Well, this is an interesting run of three songs to
almost close out the countdown.
05 Blackest Eyes (my ranking: N/R)I would not have been shocked if I was the only person who didn't rank this song. And yet, I was joined by three others.
Still feel like I should explain myself. First off, I do like Blackest Eyes. Looking at my songs that just missed the cut, I honestly think this would have ended up at #51 or #52 on my list.
Gravity Eyelids, as I recall, was the first single from the album -- and the only song I heard before release date. So, the first time I heard Blackest Eyes was the first time I played the CD. And it felt like a statement.
But after a few listens, it ended up feeling like it was an intentional distillation of all of Porcupine Tree's trademarks into their major label debut track. The weird instrumental bits. The wistful verses. The catchy chorus. The multi-layered harmonies. The creepy lyrics. The spacey middle section. And then, in an announcement of the new direction, the metal element moving to center stage. Everything in the band's repertoire, crammed -- or even forced -- into a 4-minute track.
And I have never been able to get over that initial feeling! This is a good song, really good in fact. But as someone who was into the band before IA was released, it just feels too intentional to me.
04 Dark Matter (my ranking: 1)There are very few bands for which I have a clear #1 favorite song. Usually the waters are a little muddy near the top.
Not Porcupine Tree. Dark Matter is my favorite and, as much as I love my next tier down (Buying New Soul, Hatesong, Even Less, [redacted], and What Happens Now?) this one is just head and shoulders above everything else. It is the
perfect transition song between eras, and a dramatic, progressive masterpiece in every way. The early parts of the song have such a great use of space in the mix -- knowing to keep some restraint and let the instruments breathe. The layered vocals in the chorus are brilliant. The chord progression introduced post-chorus (which carries to the end of the song) is simple (A-G-F-G-A) but somehow just clicks perfectly. The guitar solo has already been mentioned several times. What a buildup, what a solo, and what an ending.
I usually consider Signify my favorite PT album, but I actually only ranked 4 songs from it. What I love about Signify is the variety, and the way the whole album feels like a journey through all these different moods. Close that out with the best song the band has ever recorded, and I guess that's why it ends up as my favorite. I also really love how, despite the more popular Stupid Dream / Lightbulb Sun / Recordings era, it's a song from Signify that is this countdown's highest-ranked from the band's original lineup.
Congrats to DDD, Elite, and DTA for having the good taste to join me on this one.
Anyone up for some electro-shock therapy?
03 Trains (my ranking: 30)A lot of people in this countdown have said things like "I really should have ranked this song higher", and I've tried to avoid that because, well, if you rank a song higher, then you have to rank other songs
lower, and that gets tricky.
But I really probably should have ranked Trains higher. Maybe in the 20-25 range instead of at 30.
I know it's a "hit" (or a fan favorite or whatever) but it's pretty much brilliant as far as pop songwriting goes. The main guitar motif through the song is actually rather unique, and the way the song is structured is out of the ordinary too. And yet it all fits together nicely. It's a lot of fun in concert, too, even if they downtune it like seven whole steps or whatever.