Porcupine Tree Lists-thread - Currently rocking you: mikemangioy

Zantera · March 30, 2010, 08:19:25 AM

Inspired by Kev's thread that he made almost 6 months ago, i decided to make my own list.
It was definitely a challenge, and eventually i ran out of songs and had to go back, and think "this or that song?", something that really shows how amazing Porcupine Tree are.
Compared my list to Kev's a bit, apart from some songs, this list will be a lot different, and hopefully Kev won't mind me stealing his idea, and spicing it up a bit.

Some picks could seem controversial, but again.. i'm one of those PT-fans that loves all their albums, even though it might be hard comparing the older stuff to the newer.
Feedback is always fun, though the objective with the thread is to praise some songs that never gets that much credit otherwise, and to praise songs that already gets too much of it.

Anyhow, let's take this show on the road, shall we?

50. Blackest Eyes - (In Absentia)
My first introduction to PT and their music, and i guess it was the same for many others.
Sum's up the PT-sound pretty well i think, the metal-riff, the melodic verse, the pop-chorus, and then the ambient-part.
Has some fun/odd lyrics, but def. a song that gets stuck in your head.
I wouldn't go as far as calling it their best album-opener, but it's a great song, and a great introduction.
Like SW said himself in an interview about the song: "we knew that for many people, this would be their first experience of Porcupine Tree, therefor we wanted to pick a song that we thought represented our music".

49. Voyage 34 phase 1 - (Voyage 34: The Complete Trip)
This song was originally planned for Up The Downstair, but ended up as a single, which eventually became a 4-divided musical-piece on "Voyage 34: The Complete Trip".
The song overall is a fusion between Psychedelic/Progressive rock and Trance.
It's one of those songs that are really interesting to listen to, there's a lot of weird noises etc, and i remember playing it in the car, and my friend asked "is that a dolphin?" and stuff like that.
Guitars are very Pink Floyd-inspired, and i could only imagine how much better this song would be, listening to it while being high.

48. Insignificance - (Metanoia)
My personal favorite on the album, an instrumental piece that was written during the Signify-era.
I really like the bass-line, and the guitar-work is amazing.
The drumming also adds a lot to the song, and it's really interesting to hear.
One of their shorter instrumentals, and one of the least-known, still i think it deserves to be mentioned, because it's a good song.

47. Burning Sky - (Up The Downstair)
Earlier PT-instrumentals are very different from the instrumentals they make today.
Burning Sky is a 'typical' older PT-instrumental, it's a music-journey.
This is a very solid track, that has great guitar-work, and some great keyboard-work.
I really love the climax before the silent-part at 4.45-ish, and the silent part is really cool as well.
Missed this song on Coma Divine, hopefully they'll make something special in a few years, and pick it out of the closet again.

46. The Sound of Muzak - (In Absentia)
Like Blackest Eyes, this is a really catchy-song, and a song that quickly became a favorite.
Even though being a great song, it should be pointed out that it feels out of place on the album.
Don't really love the lyrics, but i do find the chorus extremely catchy.
"One of the wonders of the world is going down..."
The guitar-solo is also pretty neat, making this a pretty solid song overall.
They played it as an encore when i saw them live, and it was noticeable that everyone sang along.
People literally screamed when they started playing the intro.
One word though; overplayed. :<

More to come...

Nick · March 30, 2010, 08:25:18 AM

Blackest Eyes and especially Sound of Muzak being this low = me being already pissed off at this.

Zantera · March 30, 2010, 08:28:10 AM

Quote from: Nick on March 30, 2010, 08:25:18 AM
Blackest Eyes and especially Sound of Muzak being this low = me being already pissed off at this.

It's a great band with many great songs

OsMosis2259 · March 30, 2010, 08:28:47 AM

Quote from: Nick on March 30, 2010, 08:25:18 AM
Blackest Eyes and especially Sound of Muzak being this low = me being already pissed off at this.

i can agree with this.

Great thread though. I'm really looking to the whole list. I def. agree with Blackest Eyes and The Sound of Muzak are the favorites and also are a great introduction to someone that's never heard of PT.

