Originally Posted in Bitesize January 25 2013
Artist: Porcupine Tree
Nationality: British (English)
Album: Signify
Year: 1996
Label: Delirium
Tracks:
Bornlivedie
Signify
The Sleep of No Dreaming
Pagan
Waiting Phase One
Waiting Phase Two
Sever
Idiot Prayer
Every Home is Wired
Intermediate Jesus
Light Mass Prayers
Dark Matter
Chronological position: Fourth album
Familiarity: Fear of a Blank Planet
Interesting factoid: This was the first album on which there was a full band; prior to this the other three albums were all more or less Steven Wilson solo efforts (though under the PT banner) with various session musicians.
Initial impression: Um...?
Best track(s): Sleep of No Dreaming, Signify, Waiting Phase One, Idiot Prayer, Every Home is Wired, Light Mass Prayers, Dark Matter
Worst track(s): Nothing bad. Some weird ones.
Bornlivedie is a bit odd, as is
Intermediate Jesus
Comments: I've had this strange relationship going with Porcupine Tree for a few years now. Initially I thought they were a new band (!) but on downloading their discography it quickly became apparent they've been around for some time. 1987 in fact, although their first album proper didn't hit the shops till four years later. In that time they've established themselves as one of the most innovative and forward-looking rock bands on the planet, almost literally the quintessential progressive rock band. Nevertheless, apart from one album (as above) I've never listened to anything of theirs all the way through; it's been playlists and songs taken out of context. Time to change that.
Some of the material here is purely instrumental, as in the title track, some just weird electronic sounds and tape loops, as in the opener, and then there are ballads, out-and-out rockers, psychedelic and space rock numbers, and everything in between. Through and above it all shines the undeniable presence and genius of the band's founder, Steven Wilson, and you only have to listen to his latest solo album,
Grace for Drowning, to hear how eclectic his influences are, and how many different genres and sub-genres make it into his music. There are elements of Pink Floyd (of course) in "Sleep with No Dreaming", with a dramatic, threatening bass line from Colin Edwin, while "Waiting Phase One" sounds to me more like the more mellow sound of current Hogarth-era Marillion, with strong acoustic guitar and a sense of folk in the mix. Its companion piece, "Waiting Phase Two" is completely instrumental and runs for over six minutes on a funky bass and calypso-style drumbeat.
It's pretty amazing that Porcupine Tree can have six and seven minute instrumentals on this album, and they don't ever get boring. Taking very much from the Floyd playbook, they use tape loops, sound effects, recordings and other gadgets to fill out the tracks, and yet they don't seem like they're just being used as filler material. These instrumentals really work as pieces in their own right: witness the pretty incredible "Idiot Prayer", not to mention the stunning "Light Mass Prayers": these guys know how to construct a piece of music!
The jury remains out for me on Porcupine Tree. Some of their music I love, some just comes across as too weird, but there's no doubting their honesty and integrity, and it's clear much time goes into each of their compositions. No band to write hit singles, they! I think I may just have to spend a little more time submerged in their world to get a feel for what the rest of their work is, but I have this feeling I'm going to enjoy it. Mostly.
Overall impression: A varied album, with some great and innovative instrumentals, some powerful tracks and obviously a lot of heart and soul in their music.
Intention: Probably going
Up the Downstair next, then may switch on the
Lightbulb Sun. We'll see where it goes after that.