmony Korine" has officially become my favorite song by him. His voice is so beautiful in the song and it just sends pleasure through my whole body. It's like a soft lullaby and I always listen to this song in loop as it always puts me to sleep peacefully. Love him and his songs. I'm a sucker for those haunting songs...I'm happy I found out about him.

Just about anything that man touches is gold.

If you want another song like that, check out Type O Negative's aptly named Haunted. Make sure to check out the Haunted (Per Version) version.

[The Letter M]

I've been listening to his solo album lately and I have to say that "Harmony Korine" has officially become my favorite song by him. His voice is so beautiful in the song and it just sends pleasure through my whole body. It's like a soft lullaby and I always listen to this song in loop as it always puts me to sleep peacefully. Love him and his songs. I'm a sucker for those haunting songs...I'm happy I found out about him.

Hope you check his other solo albums and his work on Porcupine Tree. And the Blackfield and No-Man projects as well

SW is one of those REALLY prolific prog guys, who seems to be ALWAYS busy, and he's got a ton of back-catalog to prove it. Generally, a lot of it is good, though I'll admit to not even having checked out some of it (Bass Communion, IEM), but there are some great, lesser-known gems like the aforementioned No-Man (and if you end up liking No-Man, Tim Bowness, the other half of the duo, has been putting out pretty great solo albums in the last few years).

I'd say, for Blackfield, check out their first album first. I think it set the benchmark for the duo, and a lot of fans seem to favor it a lot!

For No-Man, it really depends on your individual tastes, but I'd say Schoolyard Ghosts (their last album) or Together We're Stranger (the one before that). I tend to reach for those two out of the six of their main studio albums, but even beyond that, they've got several EPs and Singles. I cannot imagine being a 100% collector of No-Man materials as some of that stuff has to be SUPER rare these days.

And speaking of duo-collaborations, you cannot forget his work with Opeth's Mikael Åkerfeldt - Storm Corrosion - which I haven't listened to in a long while, so maybe it's time to revisit it.

-Marc.

[Progmetty]

I revisited Dead Wing today, what a flawless album, did not skip  a song.
I didn't like The Incident that much but I find In Absentia, Dead Wing, Fear of a Blank Planet and Nil Recurring all to be gold, so is there any SW solo record that I might like? If so please recommend it to me.

[Prog Snob]

The Raven That Refused To Sing

[The Letter M]

I revisited Dead Wing today, what a flawless album, did not skip  a song.
I didn't like The Incident that much but I find In Absentia, Dead Wing, Fear of a Blank Planet and Nil Recurring all to be gold, so is there any SW solo record that I might like? If so please recommend it to me.

The Raven That Refused To Sing

Came to say this. It's pretty much a flawless album, especially if you liked IA/DW/FOABP. It's kind of like those, but with some more 70's prog influences (more in the King Crimson vein), with some amazing performances by the whole band. If you like TRTRTS, then try out Grace For Drowning, though I find that one a bit harder to "get into" by comparison.

-Marc.

[Progmetty]

Thanks fellas

[Prog Snob]

I revisited Dead Wing today, what a flawless album, did not skip  a song.
I didn't like The Incident that much but I find In Absentia, Dead Wing, Fear of a Blank Planet and Nil Recurring all to be gold, so is there any SW solo record that I might like? If so please recommend it to me.

The Raven That Refused To Sing

Came to say this. It's pretty much a flawless album, especially if you liked IA/DW/FOABP. It's kind of like those, but with some more 70's prog influences (more in the King Crimson vein), with some amazing performances by the whole band. If you like TRTRTS, then try out Grace For Drowning, though I find that one a bit harder to "get into" by comparison.

-Marc.

It definitely resonates with that 70s prog sound. That's the first thing I thought of when I listened to it the first time. It hooked me immediately.

[The Letter M]

I revisited Dead Wing today, what a flawless album, did not skip  a song.
I didn't like The Incident that much but I find In Absentia, Dead Wing, Fear of a Blank Planet and Nil Recurring all to be gold, so is there any SW solo record that I might like? If so please recommend it to me.

