Porcupine Tree Lists-thread - Currently rocking you: mikemangioy

[Tomislav95]

You again rated one of my favourites songs on album (Shesmovedon) lowest And I really didn't know it's a song everyone knows, I heard it (and rest of the album) about half year ago. It's probably my second favourite album by P3 behind FoaBP

[mikemangioy]

the "thanks" is ironic, i.e. "thanks for making me feel so low. you did it really well."

also, i highly doubt "How is Your Life Today?" is beyond the usual relationship topic or require a dead narrator – she left him with a 'cold kiss' before she got in the taxi and he's so depressed he cancelled the milk delivery and doesn't pick up his mail. typical 16 year old emotionally stunted reaction to a breakup 

Maybe it's the kiss of death? I don't know, it seems too dark of a song to be about a breakup.

[425]

I've been kind of following this but not too closely until now because Lightbulb Sun is the earliest PT album I can comment on knowledgeably yet (I have The Sky Moves Sideways and Stupid Dream, but I haven't listened to them enough to "get" them to an extent where I am able to talk about them). This album is one that I didn't really like at first until it grew into being just among the greatest things ever. Four Chords doesn't always do it for me, and is easily the low point of the record, but everything else is just amazing. And actually some of the little poppy ones are among my favorites on this record. I really love the upbeat mood of The Rest Will Flow and just cannot get over how much I love the union of brilliant music and brilliantly perceptive lyrics on Where We Would Be.

Though of course nothing beats Russiar On Ice.

[Zantera]

It's not a perfect album but it is very good. The highlights (title-track, Last Chance, Hatesong and Russia on Ice) more than enough makes up for some of the weaker moments.

[ColdFireYYZ]

Lightbulb Sun was my first exposure to the band and I was not that impressed with it at all. About a year later, and after listening to most of their other albums, it clicked. Now, if I had to pick a favorite PT album, it would win nine times out of ten. Fantastic album all around!

[Tom Bombadil]

Lightbulb Sun is simply amazing.

[jammindude]

SW has stated in interviews that HIYLT is a breakup song.

This is one of the only "not quite perfect" albums in PT's catalog. Four Chords, Where We Would Be, and the first half of Russia on Ice do absolutely nothing for me. (exactly the opposite of Strip the Soul....but I think they made a medley once of the first half of StS and the second half of ROI. That would be a near PERFECT medley.)

[seasonsinthesky]

but I think they made a medley once of the first half of StS and the second half of ROI. That would be a near PERFECT medley.

i think you're confusing STS/.3 (from Anesthetize) and ROI/Anesthetize pt.2 (from Octane Twisted). your idea sounds interesting, though...

[mikemangioy]

SW has stated in interviews that HIYLT is a breakup song.

Oh, Ok then.

[jammindude]

Well...to clarify.   SW has stated that he was going through a really bad breakup at the time, and as such, a lot of the album revolved around that theme.   HIYLT, SMO, FSL....and besides those more direct songs, you can hear much of the emotions one feels during a breakup in other songs.  Hatesong for example. 

[KevShmev]

And of course Russia on Ice, which is about drinking yourself into oblivion to forget the pain that comes from a breakup.

[mikemangioy]

Let's take a short break before the historical arrival of the Gavin and the beginning of the metal era.

RECORDINGS

OK, so Recordings isn't an actual album. It's a compilation of songs recorded for SD and LS that didn't make the records along with a new song and another version of one song. But I still wanted to rank Recordings because there are songs that are worth mentioning.

Buying New Soul
Music by Porcupine Tree, lyrics by Steven Wilson, 10:24
Recorded shortly after Lightbulb Sun was over.

The first song on this record is a ballad. That's right, quite strange placement. Buying New Soul is a song based on a double bass(?) chord progression and a keyboard loop that is played both as an intro and an outro to the song.

The real song though, starts at about 1:30 when Steven enters on acoustic guitar, as he sings about how he did not sold his soul to the devil and how he likes to break the code.
Until the chorus hits, and this is my favorite P3 chorus of all time, lyrically speaking (musically speaking it may be Russia on Ice)

I still wave at the dots on the shore
I still beat my head against the wall
I still rage and wage my little war
I'm a shade and easy to ignore

Now, I don't know if Steven is into stalking but, seriously, that chorus is basically the description of my life right now. Or at least my social life. That touches me a lot and I always get shivers in the chorus of this song.

