Porcupine Tree R.I.P. - v. Epilogue

[KevShmev]

https://www.facebook.com/StevenWilsonHQ/?fref=ts

Around the 19-minute mark:

"Steven, I wait for Porcupine Tree to come to Germany."

"You'll be waiting a long time, mate, because that band no longer exists."

Looks like it really is over.  I love most of what he does no matter what title it is under, but hearing that PT no longer exists coming out of his mouth was a bit sobering.

I shall listen to much PT the rest of this weekend.

And this is good a place as any to discuss all things Porcupine Tree.

[ChuckSteak]

No surprise for me. I didn't expect they would get back together any time soon.

[seasonsinthesky]

Been digging into the Stupid Dream and Signify eras again. Signify because I realized the Insignificance cassette release has a longer version of "Wake as Gun II," and SD because I found a rip of a pre-release cassette that has the album recordings but with early mixes, and it's got a REALLY cool alternate tracklist:
01. Even Less (no numbers, alt lyrics from demo)
02. Stranger by the Minute
03. Slave Called Shiver (different lyrics)
04. Don't Hate Me
05. This is No Rehearsal (opens with instrumental chorus)
06. Baby Dream in Cellophane
07. Even Less part 2 (different drum track, alt lyrics from demo)
08. Pure Narcotic
09. Ambulance Chasing
10. A Smart Kid (alt chorus lyrics)
11. Stop Swimming (different ending)

And there are really cool transitions from BDIC->EL2 and PN->AC. A great listen.

[Prog Snob]

Those older albums are amazing, especially The Sky Moves Sideways and Lightbulb Sun.

[Mosh]

I'm a very casual fan of his work, but it makes sense. He's made several albums outside of Porcupine Tree that have contributed to a new direction. He doesn't seem like the type to really go backwards, so I don't see much of a point in bringing PT back.

[KevShmev]

Honestly, while it is a bit of a bummer, realistically he did most of the writing with PT already, so what he is doing as a solo artist is stuff he could have written for PT anyway, except that he has arguably a better and more diverse band around him, so his window as to what he can do is more broad.  Sure, there are elements in the playing of the other members of PT that aren't in his solo work, like some of Richard Barbieri's cool soundscape sounds, as well as Gavin Harrison's drum work, but the band he has around him now is so awesome that I am more than okay with it.

[Ben_Jamin]

I'm happy I got to see them once, and that one chance was my only chance. Glad I got to hear The Pills In Me.

[Zantera]

I called this in 2010 so can't say I'm surprised, but it is a bummer. PT had a very special chemistry that you won't find anywhere else. It's not a question of quality, because SW still puts out good stuff, it's more the chemistry and what those 4 guys were able to capture together that I will miss.

[LudwigVan]

Honestly, while it is a bit of a bummer, realistically he did most of the writing with PT already, so what he is doing as a solo artist is stuff he could have written for PT anyway, except that he has arguably a better and more diverse band around him, so his window as to what he can do is more broad.  Sure, there are elements in the playing of the other members of PT that aren't in his solo work, like some of Richard Barbieri's cool soundscape sounds, as well as Gavin Harrison's drum work, but the band he has around him now is so awesome that I am more than okay with it.

I have all of his solo albums and they're okay for me. The music just doesn't rock out as hard and heavy as the PT stuff, which I much prefer.

[TioJorge]

I held hope for a while but yeah, by now it's no surprise. That said, I'm more or less surprised by how it all ended and how they just fizzled out than the fact that they actually disbanded.

It's a good thing though that they have loads and loads of absolutely amazing material. It's just so disappointing that they went out on such a mediocre and uninspired note. But up until that point, pure perfection.

[goo-goo]

I have all of his solo albums and they're okay for me. The music just doesn't rock out as hard and heavy as the PT stuff, which I much prefer.

The heavy sound that PT used since In Absentia to The Incident had ran its course. The same thing happened with earlier PT: psychedelic, then the rock/pop era, and the heavy era. I think Disc 2 is more representative of what the PT sound would have been if they had continued and based on the interviews I read from that time, Steven was tired with the heavy and the metal sound. PT was running its course and they would have "needed" a "new identity" (aka sound).

Don't get me wrong, I love the In Absentia to The Incident albums (as well as the rock/pop era) and I'll miss their music, their chemistry. Even though Steven wrote most of the PT music, the chemistry and the sounds the band members put out complemented each other like no other band that I listen. Time will tell if PT gets back as just a touring entity.

