Steven Wilson solo career thread - v. The Harmony Codex in 2023!

[KevShmev]

I think the issue with him on UTD is that the album has a real spacey, trance vibe to it and the programmed drums add to that atmosphere. Adding real drums automatically sounds out of place no matter how "true" to the song a drummer is.

Very true.  I was shattered at how much the original Burning Sky was dismantled on the remaster.  Not only did the real drums overplay the song and not do several of my favorite drum fills from the original, Wilson re-recorded the main guitar riff and sucked the life out of it.  Thank goodness I still have my copy of the original. 

[Fritzinger]

Never heard the Octane Twisted version of Hatesong, starting it now. Will report back with my thoughts.

EDIT: This is fine. He overplays a bit yeah, but not to the point where it kills the groove in any of the important bits. He goes pretty over-the-top in the outro but that part's basically a jam section, so why not?

I don't know the Octane Twisted version yet (it's their only live album with Gavin I don't know yet). I only know the Arriving Somewhere version and it's fucking awesome 
But coincidentally, the vinyl version of the Octane Twisted album was released yesterday and will probably arrive here by Monday So: I, too, will report back with my thoughts 

[jammindude]

Count me in as someone who absolutely adores that live version of Hatesong from Arriving Somewhere. Gavin’s playing is absolutely brilliant and when I saw him do that “thumb drag“ thing in the video my mind was completely blown. Maybe it’s an old trick, but I had never seen anybody do that before.

[Fritzinger]

Count me in as someone who absolutely adores that live version of Hatesong from Arriving Somewhere. Gavin’s playing is absolutely brilliant and when I saw him do that “thumb drag“ thing in the video my mind was completely blown. Maybe it’s an old trick, but I had never seen anybody do that before.

Coincidentally, I watched that concert yesterday and yes, that version is insane. That live album was part of my teenie-years prog education  and while I always thought the Hatesong itself was only okay, the things GH plays on it always blew my mind. And they do to this day!
I'm looking forward to comparing the two versions from Arriving Somewhere and Octane Twisted.

[SoundscapeMN]

new Album Years Podcast

2001: Opeth Tool Radiohead

https://www.instagram.com/p/COGY3OwNO_q/

[pfillion]

New song

https://youtu.be/r0YvSA-DJVg

[hefdaddy42]

New song

https://youtu.be/r0YvSA-DJVg

This is pretty good.  He should have left this on the album.

[nobloodyname]

I hugely prefer the demo of that track.

[jonny108]

Porcupine Three...

https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/13381221

[The Letter M]

Porcupine Three...

https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/13381221

Oh WOW, good find! No Colin Edwin though... I wonder who will play bass, or if bass duties will be covered by SW on an album?

-Marc.

[Mladen]

Now that's what I call a good post. 

[Buddyhunter1]

OH MAN

Is it common at all for some band members to not be included in the band as a company? Maybe Collin would be down to play on a new album or tour but doesn't want a "stake" in the band from whatever reason.

[goo-goo]

OH MAN

Is it common at all for some band members to not be included in the band as a company? Maybe Collin would be down to play on a new album or tour but doesn't want a "stake" in the band from whatever reason.

IIRC, this was addressed in the  In Absentia documentary. I need to revisit this but I believe this was the case back then where he doesn't want to be an owner.

[The Letter M]

OH MAN

Is it common at all for some band members to not be included in the band as a company? Maybe Collin would be down to play on a new album or tour but doesn't want a "stake" in the band from whatever reason.

If that's the case, why bother with the new title of Porcupine Three? Purely for business purposes? If that's the case, why not just keep the original name?

-Marc.

[jonny108]

OH MAN

Is it common at all for some band members to not be included in the band as a company? Maybe Collin would be down to play on a new album or tour but doesn't want a "stake" in the band from whatever reason.

Colin is still an active director for Porcupine Tree Limited as are the other three.

https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/04392309/officers

[Buddyhunter1]

OH MAN

Is it common at all for some band members to not be included in the band as a company? Maybe Collin would be down to play on a new album or tour but doesn't want a "stake" in the band from whatever reason.

Colin is still an active director for Porcupine Tree Limited as are the other three.

https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/04392309/officers

Hmm, that lists Steven Wilson as the only "person with significant control" whereas the new one has him, Richard, and Gavin with seemingly equal control. Interesting.

[nobloodyname]

Lends more credence to the theory that the new guitar-based album Steven referred to could indeed be one by Porcupine Tree.

[kirksnosehair]

New song

https://youtu.be/r0YvSA-DJVg

This is pretty good.  He should have left this on the album.

It sounds like it would have fit nicely on Hand.Cannot.Erase - if more of The Future Bites was like this I might have bought it and actually listened to it more than once.