KevShmev · March 30, 2010, 08:30:16 AM

Hey, did I give my permission for this?

Just kidding! Have at it.

Seeing those first five reminds me that I still need to get around to giving Metanoia another whirl or two. I haven't listened to it in quite a while.

And I hope you are talking about the original "Burning Sky," not that travesty on the remaster.

orcus116 · March 30, 2010, 08:30:37 AM

Ooo a mix of old and new stuff. Looking forward to the rest!

glaurung · March 30, 2010, 08:42:41 AM

Quote from: Nick on March 30, 2010, 08:25:18 AM
Blackest Eyes and especially Sound of Muzak being this low = me being already pissed off at this.

This.

I can tell we are going to disagree quite a bit.

KevShmev · March 30, 2010, 08:47:03 AM

Yeah, I am already preparing my rebuttal posts for when he ranks some of the FoaBp songs too high....or at all.

glaurung · March 30, 2010, 08:51:09 AM

There are lots of good songs on FoaBP. I''ll be more upset when anything from The Sky Moves Sideways makes it in.

KevShmev · March 30, 2010, 08:53:54 AM

All of FoaBP is good, really, but they just have too many great songs. IIRC, when I did my top 50 last fall, two of the songs from it were in the 20s, and the other four didn't make it at all. I don't dislike those other four songs; they just didn't make the cut.

Pyroph · March 30, 2010, 09:34:16 AM

Quote from: glaurung on March 30, 2010, 08:51:09 AM
There are lots of good songs on FoaBP. I''ll be more upset when anything from The Sky Moves Sideways makes it in.

Phase One is easily one of their best songs.

jag66 · March 30, 2010, 11:14:54 AM

Just imagine playing someone blackest eyes for the first time, then claimining they have 49 better songs

Phantasmatron · March 30, 2010, 11:15:35 AM

Quote from: jag66 on March 30, 2010, 11:14:54 AM
Just imagine playing someone blackest eyes for the first time, then claimining they have 49 better songs

MIND=BLOWN

faemir · March 30, 2010, 01:45:04 PM

If Arriving Somewhere But Not Here isn't #1, then we are not a match.

LTE · March 30, 2010, 01:47:54 PM

Quote from: Pyroph on March 30, 2010, 09:34:16 AM

Phase One is easily one of their best songs.

Completely agree.

GuineaPig · March 30, 2010, 01:49:52 PM

Hmm, some time in the future I might want to do a PT top 50. Their discography is varied enough that I think compiling and analyzing a list might be really interesting.

Also, sad to see Sound of Muzak so low. If I recall, it didn't crack the top 20 for Kev's list either.

skydivingninja · March 30, 2010, 01:50:49 PM

If you think "Arriving Somewhere" is the best PT song we are not a match.
If you disregard the amazingness of TSMS: Phase 1 we are not a match.
If "Trains" is outside the top 5 we are not a match.
If "Fear of a Blank Planet" is anywhere on this list, we are not a match.
If "Prodigal" is not on the list, we are not a match.
If your top ten are just a bunch of B-sides that not everyone has, we are not a match.

faemir · March 30, 2010, 01:58:47 PM

however if B-sides like Futile, Drown With Me and So Called Friend aren't on the list, we are not a match.

(If you don't have So Called Friend studio, then get on ebay and get a hold of the Lazarus single. Have fun.)

ZBomber · March 30, 2010, 01:59:43 PM

Quote from: skydivingninja on March 30, 2010, 01:50:49 PM
If you think "Arriving Somewhere" is the best PT song we are not a match.
If you disregard the amazingness of TSMS: Phase 1 we are not a match.
If "Trains" is outside the top 5 we are not a match.
If "Fear of a Blank Planet" is anywhere on this list, we are not a match.
If "Prodigal" is not on the list, we are not a match.
If your top ten are just a bunch of B-sides that not everyone has, we are not a match.

We are not a match.

KevShmev · March 30, 2010, 02:32:35 PM

"Futile" is pretty cool, but didn't make my top 50, and wouldn't make it now either. "So Called Friend" is pretty good, but would be lucky to make my top 100. That song hasn't aged well with me.

faemir · March 30, 2010, 02:35:17 PM

Quote from: KevShmev on March 30, 2010, 02:32:35 PM
"Futile" is pretty cool, but didn't make my top 50

pretty cool? You obviously haven't heard it live.