The Raven That Refused To Sing

Came to say this. It's pretty much a flawless album, especially if you liked IA/DW/FOABP. It's kind of like those, but with some more 70's prog influences (more in the King Crimson vein), with some amazing performances by the whole band. If you like TRTRTS, then try out Grace For Drowning, though I find that one a bit harder to "get into" by comparison.

-Marc.

It definitely resonates with that 70s prog sound. That's the first thing I thought of when I listened to it the first time. It hooked me immediately.

It also helps that Alan Parsons was the recording engineer, and I'm pretty sure SW and crew used all vintage instruments and equipment, as well as some recording live in the room (I think, though I could be wrong about that?), so even by process of MAKING the album, let alone writing, it had a very 70's feel to it. Easily one of my favorite releases by him, of any of his bands/projects. You can tell he took his time with it, and even whittled it down to under 55 minutes long, considering there were some songs and ideas leftover that were not put on the album (the Clock Song, The Birthday Party, and Year Of The Plague).

-Marc.

[Prog Snob]

I didn't know Alan Parsons was the recording engineer.

[twosuitsluke]

I'm only a casual PT fan and haven't checked out much of his solo work but I listened to 4 1/2 the other day and thought it was great. I have recently made a playlist, on Spotify, of all the albums I've been meaning to check out over the last few years. All Steven's solo stuff is on there and so are some of the PT albums I've not heard.

I generally like everything I've heard but other than the song Lazarus I've not LOVED any of his songs (PT or solo). 4 1/2 did leave an impression though. I know I listened to TRTRTS back in 2015, and enjoyed it, but I never listened to it more than that original listen.

I'll see if anything else can draw me into being more than a casual fan 

[?]

I revisited Dead Wing today, what a flawless album, did not skip  a song.
I didn't like The Incident that much but I find In Absentia, Dead Wing, Fear of a Blank Planet and Nil Recurring all to be gold, so is there any SW solo record that I might like? If so please recommend it to me.

I'd recommend Hand Cannot Erase, because it's closest to PT stylistically.

[BlackInk]

I agree. While I think the other SW solo albums all sound like they could be old PT albums, Hand Cannot Erase sounds the most like the modern PT.

[mike099]

While not a Steven Wilson record, he helped produced and played in Opeth's Blackwater Park, Damnation and Deliverance albums.  Damnation is mellow by Opeth standards and sounds a bit like Porcupine Tree and Wilson.

[seasonsinthesky]

A bit shocked people are recommending Raven or HCE to follow up the metal PT albums. They're about as far from each other as SW music gets.

Meanwhile, Insurgentes is a sonic twin with Deadwing. It simply gets weirder and explores more genres. Anyone who digs DW will probably dig Insurgentes before any other SW solo album.

[jammindude]

Seriously?   

If anything, I thought the metal section of Ancestral made the whole things sound too much like Arriving Somewhere.   And Home Invasion was another one that sounded like it could have been lifted straight from FOABP. 

SW's first two albums are much different....but Raven started to go *a bit* more in the direction of latter day PT.....and now HCE just sounds like a straight up PT album to my ears.   Not in a bad way....but ya.   HCE could have easily been the follow up to The Incident without even batting an eye. (and it would have made a great comeback)

[Serah Farron]

Even though it rocks pretty hard at times, it does have that "soft lullaby" feel at times, the way those guitar lines in the verses move along slowly while he sings.

Also, it's great to see SW will be playing guitar a lot again.  He is a great soloist, in particular.

Oh yes, definitely, the guitars. <3
Though his vocal harmonies are just so hypnotizing! Oh man, songs like these sends waves all over me. I want moar!!

I've been listening to his solo album lately and I have to say that "Harmony Korine" has officially become my favorite song by him. His voice is so beautiful in the song and it just sends pleasure through my whole body. It's like a soft lullaby and I always listen to this song in loop as it always puts me to sleep peacefully. Love him and his songs. I'm a sucker for those haunting songs...I'm happy I found out about him.

Hope you check his other solo albums and his work on Porcupine Tree. And the Blackfield and No-Man projects as well

Are they any good? I mean, I've heard only a couple of songs by PT, but it doesn't give me that feel like his solo albums do. But, I'll check it out!