[TioJorge]

I agree. For what they seemed to aim for, they perfected their sound ten fold and seemed to explore every avenue of it with each of their albums. I think TI is a really great example of that because of how rehashed and bland it sounded, to me at least. I do like a few songs on disc 2 but even then, I had felt like they were churned out of the band's "songs to use when we have nothing else" repertoire. I really don't think they could have done much else that wouldn't have been in some way a kind of rehash. Some bands just get to that point after a while and I think it's inevitable unless, like Opeth (who I think is another perfect example of perfecting that sound so much that there's not much else to do), drastically changed their sound. Either that or they simply call it a day, which I much prefer over the other option. Those big bands that live on way longer than they should (Metallica immediately comes to mind) find that it's a horribly torturous, monotonous, boring death of the band. I'm sure some peeps disagree (especially about Metallica)...if it's about the music itself and/or the bands that aren't PT, keep it to yourself for god's sake. 

[El Barto]

I'm happy I got to see them once, and that one chance was my only chance. Glad I got to hear The Pills In Me.

Yup. And add Way Out of Here.

I already assumed they were done, which is a damn shame. SW's new direction doesn't do a lot for me, and while I'm a big Minnimmen fan, Gavin Harrison was one of my 3 favorite drummers to watch.

[KevShmev]

Well said, goo-goo.  SW was just about done doing heavy stuff with much frequency.  He has brought some crunchy riffs back on the last album and EP, but they are still more sparse than they were on the last four PT studio albums. 

TioJorge, I know what you mean regarding The Incident. It kind of has that "a little bit of everything we have done" feel to it, but I still like it a ton; more than most, probably.  It has a few hiccups - Remember Me Lover is kind of bland by their standards (what a bummer if that ends up being the last song on their last album), and the three short interlude instrumentals in the song cycle do not hold up well (two of which are just short songs of quietness with sudden loud busts of noise in the form of heavy chords) - but its highlights are still pretty awesome, IMO.

[Phoenix87x]

I don't like his solo work, but I LOVE Porcupine tree, so this news sucks for me

[ChuckSteak]

Yea, I also prefer Porcupine Tree than Steven's solo stuff. Shame that the band is over.

[Nel]

Count me in with the group that far prefers PT to Wilson's solo work. It's a shame, but I like The Incident enough to think it's a good one to go out on. Who'd have thought the first album I bought from them would turn out to be the last?   

I want to like those solo albums, I really do. But barring Luminol, they just don't strike me in any way.

[seasonsinthesky]

I want to like those solo albums, I really do. But barring Luminol, they just don't strike me in any way.

Not even Insurgentes? It sounds like the weird cousin of Deadwing.

[LudwigVan]

My thought:  Steven Wilson's voice is not good enough for the music that he's currently writing. When I listen to his solo albums I hear all sorts of instrumental and compositional goodness, only to be marred by his meh vocals. The music screams out for a singer with a little more range and color in his tone.

With PT his 'just okay' vocals was more than balanced out by the hard rocking histrionics and heaviness.

[Skeever]

My thought:  Steven Wilson's voice is not good enough for the music that he's currently writing. When I listen to his solo albums I hear all sorts of instrumental and compositional goodness, only to be marred by his meh vocals. The music screams out for a singer with a little more range and color in his tone.

With PT his 'just okay' vocals was more than balanced out by the hard rocking histrionics and heaviness.

I agree with all of this.

[TioJorge]

My thought:  Steven Wilson's voice is not good enough for the music that he's currently writing. When I listen to his solo albums I hear all sorts of instrumental and compositional goodness, only to be marred by his meh vocals. The music screams out for a singer with a little more range and color in his tone.

With PT his 'just okay' vocals was more than balanced out by the hard rocking histrionics and heaviness.

Man, I love his voice a lot. I think by the technical side and standards you're right, but on the subjective side, I think his voice is gorgeous and fits like a glove with the music he makes. But I will say that this opinion of mine is magnified ten fold for PT and that while I love SW's voice, I'd be interested in hearing what another vocalist would do with his music. I cannot say the same for PT and I'd never want any other voice with that music.

It probably comes down to me having a very personal connection with PT. Not that I don't with SW-solo, but other than a handful of songs across Insurgents, Grace and Raven, it's more that I really like the music but I don't have that intense connection like I do with PT. Raven and one or two songs on Hand have made me tear up a bit, but with PT it's an entire swirl of emotions, both good and bad.

....
...
God fucking damn it. I talked myself into wanting PT more when I thought I was over it.
I knew it. PT is the girlfriend that got away that keeps coming back into your mind.
*masturbates with tears while listening to Collapse The Light Into Earth*

[KevShmev]

I'm the same way, re: his vocals. He is not a great singer by any stretch of the imagination, but his voice has a cool, unique quality that always fit the music really well.  I'd rather hear his emotional delivery than someone belt it out with greater ranger and less emotion.  It reminds me of the story he once told about how most of the vocals you hear on his albums are from his original demos, since he does the demo vocals when the song is brand new to him, and he says redoing it in the studio later wouldn't be as emotional a delivery as his first take.  That is pretty neat.