After the second chorus the loop comes back and the band grow intensity on it, until another verse and chorus come up, this time it's more emotional.

After a guitar solo the song closes on three minutes of keyboard loop, and here's my problem with this song.
THE LOOP
It's too freaking long and pointless IMO. As an intro, it is OK, but putting it as a bridge and as an extended finale is not quite the thing to do , I think. That's why I like more the Arriving Somewhere version (even though it cuts a verse), it's much more direct and light to listen to.

That said, Buying New Soul is a great song which has potiential but doesn't use that too much, but still, it's an incredible piece of music.

VOTE: 8.5

Access Denied
Music and lyrics by S.Wilson, 3:35

OK, so this song is quite strange. It's like if Stupid Dream and On The Sunday Of Life had sex and this is the result.

Access Denied is an extremely bipolar song: some parts are freaking happy sounding and the lyrics make sense, some parts are psychedelic and the lyrics are the most non-sense than they've been in a while (not sure if the phrasing is correct there D:).

The result is awesome.
VOTE: 8 +

Cure For Opimism
Music and lyrics by S.Wilson, 3:37

This song begins with some creepy keyboard stuff that we will also find later in In Absentia, and later it transitions into acoustic guitar, reminding me of Buying New Soul.

Cure For Optimism stays acoustic, and it's very dark. I think the lyrics are about a mad guy who is in an asylum.

VOTE: 7

Not rating Untitled since it's the jam that gave life to Buying New Soul, and I don't see the point of doing it.

Disappear
Music and lyrics by S.Wilson, 3:37

This track should've been on the album. It fits perfectly, I don't even know why they left it out. It's an amazing little song full of catchiness and poppiness and one of the few happy P3 songs around.
A gem.

VOTE: 8/9

Ambulance Chasing
Music by Porcupine Tree - 6:32

This instrumental was recorded during the Stupid Dream sessions, and it's more atmospheric compared to the other instrumental that made the album, Tinto Brass. The song opens up with some pounding drum work by Chris, which then is followed by some reverb guitar work and some tasty bass work. I like using the word "work"

VOTE: 7.5

In Formaldehyde
Music and lyrics by S.Wilson, 5:19

This next song is about divorce, like almost all the other songs on Lightbulb Sun. It's pretty melanchonic and the arpeggio sounds like a slow version of Drown With Me.. heh.

For those wondering, formaldehyde is a chemical element that causes cancer, so yeah, the character in the lyrics basically doesn't want the divorce and so he tries to kill himself.
Very sad.

VOTE: 7/8

Even Less (full version)
Music and lyrics by S.Wilson, 13:55

The second half of Even Less is spectacular. It begins with some drums pounding with a bass line that later transforms into a riff that later transforms into a furious solo. After the solo Steven goes completely pissed off but sounding sarcastic:

Fuck you and your book too
you can have it back

It sounds amazing, the way it's said.. out of the blue.. you have to hear it. Shortly after we're back to the chorus but it's 10 times better

And I had a stupid dream that I could change things
But I'm a martyr
To even less
To even less
To even leeeess

BAM! Back into the main riff again. The song closes very gently with Steven softly singing "looooooooooooooong" repeatetly.

Wow. Even Less is one heck of a song, it's beautiful, it's powerful, it's goosebump sending, it's a great opener.

VOTE: 9

Oceans Have No Memory
Music by S.Wilson, 3:06

Wow. What a relaxing piece of music this is. The title is accurate, I imagine being on a calm beach, while reading a good book. And since I hate the beach and the sea, Steven did a pretty good job making me love it for three minutes. Great.

VOTE: 8

--------------------------------------------------

All in all, Recordings is a good record, it has some really nice work on it, but the flow is not that great. Still, it has Buying New Soul and Disappear so 

OVERALL VOTE: 7/8

[ColdFireYYZ]

Lots of great songs on Recordings, with my favorites being Buying New Soul, Disappear, and Even Less.

Also, I really hope I'm the only one who originally thought that the lyrics to Buying New Soul were "I still wave at the ducks on the shore." 