I've been listening to his solo album lately and I have to say that "Harmony Korine" has officially become my favorite song by him. His voice is so beautiful in the song and it just sends pleasure through my whole body. It's like a soft lullaby and I always listen to this song in loop as it always puts me to sleep peacefully. Love him and his songs. I'm a sucker for those haunting songs...I'm happy I found out about him.

Just about anything that man touches is gold.

If you want another song like that, check out Type O Negative's aptly named Haunted. Make sure to check out the Haunted (Per Version) version.

Definitely. I'm really glad I found him.
Also checked it out and guess what?

Loved it~!!

I've been listening to his solo album lately and I have to say that "Harmony Korine" has officially become my favorite song by him. His voice is so beautiful in the song and it just sends pleasure through my whole body. It's like a soft lullaby and I always listen to this song in loop as it always puts me to sleep peacefully. Love him and his songs. I'm a sucker for those haunting songs...I'm happy I found out about him.

Hope you check his other solo albums and his work on Porcupine Tree. And the Blackfield and No-Man projects as well

SW is one of those REALLY prolific prog guys, who seems to be ALWAYS busy, and he's got a ton of back-catalog to prove it. Generally, a lot of it is good, though I'll admit to not even having checked out some of it (Bass Communion, IEM), but there are some great, lesser-known gems like the aforementioned No-Man (and if you end up liking No-Man, Tim Bowness, the other half of the duo, has been putting out pretty great solo albums in the last few years).

I'd say, for Blackfield, check out their first album first. I think it set the benchmark for the duo, and a lot of fans seem to favor it a lot!

For No-Man, it really depends on your individual tastes, but I'd say Schoolyard Ghosts (their last album) or Together We're Stranger (the one before that). I tend to reach for those two out of the six of their main studio albums, but even beyond that, they've got several EPs and Singles. I cannot imagine being a 100% collector of No-Man materials as some of that stuff has to be SUPER rare these days.

And speaking of duo-collaborations, you cannot forget his work with Opeth's Mikael Åkerfeldt - Storm Corrosion - which I haven't listened to in a long while, so maybe it's time to revisit it.

-Marc.

Will be sure to try them out! I've tried Storm Corrorsion, but it just doesn't work for me. Will try your other suggestions and maybe give SC another spin. Hopefully one of these listens can benefit me.

[KevShmev]

SW's style is not samey, so I don't see the issue with recommending great stuff that isn't a lot like Insurgentes.

Serah Farron, if you are aching for great vocal harmonies, PT is right up your alley.  Albums like Stupid Dream, Lightbulb Sun and In Absentia have some amazing vocal harmonies.  And all three albums are freaking awesome.

[RoeDent]

Serah Farron, if you are aching for great vocal harmonies, PT is right up your alley.  Albums like Stupid Dream, Lightbulb Sun and In Absentia have some amazing vocal harmonies.  And all three albums are freaking awesome.

All of this. And The Watchmaker, from The Raven That Refused to Sing, has an absolutely gorgeous "choir" section in the middle. SW harmonizing with himself is one of the most beautiful sounds in all of music.

[Serah Farron]

Ok, this will be pretty long and complicated so bear with me. I'm in love with Steven Wilson, and for me, I just love to listen to albums in order by their release date. So, I listened to samples of many projects Wilson was involved in and I made a list and put them in order of their date.

Bass Communion
1) I (April 1998)
2) II (July 1999)
3) III (March 2001)
4) Ghosts on Magnetic Tape (Feb 2004)
5) Indicates Void (Oct 2005)
6) Loss (Jan 2006)
7) Pacific Codex (Feb 2008)
8) Molotov and Haze (July 2008)
9) Chiaroscuro (July 2009)
10) Cenotaph (Nov 2011)

Blackfield
1) Blackfield (Jan 2004)
2) Blackfield II (Feb 2007)
3) Welcome to My DNA (March 2011)
4) Blackfield IV (August 2013)
5) Blackfield V (February 2017)