PixelDream · March 30, 2010, 03:01:41 PM

Quote from: KevShmev on March 30, 2010, 02:32:35 PM
"Futile" is pretty cool, but didn't make my top 50, and wouldn't make it now either. "So Called Friend" is pretty good, but would be lucky to make my top 100. That song hasn't aged well with me.

Same here. I really digged it at first, then got bored to tears from it.

Only a while ago when my girlfriend cheated on me and didn´t give a damn about it; that's when the song finally was any good. Seems there really are no uselless PT songs after all!

p.s. I love PT's songs about broken relationships. They're mostly pretty hateful, which is awesome when you just have to get over that b*tch.

Darkes7 · March 30, 2010, 03:04:37 PM

Following the idea - if Trains is in top 20, we are not a match. If The Sound of Muzak is anywhere on the li... oh well

J/k, interested to see it. I think I don't have to say that your #1 is Anesthetize.

PixelDream · March 30, 2010, 03:11:24 PM

FoaBP is a cool album, but it's so lacking compared to almost all the other PT albums. The problem is, I don't know what's missing. Maybe 50 minutes is too short?

FoaBP + Nil Recurring.. that's a whole different story though. That's what one would call a Porcupine Tree record.

SW finally accomplished with 'The Incident' what he was trying to do with 'FoaBP'. He actually composed the record as being a 55-minute piece, instead of omitting songs off the record to maintain a certain focus.

Oh and if 'Time Flies' is in your top 10, we are a match. If 'Arriving Somewhere' is #1, even better.

Darkes7 · March 30, 2010, 03:18:53 PM

How is it lacking in any way? It's easily the most perfectly flowing PT album (except for The Incident, but that's pretty much one song), and despite the general dark, sad atmosphere, it still remains very diverse. It just feels like it had really been written with "album" in mind and not just the songs, with each and every song fitting the style and atmosphere (*cough* mellotronmuzak).

The Nil Recurring songs don't fit at all. Cheating the Polygraph is fairly close, but the rest are a different story entirely. Much more "proggy", much more of a rocking and lighter feeling. They have nothing of the dark sound of FOABP. I've tried listening to FOABP + Nil Recurring consecutively once, and it doesn't work at all imo.

zxlkho · March 30, 2010, 03:28:17 PM

Prediction: the top five will contain Trains, Anesthetize, Arriving Somewhere, The Incident, and.... Even Less? maybe...

PixelDream · March 30, 2010, 03:31:56 PM

Quote from: Darkes7 on March 30, 2010, 03:18:53 PM
How is it lacking in any way? It's easily the most perfectly flowing PT album (except for The Incident, but that's pretty much one song), and despite the general dark, sad atmosphere, it still remains very diverse. It just feels like it had really been written with "album" in mind and not just the songs, with each and every song fitting the style and atmosphere (*cough* mellotronmuzak).

The Nil Recurring songs don't fit at all. Cheating the Polygraph is fairly close, but the rest are a different story entirely. Much more "proggy", much more of a rocking and lighter feeling. They have nothing of the dark sound of FOABP. I've tried listening to FOABP + Nil Recurring consecutively once, and it doesn't work at all imo.

The weird thing is; Nil Recurring sounds a tad better sonically in comparison to most of FoaBP. To me, everything just has way more balls, except for 'Sleep Together', which is devastating. The heavy riffing in the title track, and some other songs, sounds a bit too flat. I don't know what it is, but they solved it on NR.

You say 'Nil Recurring' is overall more proggy, rocking and lighter. I respectfully disagree. To me 'Nil Recurring' is representing PT's darker side even better than FoaBP. 'My Ashes' could be replaced with any song from NR, and the record would be better for it IMO.