[BRGM]

Recordings is great! Buying New Soul and the full version of Even Less are two of my favorite PT songs. Same goes for Stupid Dream and Lightbulb Sun, great albums from start to finnish, I really dig Maitland's drum work. Nice era indeed.

[mikemangioy]

Time for something big.

IN ABSENTIA

This album. We all know and love In Absentia, and it's often praised as the band's masterpiece and it is also their breakthrough album and their entrance in the metal era. There's a lot going on.

Also, let's take a moment to say that in this album
this man arrives

and you can feel that something changed just by that. Don't get me wrong, I still like Chris' drum work in the previous album but Gavin is a whole 'nother step.
The guy is perfect: technical but still simple playing, the using a lot of really clever tricks that no one ever thought of and awesome tasty groove perfectly mashed into a  person. I also got to talk with him for a bit and he was awesome, funny and very humble. Great guy.

So, sorry for that but I was waiting this moment for a whole lot, the tables have turned now. Time for In Absentia!

Blackest Eyes
Music and lyrics by StevenWilson, 4:23

You can tell shit got serious just when you pop in the CD and this song starts.
The intro is amazing: it starts really quiet and suddenly BOOM! HEAVY RIFF!
It's very high energetic and it's sort of uplifting too, I mean, all these years the metal in P3 tried to come out, but couldn't. Until Blackest Eyes, where the chaos starts.

Although after the riff, we get the familiar pop sounding song. This album is a concept album about the decline of a person which eventually becomes a serial killer, and this song lyrically is basically just a TL;DR of the whole thing. And it is damn catchy.

Blackest Eyes is a great opener and I'm sure it's the song that made most people say "OK, let's get into this band"
VOTE: 8/9

Trains
Music and lyrics by S.Wilson, 5:56

OK, I alway see that Trains is often a hit or miss piece. For me it's definetly a hit.

I don't know why it emotionally strums some chords in me, especially the "LAAALALALAAAALAAAAA LAAAALALALAAAA" part and the "Always the summers slipping away". It's very moving for me, for some reason. And it gives me goosebumps.
Just look at these lyrics.

When I hear the engine pass, I'm kissing you wide
The hissing subsides, I'm in luuuck
When the evening reaches here you're tying me up
I'm dying of love, it's okaaay
 


and the transitions between softly acoustic and energetic pop rock are amazingly done.

It's a hit.
VOTE: 9.5

Lips Of Ashes
Music and lyrics by S.Wilson, 4:39

Okay, this is the creepiest song by the band. It tricks you making it sound like a gentle ballad but noooo, nooo.
Steven is more clever than that.

This song is about necrophilia. It's were the mental madness of the guy starts. And the lyrics paired together with that music is really fucking creepy.

Toooouchiiing
Tooouching yooou
Inside inside inside inside..

and the subsequent vocal layer send shivers down my spine in the wrong way. I feel sick about thinking about it infact I think I'mma go puke now, see ya.

VOTE: 8+

The Sound Of Muzak
Music and lyrics by S.Wilson, 4:59

This is another known song by the band, and it's a really good song. I love the 7/4 beat and Gavin makes it interasting with some really nice bass drum work and over-riding.

The chorus is great, and the lyrics are very true.

One of the wonders of the world is going down
It's going down, I know
It's one of the blunders of the world that no-one cares
No-one cares enough

The solo is really nice and I also like the acoustic guitar use and the vocals too. God, I like everything 

VOTE: 9 -

Gravity Eyelids
Music and lyrics by S.Wilson, 7:56

Another pretty creepy song, this one is also about sex, but specifically more of the sex addiction that the character has.

The song remains atmospheric through most of it, but after the second chorus (the chorus BTW, is the best part) a tiny riff appears.
As it grows you know it's gonna explode, and one moment later it does.

And the riff is pure 

From here on out though the song kinda drags for a bit, but I feel that it couldn't go any other way, so it's OK.

Cool track.
VOTE: 8.5

Wedding Nails
Music by S.Wilson and Richard Barbieri, 6:33

Ooh look, my favorite instrumental

Wedding Nails is pure awesomeness. I think it represents the moment in which something sparkles in the head of the guy and from sex maniac it begins to switch to straight  killer. Not yet though.