[The Letter M]

Funny how this pops up earlier today/last night, as I went to bed with some PT playing on my iPod/iHome next to my bed. I had put on my expanded tracklist of In Absentia, easily one of my favorites of theirs, B-Sides included.

It's definitely sad to hear that from SW, but as prog does, he must move forward, and the others have all slowly found their own projects since 2009, so it's not like they were forced to sit and wait for SW before moving on to other things.

I wonder if SW will ever release other PT-related albums, like old live albums or outtakes, or perhaps re-issues with proper bonus tracks, such as studio-sessions, B-Sides, alternate takes, etc. etc. It'd be neat to see him release his own past works in the same way his King Crimson re-issues have been handled. Then again, I kind of hope not because I'm pretty poor as it is...

-Marc.

[pogoowner]

Yeah, I think we all knew they were done. I am glad I got to see them once (and King's X played with them on that tour too, which was badass). In Absentia was their peak in my eyes.

[bout to crash]

Yeah, no surprise and I'm honestly not bummed at this point. It is what it is. I also love his voice and agree that it fits very well with the music. I love all of his solo stuff and am confident I will continue to. PT's existing music is amazing and I don't need any more to keep loving on them... so it's all good.

[Zantera]

The only shame is how SW talks about PT these days. "That other band I was in" and there seems to be more negative feelings than being able to appreciate it for what it was. "With this new solo band I can do things I could never do before", well maybe that has truth to it, but it still sucks that he feels a need to downplay PT and their importance every time they're brought up. A simple "I had a lot of fun with PT but it came to a natural conclusion and I'm really enjoying making solo music now" would suffice.

Personally I think HCE could have been a PT album because style-wise it was fairly close and as much as SW said his break with PT came from him wanting to do genres outside of the comfort-zone of the band members (like jazz, he has gotten back to a sound that would have made for a PT album I think. But he doesn't want to give away any control and do everything himself, hence why it makes sense for him to do solo music rather than going back to a band setting.

[Mladen]

At this point, I honestly see no reason for Porcupine Tree to get back together. Steven is doing better than ever.

[wolfking]

"Steven, I wait for Porcupine Tree to come to Germany."

"You'll be waiting a long time, mate, because that band no longer exists."

I'm a very casual fan of PT and never really got into SW's solo stuff, soit doesn't matter to me, but if this is the way he announced the news, then that's quite bizarre and IMO kinda disrespectful.  But whatever I guess.

[Zantera]

I'm a very casual fan of PT and never really got into SW's solo stuff, soit doesn't matter to me, but if this is the way he announced the news, then that's quite bizarre and IMO kinda disrespectful.  But whatever I guess.

It is. Rather than stringing people along for 5 years with vague promises like "we'll get together eventually" and "the band hasn't broken up, it's just a hiatus", I think it would have been better if SW just told it like it was. And hey, maybe the decision wasn't made over night. Maybe there was a part of SW that thought that another PT album could happen, but when that isn't on the table anymore, it would have been better if he just said "The band is done and I'm focusing on the solo career", rather than kinda laughing at the PT question with "that band doesn't exist anymore you silly goose".

[PixelDream]

This news doesn't really change anything for me. Of course PT don't exist anymore, they haven't put out new music for years nor have they played a show. SW saying PT doesn't exist anymore doesn't mean they're unable to exist again at some point in the future.

[KevShmev]

Very true. I suspect SW is probably a little tired of being asked about it, so instead of giving the "we are limbo"-type response, he gave the "that band doesn't exist anymore" answer, which means if they never do anything again, well, he told us already, and if they do, well, the band exists again!

[?]

This news doesn't really change anything for me. Of course PT don't exist anymore, they haven't put out new music for years nor have they played a show. SW saying PT doesn't exist anymore doesn't mean they're unable to exist again at some point in the future.

Very true. I suspect SW is probably a little tired of being asked about it, so instead of giving the "we are limbo"-type response, he gave the "that band doesn't exist anymore" answer, which means if they never do anything again, well, he told us already, and if they do, well, the band exists again!

These are my thoughts as well.

[gazinwales]

I too am not a fan of SW solo work at all, and again it's his voice that kills it for me.
With PT the music killer enough for me to tolerate the weak whiny voice, but the solo stuff cannot hide this.

I am sure he is sick of being asked about PT, but I am just as sure he does not mind the PT back catalogue continuing to be pulverised and the associated royalties.

[Adami]

I generally make it my mission to hate and despise anything that Jackie loves, but I have recently become a decent fan of SW's solo material. I only have 3 albums, but I am more into Hand Cannot Erase and Raven. I admit, I generally lose a bit of interest when he goes full out old school prog and has wind solos and stuff.

But give me a song like Routine or The Raven that Refused to Sing and I'm a happy dude.

[King Postwhore]

I hated the thought of PT ending but SW has put out such great product in his solo work that it eased the pain tremendously.