This was my second encounter with Porcupine Tree, and it's a worthy successor to Stupid Dream.
The two are very close in sound, although I think the production here is slightly more clinical, with separation and definition being nothing short of extraordinary.
It's an album that makes you wonder at Steven Wilson's mindset. If the lyrical matter is autobiographical (and I have no idea if it is or not), then he's clearly had an eventful and possibly difficult time. In which case hats off.
If it's purely invented, then he has a terrific imagination, and hats off again!
Poetic phrases like "sickly pink liquid" (Lightbulb Sun) seem to stick in your mind in a disconcerting way...
Then we hit "Four Chords That Made A Million", and the perceived bitterness that I feel appeared on Stupid Dream is back. Bearing in mind that we seem to swim in fantastical aural soundscapes and imaginations in most of PT's output, it is really weird to have this utterly contemporary song amongst it all - and I'm not 100% sure of the target. Is it the music industry? Four chord power trios? (That's only one more than Status Quo, lest we forget!) Or the record-buying public, as they were the ones spending the million?
Whatever, it's a minor blip. And something different from the rest of the album, and the quasi-Eastern stylings are all good, too.
Then we get awesome workouts like "Hatesong" and "Russia On Ice" to remind us of the instrumental virtuosity going on.
And some pretty straightforward poppier stuff, too - in the shape of "Shesmovedon" and "The Rest Will Flow".
So it's a mixed bag of styles and tones, but undeniably PT, and still fantastic.
Looks like it's hard to get hold of currently, but do try and get it, you won't be disappointed.
I don't consider it to be a sell-out, just an exploration of the next phase....
And there was In Absentia to come....