The song starts with a cool riff that soon enough introduces the whole band, and the song goes BOOM completely with a thunderous riff. After a while the song transitions from relatively light to dark, with a 4 note looping riff. And dark keyboard stuff happens around it.
The song goes back again into the main riff but one semitone down, and the final riff of this song is completely 

Following there are 1 and a half minutes of really creepy ambient music, the reason why I developed the theory I told you. It just sounds like something happened.

Great awesome incredible instrumental.
VOTE: 9+

Prodigal
Music and lyrics by S.Wilson, 5:32

Next up we have another joyful song...
about mid life crisis.
Damn, Steven.

Prodigal has both sad moments (verses) and happy moments (choruses), but what I like the most are the bridges. The resst of the song though, does not do much for me, but it's still pretty good.

VOTE: 7/8

.3
Music and eleven words by S.Wilson, 5:25

MMMM BAASSSS

This song's bassline is awesome, though nothing beats Up The Downstair.

.3 is almost instrumental, as it contains basically two phrases repeated for four times. The song develops under strings and the same bassline for a while until an acoustic guitar and a washy electric enter with the said vocals:

Black the sky, weapons fly
Lay them waste for your race
Black the sky, weapons fly
Lay them waste for your race


I honestly have no idea about what they mean. After short the song goes completely epic with the return of the bassline and an emotional electric guitar line.

Very strange structured instrumental, but very good arrangement and feeling.

VOTE: 8.5

The Creator Had A Mastertape
Music and lyrics by S.Wilson, 5:12

Okay, you know how I praised Colin Edwin tasty basslines and Gavin's groove.
What happens when you put them together?

THIS SONG HAPPENS.

The Creator Had A Mastertape is an extremely nevrotic song about killing. This is it. It's where the killing begins and you can feel the chaos in the head of the guy in the song. It's really mechanic and cold. Steven's vocals are through a distortion effect and he just sounds empty. Best part is:

The creator had a mastertape
But he left it in a cab
I stared into the void tonight
The best dream I've ever had

and then it goes completely nuts. One of the craziest riffs since Dislocated Day. And it's awesome 

One of the best songs from this album
VOTE: 9 +

Heart Attack In A Lay-by
Music and lyrics by S.Wilson, 4:15

This is one of the most melanchonic and sad songs Steven ever came up with. It's about a guy regretting the fact that he left home and he wants to go back but he's not realizing that he's about to die because of an imminent heart attack. You feel bad throughout it because the listener knows whats going on but the character doesn't.

Each verse is more tragic until the "chorus" kicks in. And you just feel bad for the guy. But the most tragic moment is the end of the song.

We'll grow old together
She waits for me
We'll grow old together
Home waits for me

Poor guy.
VOTE: 8/9

Strip The Soul
Music by S.Wilson and Colin Edwin, lyrics by S.Wilson, 7:22

This is in many ways the finale of the story, as the killer continues to abuse his family and do awful things with their bodies but a light sparks in him.
The music is very haunting and obsessive like if there's no end to it, and I think it's done on purpose.

The best moment in the song is the acoustic guitar break when you can just feel the groove. And also, the outro is epic with dem long power chords.

VOTE: 9 -

Collapse The Light Into Earth
Music and lyrics by S.Wilson, 5:53

This song builds up. But not into a metal thing, it fills your eyes with tears. The intensity of it is high, really high. Just go listen to it. Prepare your tissues.

VOTE: 9.5
------------------------------------------
So, this album is a big deal. It's not my favorite P3 record (although it's close) but: it's the beginning of the best era, it's arguably their best, Gavin Harrison.

OVERALL VOTE: 9 + Best album so far.

[KevShmev]

I don't think Trains is hit or miss so much that some just take the "I like Trains, but it isn't as awesome as many think it is" approach.  Regardless, it's easy to see why its so popular with fans, and their record company back then were total morons to not release that to radio stations as a single.  That song could have been popular in the mainstream.

In Absentia isn't my favorite PT album, but I still love it, and it's in my top 5.  Lyrically, this is arguably Wilson's best work to date,

[Tom Bombadil]

I'm not as big on this album as most, but it's still very solid. IMO it's not quite as good as the two preceding albums.