Continuum
1) Continuum I (March 2005)
2) The Continuum Recyclings, Volume One (July 2006)
3) Continuum II (July 2006)
4) The Continuum Recyclings, Volume Two (June 2010)
   
Incredible Expanding Mind
1) Arcadia Son (May 2001)
2) I.E.M. Have Come for Your Children (September 2001)
3) I.E.M. 1996-1999 (September 2005)

No-Man
1) Together We're Stranger (September 2003)
2) Schoolyard Ghosts (May 2008)

Porcupine Tree   
1) In Absentia (September 2002)
2) Deadwing (March 2005)
3) Fear of a Blank Planet (April 2007)
4) The Incident (September 2009)

Storm Corrosion
1) Storm Corrosion (May 2012)

Solo Work
1) Insurgentes (Feb 2009)
2) Grace for Drowning (September 2011)
3) The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories) (February 2013)
4) Hand.Cannot.Erase (February 2015)

Then I placed all of them in order and here is what I came up with. So, this will be the beginning of my trek of Steven Wilson.

Now, I only some albums aren't here, so you don't have to tell me that, but I'm content with all this. Thoughts? Are there any albums that I missed that you'd personally recommend? If you do, I'll try to give that a try. Thanks.

Steven Wilson Discography in Order:

1) I (April 1998) Bass Communion
2) II (July 1999) Bass Communion
3) III (March 2001) Bass Communion
4) Arcadia Son (May 2001) I.E.M
5) I.E.M. Have Come for Your Children (September 2001) I.E.M
6) In Absentia (September 2002) Porcupine Tree
7) Together We're Stranger (September 2003) No Man
8) Blackfield (Jan 2004) Blackfield
9) Ghosts on Magnetic Tape (Feb 2004) Bass Communion
10) Continuum I (March 2005) Continuum
11) Deadwing (March 2005) Porcupine Tree
12) I.E.M. 1996-1999 (September 2005) I.E.M
13) Indicates Void (Oct 2005) Bass Communion
14) Loss (Jan 2006) Bass Communion
15) The Continuum Recyclings, Volume One (July 2006) Continuum
16) Continuum II (July 2006) Continuum
17) Blackfield II (Feb 2007) Blackfield
18) Fear of a Blank Planet (April 2007) Porcupine Tree
19) Pacific Codex (Feb 2008) Bass Communion
20) Schoolyard Ghosts (May 2008) No-Man
21) Molotov and Haze (July 2008) Bass Communion
22) Insurgentes (Feb 2009) Solo Album
23) Chiaroscuro (July 2009) Bass Communion
24) The Incident (September 2009) Porcupine Tree
25) The Continuum Recyclings, Volume Two (June 2010) Continuum
26) Welcome to My DNA (March 2011) Blackfield
27) Grace for Drowning (September 2011) Solo Album
28) Cenotaph (Nov 2011) Bass Communion
29) Storm Corrosion (May 2012) Storm Corrosion
30) The Raven That Refused to Sing And Other Stories (February 2013) Solo Album
31) Blackfield IV (August 2013) Blackfield
32) Hand.Cannot.Erase (February 2015) Solo Album
33) Blackfield V () Blackfield

[SoundscapeMN]

I would suggest most of the Pre-In Absentia Porcupine Tree albums for sure.

I consider "Lightbulb Sun" to be best PT album.

Signify, Stupid Dream, The Sky Moves Sideways, Up the Downstair and Voyage 34 as well.

The only record that many including myself don't see at a similar level is On the Sunday of Life, their debut album, which actually still has some decent tracks on it.

Also not his project, but I'd throw in "shutDOWN" from OSI.

[Serah Farron]

I would suggest most of the Pre-In Absentia Porcupine Tree albums for sure.

I consider "Lightbulb Sun" to be best PT album.

Signify, Stupid Dream, The Sky Moves Sideways, Up the Downstair and Voyage 34 as well.

The only record that many including myself don't see at a similar level is On the Sunday of Life, their debut album, which actually still has some decent tracks on it.

Also not his project, but I'd throw in "shutDOWN" from OSI.

