You are correct, but I wouldn't even bother saying stuff like that to him. All that does is give him a reason to go on another "Trains" tirade, which seems to happen in every PT thread nowadays, and it is getting really old, really fast. 
And I think I'll stop bothering reading your posts whatsoever, because it seems like the only thing you're trying to do is ridiculously alternate the things I've done or written with amazing ignorance. For a time I had some hopes that you had actually changed your attitude and are capable of
discussing like a normal person, but apparently it was just a short-term smokescreen.
Music is an abstract art. It's about conveying a mood. That could mean anytihng. A 17-minute opus which takes you on an emotional journey, unsettles you and then pangs at your heartstrings is a fantastic song. But a six minute, sepia-tinted nostalgic anthem which fills you to the brim with sorrow and nostalgia with just that tiny hint of optimism can be achingly beautiful in the same way. That's all music is for. It doesn't provide a function. If it makes you feel feelings, it's done its job. And Trains captures its directive very, very well, as the number of people who are in love with the song clearly signifies. It's like it's bottled a really specific, elusive mood. It's not experimental, but it's captured something so fleeting and beautiful, and it's done a marvellous job of it. Loads of people are taking something from it. And that's really all you need to do.
Don't you think it's a bit odd that a bunch of prog fans are all swarming around a six minute song? Surely that should be a tip-off that there's something more to it. No problem if you don't hear it. That's fine. Brilliant, in fact, I think it's great to champion a different opinion. But that doesn't mean everyone else is wrong and it's an emperor's new clothes type thing, so it's kinda rude to be telling people they shouldn't be enjoying it as much as they are. What's wrong with enjoyment, anyway? Not causing anyone any harm.
The reason people get snobby about mainstream music is that a lot of it is shallow. Nickelback is very shallow and so they get swamped with ridicule. And I kind of think they've earnt some of that ire. Just listen to Rockstar, christ. Their only real saving grace is that they're fun, and even then... ehhhh. The Dark Eternal Night is fun. Photograph just makes me want to cut my own spleen out. I don't like, say, dredg any more than Nickelback; I find dredg's vocals really irritating and that actually ruins the band for me. But I recognise that dredg have invested their time into making quite artful music that makes people feel feelings, and their music gains a bit of credibility. Even if I can't stand it. I think it's tricky to call Trains shallow. They're completely different songs.
I understand the point about Trains (I'm pretty certain I've said that more or once as well). I know the way it works and why people like it.
But the thing I cannot comprehend, no matter what, is how people praise Trains for atmosphere and emotion, and ignore it in more complex songs. That's why I have always loved them, and always will: it's nice to write a good 5-minute song, but creating a song that has 8, 10, 15, 17 or 42 minutes where
everything works properly like a cleverly designed mechanism and at the same time has an amazing artful approach that creates a lot of emotion and atmosphere, takes either a genius, a talent, or lots of time or effort (or just all three at once). Gravity Eyelids counts as this type of song. So does Anesthetize, Way Out of Here, the entire The Incident, Russia on Ice, The Start of Something Beautiful, and several others. I like the idea of writing a song with a more classic rock approach, with a more usual structure, catchy chorus and whatever, and done properly works fine on an album (which is the case for Trains, plus it works amazing live)... But that's not the limit of bands like Porcupine Tree. In fact, it's actually the very bottom of their skills.
Yes, I enjoy simple songs that have some emotion and atmosphere in them. But they can never come close to what complex masterpieces like Gravity Eyelids can achieve, moving me on many different levels, impressing with absolutely everything - songwriting, complexity, structure, lyrics, and most importantly the atmosphere it creates. Trains is not capable of doing that. And it wasn't its purpose. If the band just wanted to write songs like Trains, why didn't make the entire In Absentia like that, especially after the experience with Stupid Dream and Lightbulb Sun? They took a different approach for a reason. They wanted to explore something new, prove that they can do
a lot more, and influence the listeners in a different way. So, there were Blackest Eyes, Trains and The Sound of Muzak as a sort of welcome. But it was like just the beginning of the journey, which has much more to discover.
That's it, I think.
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Wow, this came unexpected. Great to see Way Out of Here so high on the list. I rank it second after Anesthetize on FOABP, but it's an absolutely amazing song and really few in PT discography can stand against it (and it was definitely one of the most incredible live experiences ever).
Topic: Porcupine Tree Lists-thread - Currently rocking you: mikemangioy (Read 111604 times)