[Zantera]

It's a solid album, but parts of the middle and end drag too much for me in order to rank it among their best.

[seasonsinthesky]

definitely has some questionable tracklist decisions (SW himself admitting he shouldn't have left off "Drown With Me," and i've never heard anyone say much of anything about "Prodigal," so that would've been an enormous chipper-upper right there) but there's a reason this album got so many people into the band. it was my intro and i was over the moon right away (actually, once it got to "Lips of Ashes").

the other one i'm not a fan of at all is "Collapse the Light Into Earth." it's extremely repetitive and the piano is very.. mm.. happy-ish in a way that doesn't fit the album at all imo, even if the shorter "Collapse" had been used as the intro like was planned.

[?]

One of PT's best easily; Gravity Eyelids, Lips of Ashes and Heartattack are my favorite songs

I don't think Trains is hit or miss so much that some just take the "I like Trains, but it isn't as awesome as many think it is" approach.

Yeah, that's how I feel about it - the live versions are pretty good, but I've never liked the sterile and lifeless album version that much. I find The Sound of Muzak way better and catchier, but a song criticizing the music industry could never have become a hit

[Zantera]

Apart from having a few "meh" (at least by PT standards) songs like Wedding Nails (which goes on for 2-3 minutes too long), Prodigal (which would have been a pleasant little B-side) and The Creator Had a Mastertape (which has some cool idea but sounds like a bit of a mess), I think IA suffers from having many great songs but few exceptional ones. I would put Trains up there. I would say Gravity Eyelids comes close, songs like Blackest Eyes, Heartattack or .3 are also among the better ones. But compared to LBS, Stupid Dream, Deadwing or FOABP for example, I think most of those have better consistency and more standout tracks. I would still recommend a newbie to start with IA however. The combo of Blackest Eyes and Trains is just so good. If that doesn't make you a PT fan, I doubt nothing will.

[jammindude]

I've never heard anywhere that this was a concept album about one person in a narrative way.  I have heard that the album is generally themed around different types of mental illness....but even one or two of the songs don't even seem to be about that.   So unless I missed an interview with Steven where he states that directly...I think the idea of this being a concept album is incorrect.

However, it *IS* incredible.   Heartattack in a Layby is my all time #1 PT song.  Just absolutely amazing on every possible album.   Prodigal is another favorite.  That riff at the end...I wish it went on longer.   

There is one skip track for me and that's Strip the Soul.   Well...the second half anyway.   The song starts off well, but the second half is just dull, repetitive, plodding and boring.    I didn't like Collapse Light at first, but it grew on me a bit. 

Absolute highlights of the album:

Heartattack in a Layby
Trains
Sound of Muzak
Prodigal
Blackest Eyes
Gravity Eyelids
.3

[425]

I think this is a very excellent album (and it was my first PT album), but I think it's a weird album for Porcupine Tree. It doesn't really sound anything like Lightbulb Sun or Deadwing or even like a bridge between Lightbulb Sun and Deadwing, to me. At times it doesn't seem to know what it wants to be, as it's the most metal PT album but also one of the poppiest, and ALSO has a number of proggy sections. To me, both the albums before and after this have a stronger commitment to a particular musical direction and as a result are more cohesive albums. As a result of this, plus the fact that the lyrics on this album are not exactly heartwarming, this would absolutely not in any way be an album I would ever recommend as a first PT album.

However, as I said, this is still a fantastic album. I would say though that I like the lighter songs (Trains, Lips of Ashes, Heartattack in a Layby, Collapse the Light Into Earth) more than the heavier ones, though those are really good too.

[KevShmev]

jammindude, most of the songs on this album are about a serial killer, so while not a concept album, it is very thematic, with The Sound of Muzak being pretty much the lone exception to the main theme.

425, this was my first PT album, and while much of it didn't grab me until after I got into Signify and Stupid Dream, Blackest Eyes and Trains were instant winners for me.  I have said it many times over the years: if you are trying to get someone into PT, just play them those two songs. 