[Sacul]

I think this is just something done for legal reasons rather than an indication of any new music tbh. The new rock album is likely either a new Blackfield one, or a new side project.

[goo-goo]

Rich Wilson replied to someone on FB (who sent that link to him):

“Correct. Suspect that is to do with the falling out before they split...”

Wondering what was the fallout….

Rich Wilson is the author of the DT bio and the PT “Time Flies Book”.

[ReaperKK]

Rich did a great job with the DT book but wasn't his book on PT largely without any participation from the band? I'm not saying he is wrong but it'd be nice to know his sources.

[KevShmev]

I am not saying it is not true, but without credible sources (someone saying it on Facebook is not it ), I am taking any talk of a falling out with a grain of salt.  Wouldn't surprise me, since I don't think I have heard SW talk about Colin Edwin in any interview since, while he has mentioned the others, but that could be just a big whole nothing.

[The Letter M]

STEVEN WILSON X BIFFY CLYRO
11th June 2021


...whatever that means, he just posted it.

-Marc.

[SystematicThought]

Hmm, a Steve Wilson collab with Biffy Clyro would be interesting

[Max Kuehnau]

STEVEN WILSON X BIFFY CLYRO
11th June 2021


...whatever that means, he just posted it.

-Marc.

it's this: https://music.apple.com/nz/album/personal-shopper-biffy-clyro-remix-single/1569753763

[KevShmev]

Yep:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Md14BSuD18E

Can't say I am excited about another Personal Shopper remix...

[nobloodyname]

I agree. I actually love Personal Shopper. But yeah... shrug. The stems have been widely available to everyone so, aside from it being a well known band, there's nothing special about it.

I'm not a Biffy Clyro fan but I'd have preferred a genuinely new collaboration.

[Skeever]

No amount of remixing can fix the worst part of that song which are Steven's lyrics and vocals imo

[HOF]

Steven Willson was on Gary Kemp and Guy Pratt’s podcast this week. Really nice interview, and interesting to hear him say pretty definitively he believes Porcupine Tree will make another album someday. I don’t always get a lot out of SW’s music, and he says things from time to time that bug me, but I could listen to him talk about music and production stuff all day.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rockonteurs-with-gary-kemp-and-guy-pratt/id1530701242?i=1000534325354

[Metro]

I posted that in the Porcupine Tree thread. 

Part of me wants to believe that the “guitar centric album” he’s been working on IS the new PT album, but in reality it probably won’t happen until King Crimson’s (possibly final) tour ends and Gavin is free.

[HOF]

I posted that in the Porcupine Tree thread. 

Part of me wants to believe that the “guitar centric album” he’s been working on IS the new PT album, but in reality it probably won’t happen until King Crimson’s (possibly final) tour ends and Gavin is free.

Ah, hadn’t been keeping up with that one and this thread felt more topical for the interview as a whole.

[dparrott]

New song by Paul Draper (Mansun) ft. SW.  Actually it sounds more like SW featuring Paul.  Chorus is kinda weak, the rest is good.
https://youtu.be/MEcYeVEGPVY

[KevShmev]

Anyone still listening to The Future Bites or give it a recent listen?  I admittedly had not listened to it much after the initial first few months after its release, but I gave it a few whirls this week and enjoyed it a lot.  Sure, it's still the least best of his six solo albums (which is no shame given how good the other five are), but it's still a good album, and a lot of the bonus material is good as well.  Sadly, between the mixed reaction, the cancellation of the tour and the upcoming PT reunion, this album will likely stay in the black hole for many fans and be viewed as the big hiccup of his career, but while I do not love it, I like it.

[King Postwhore]

Anyone still listening to The Future Bites or give it a recent listen?  I admittedly had not listened to it much after the initial first few months after its release, but I gave it a few whirls this week and enjoyed it a lot.  Sure, it's still the least best of his six solo albums (which is no shame given how good the other five are), but it's still a good album, and a lot of the bonus material is good as well.  Sadly, between the mixed reaction, the cancellation of the tour and the upcoming PT reunion, this album will likely stay in the black hole for many fans and be viewed as the big hiccup of his career, but while I do not love it, I like it.

I feel the same Kev.  I did spin it a few weeks ago but compared to his other albums it gets less spins.

[Zantera]

It's not in my bottom 10 albums of the year but I ranked it at #59 out of 70 albums I heard this year. It's okay, in fact some moments I would even say are good. But he's done better and I also feel my general interest with SW is at a low point where I'm not reaching for his music that often, and if I am, he just has many albums a lot better/more interesting than this. I don't think it's terrible or a huge disappointment like some people, I just think it's 'fine'.