I don't know, the freshness of the NR tracks definately make FoaBP more diverse and interesting to me. The Anesthetize reprise in 'What Happens Now?' is pretty fitting too, as is 'Sentimental's evil twin 'Normal'.

sonatafanica · March 30, 2010, 03:42:11 PM

I don't have Nil Recurring yet, so I know none of those songs

skydivingninja · March 30, 2010, 04:20:47 PM

Quote from: sonatafanica on March 30, 2010, 03:42:11 PM
I don't have Nil Recurring yet, so I know none of those songs

Fix this. Listen to it, then combine with FOABP to make FOABP about 10 times better. I appreciate SW for keeping records around an hour, but Fear would have greatly benefited from an extra 20 minutes.

Darkes7 · March 30, 2010, 04:34:53 PM

Quote from: PixelDream on March 30, 2010, 03:31:56 PM
The weird thing is; Nil Recurring sounds a tad better sonically in comparison to most of FoaBP. To me, everything just has way more balls, except for 'Sleep Together', which is devastating. The heavy riffing in the title track, and some other songs, sounds a bit too flat. I don't know what it is, but they solved it on NR.

You say 'Nil Recurring' is overall more proggy, rocking and lighter. I respectfully disagree. To me 'Nil Recurring' is representing PT's darker side even better than FoaBP. 'My Ashes' could be replaced with any song from NR, and the record would be better for it IMO.

I don't know, the freshness of the NR tracks definately make FoaBP more diverse and interesting to me. The Anesthetize reprise in 'What Happens Now?' is pretty fitting too, as is 'Sentimental's evil twin 'Normal'.

It's pretty funny because I had the exact opposite impression.

FOABP has this powerful, yet still very deep and subtle sound with plenty of layers, Nil Recurring feels to me like much more "in the face" in that respect. Yet still the heavy parts don't have the heaviness and punch FOABP has (except for the chorus of Cheating the Polygraph, which is incredible), it just sounds like if they are louder instead of heavier.

Well, that's entirely subjective I guess. Agreed My Ashes is lighter (both in terms of music and atmosphere) than anything NR, yet still the way it's included into the album, with the calm ending of the title track, and My Ashes itself greatly fading into Anesthetize, it doesn't feel out of place at all, and together with Sentimental works as a great moment to take a breath during an otherwise really intense and difficult album. It's just located perfectly, and can't imagine the album with anything else.

I really like Nil Recurring in itself, but it's not FOABP for me, and I feel like I can't combine the two in any way, just like The Incident CD1 and 2. In both cases, the two have plenty in common, yet also a lot that divides them, and I prefer to listen to either as an EP rather than "album part two". The albums are just perfectly composed as they are and moving any piece would make the whole thing fall apart.

orcus116 · March 30, 2010, 05:40:28 PM

Interesting way of looking at it. To me most of the FOABP session songs are on the same level though for some reason Nil Recurring is the perfect for that style of PT music I can tolerate. Not to say I hate the songs on FOABP but I get the same enjoyment factor in 20 less minutes.

glaurung · March 30, 2010, 05:50:22 PM

Quote from: faemir on March 30, 2010, 01:58:47 PM
however if B-sides like Futile, Drown With Me and So Called Friend aren't on the list, we are not a match.

(If you don't have So Called Friend studio, then get on ebay and get a hold of the Lazarus single. Have fun.)

You left off Buying New Soul.

Darkes7 · March 30, 2010, 05:51:33 PM

How can you talk about B-sides and forget Mother and Child Divided (even if live version)?

Ultimetalhead · March 30, 2010, 05:55:56 PM

Buying New Soul is fucking awesome. I think we need another CD like Recordings so we can have a compilation of B-Sides and extended versions.

Sintheros · March 30, 2010, 05:56:40 PM

Quote from: skydivingninja on March 30, 2010, 01:50:49 PM
If you think "Arriving Somewhere" is the best PT song we are not a match.
If you disregard the amazingness of TSMS: Phase 1 we are not a match.
If "Trains" is outside the top 5 we are not a match.
If "Fear of a Blank Planet" is anywhere on this list, we are not a match.
If "Prodigal" is not on the list, we are not a match.
If your top ten are just a bunch of B-sides that not everyone has, we are not a match.

Match.
Match.
Match.
Not match.
Match.
Match.

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Porcupine Tree Lists-thread - Currently rocking you: mikemangioy