[425]

Hmm, maybe. I can't really argue as those two were the songs that got me into them. But I think it also depends on the person's background. I mean, say the person isn't into metal (which is entirely possible because there's more PT that's not metal than is). Then you wouldn't necessarily want to play them Blackest Eyes. Plus, while I wasn't put off by it because I knew it was coming and because I already listened to metal bands with similar lyrics, the words to Blackest Eyes are very disturbing. So I think while those two are good songs, there are other factors to take into account when introducing someone to the band that make it pretty impossible to just say "those two songs always."

[KevShmev]

Well, I don't consider Blackest Eyes to be metal at all. That is more of a hard rock riff than a metal one, and I always disagree with calling the 00s their metal era, because, while they got more hard rocking, the metal was still only a small percentage.

[425]

I agree with your second point, especially in reference to Fear of a Blank Planet and The Incident. But I honestly don't understand saying that the Blackest Eyes riff is not metal. Perhaps this is what I talk about sometimes with people who are familiar with metal drawing the line at a heavier point than it should be, or perhaps not. But my previous point stands, I think, given that that riff is quite heavy, heavy enough to be potentially off-putting to someone who isn't a fan of heavy music.

[FlyingBIZKIT]

I've heard a lot of people reference PT as progressive metal and that just doesn't fit at all. Sure, they have some metal elements in songs, but I wouldn't even consider them close to metal.

[Zantera]

FOABP is the only album that comes close to "Progressive Metal", and it isn't THAT heavy compared to other progressive metal bands. Sure, there's some songs on The Incident and a few pre-FOABP albums that have metal riffs, but that's just for a few songs.

[mikemangioy]

Steven does this thing that he stays quiet for most of the song, goes completely nuts for 20 seconds and then he's quite again. Normal is a good example of this.

But still, I think P3's last era is pretty metal.

[KevShmev]

I agree with your second point, especially in reference to Fear of a Blank Planet and The Incident. But I honestly don't understand saying that the Blackest Eyes riff is not metal. Perhaps this is what I talk about sometimes with people who are familiar with metal drawing the line at a heavier point than it should be, or perhaps not. But my previous point stands, I think, given that that riff is quite heavy, heavy enough to be potentially off-putting to someone who isn't a fan of heavy music.

Fair point.  The riff in Blackest Eyes is definitely hard rocking enough to where it could be a turnoff to anyone who doesn't like anything too heavy, like you said.

I've heard a lot of people reference PT as progressive metal and that just doesn't fit at all. Sure, they have some metal elements in songs, but I wouldn't even consider them close to metal.

I think that is a case of fans of that subgenre wanting to claim PT as one of theirs, thereby improving the overall strength of a subgenre of which they are a big fan.

But still, I think P3's last era is pretty metal.

It's more hard rocking than the pre-IA, yes, but metal, nah.   Even the few songs on each Harrison-era album that have metal in them are more non-metal than metal, except for probably The Creator Has a Mastertape and Circles of Manias, and then maybe Fear of a Black Planet and The Blind House.  Even Anesthetize, despite the middle section being fairly metal, is more non-metal than metal (the first and third parts are not metal at all). 

[seasonsinthesky]

Even the few songs on each Harrison-era album that have metal in them are more non-metal than metal, except for probably The Creator Has a Mastertape and Circles of Manias, and then maybe Fear of a Black Planet and The Blind House.  Even Anesthetize, despite the middle section being fairly metal, is more non-metal than metal (the first and third parts are not metal at all).

indeed, but there are more to add to the 'songs with definite metal sections' – "Tinto Brass" gets extremely heavy (especially for Stupid Dream – riff basically gets echoed with the "Creator Has a Mastertape" chorus), "Strip the Soul" obviously, "Futile," "Wedding Nails," "Arriving Somewhere but Not Here," "Mother and Child Divided," "So Called Friend," "Normal," "Cheating the Polygraph," "What Happens Now?," and "The Incident." it furthers your point, though: there's a metal 'injection' but never a full-on metal song. the closest it gets is probably "Futile" but even that has acoustic verses.

[mikemangioy]

Exactly,  there's almost not a metal song, but riff wise, it gets metal.

[Zantera]

I would say either Circle of Manias or Orchidia maybe are the most metal PT gets in ONE song. Otherwise, yeah they have some metal riffs here and there.

[Sacul]

It has my fav P3 song, The Sound of Musak. The groove it has is insane .