Ah, the other PT albums? I'll give them a spin. Might like it the second time around. Thanks for the suggestions! Will also check out OSI.

[Sacul]

I'd personally skip the bass communion, continuum, and IEM albums unless you're into ambient/drone/experimental stuff. I'd recommend just one project at a time - they're all varied and you won't get bored. Finish with his solo stuff and dive into Porcupine Tree. Then I'd suggest Blackfield -> No-Man -> Storm Corrosion -> Bass Communion/Continuum -> IEM. Have fun

[Fritzinger]

New interview with Steven

https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/upcoming_releases/steven_wilson_what_to_expect_from_my_new_album.html

"It's a new day and a new direction. Of course, it's still going to sound like one of my records, but it's a little more song-based, a little more contemporary-sounding.

"And I'm playing more guitar myself, which is very different. Because on the last couple of records I had Guthrie Govan doing most of the guitar work. But this time around, I've gone for a different approach.

"I've played some solos that I'm really pleased with. It's nice to be back in the saddle of actually being a guitar player again."

I am not very thrilled that he's gonna play more guitar and that Guthrie is not a part of the new album.  I'm sorry but Steven is a terrible guitarist and I felt like Marco and Guthrie contributed a lot to Steven's last two albums and in the end they made HCE the great album it is.  I always felt that Steven is a great composer, but he needs the right people behind him to play his great compositions.  That's why I find most of the Porcupine tree albums very poor in comparison to his last three solo efforts. Sorry to all the PT fans.
Anyway, I think he will make a great album. He really surprised me with his last three albums and I'm sure he will do so again.

[ReaperKK]

That is a great list Serah. I'm a fan of ambient stuff so I'll have to check out some of his other work.

New interview with Steven

https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/upcoming_releases/steven_wilson_what_to_expect_from_my_new_album.html

"It's a new day and a new direction. Of course, it's still going to sound like one of my records, but it's a little more song-based, a little more contemporary-sounding.

"And I'm playing more guitar myself, which is very different. Because on the last couple of records I had Guthrie Govan doing most of the guitar work. But this time around, I've gone for a different approach.

"I've played some solos that I'm really pleased with. It's nice to be back in the saddle of actually being a guitar player again."

I am not very thrilled that he's gonna play more guitar and that Guthrie is not a part of the new album.  I'm sorry but Steven is a terrible guitarist and I felt like Marco and Guthrie contributed a lot to Steven's last two albums and in the end they made HCE the great album it is.  I always felt that Steven is a great composer, but he needs the right people behind him to play his great compositions.  That's why I find most of the Porcupine tree albums very poor in comparison to his last three solo efforts. Sorry to all the PT fans.
Anyway, I think he will make a great album. He really surprised me with his last three albums and I'm sure he will do so again.

I have to disagree with you. I'm probably the biggest Guthrie fan on the forum and a large part of the reason I got the last album was because Guthrie was playing on it but SW isn't a bad guitarist. I always thought he was able to play what the songs needed. As long as he doesn't try to do a solo like Drive Home or Regret #9 it'll be fine.

[RoeDent]

33) Blackfield V () Blackfield

This little bit here had me worried that Blackfield V has been delayed yet again. Still February 10th release as far as I'm aware.

On another subject, has everyone forgotten all the great Porcupine Tree guitar solos? SW is a very good guitarist, better than many here give him credit for.

[KevShmev]

I think Fritzinger is the only one.

SW had countless great solos with PT, which cannot be overlooked.  No, he's not a technical player like Govan, but I say, so what?  Wilson comes more from the David Gilmour school of playing.

[Fritzinger]

Countless great solos like...?

I am not saying that you have to play fast or technical to be a good guitarist. My favorite guitarist is still Mark Knopfler. But also, Steven imo opinion is not even close to Gilmour's genius guitar playing. Name one PT solo that has as much class as.. say, Time or the midsection in Atom Heart Mother.

He does fine as a rhythm guitarist. But now we have to say goodbye to solos like Ancestral, Drive Home, Regret, The Watchmaker. And I always felt, that solos like those, alongside other things, were something PT music was missing compared to his solo stuff.