A Prickly Introduction

Album: The Incident
Artist: Porcupine Tree
Label: Roadrunner/Victor
Release date: September 14, 2009
Peak chart position/sales: Billboard Rock Albums #7, UK #23, Billboard 200 #25, ARIAs #35

RATING: 2.5/5 stars.

Those who know me (or who have read enough of my reviews) will confirm that I have an intense dislike of contrived music and bands. Therefore a band that started as a joke, with no serious intention of pursuing fame and money, bodes well in my books. Even so, the sheer size of The Incident - with its double CD release of lengthy experimental rock tracks - requires my Beatles-favouring brain to apply a little discipline. Because to call Porcupine Tree a "rock band" is a cruel underestimation of their musical scope. Steering much closer to progressive and post rock than the tamer original genre, this music is just so damn BIG. Unlike my previous prog rock experiences however, Porcupine Tree sit somewhere between purely instrumental soundscapes and the more accessible rock genre - a mix I had not previously encountered and one that was not, perhaps, as effective as I hoped.

It is perhaps one of the most irritating/impressive traits of prog rock that the volume must be constantly adjusted so as to: a) protect one's eardrums b) preserve one's good relationship with the neighbours and c) try and figure out whether silence is being used creatively, or whether some soft ambience has been lost in your speaker-and-neighbour-caring volume caution. But I digress. The first explosive chords of concept-album-like introduction "Occam's Razor" can do nothing else but blow your mind (and your speakers, if you're not careful) with unbridled distortion, but then it all stops and Steven Wilson's dreamlike vocals take centre stage ala rock ballad in "Kneel and Disconnect". I can't quite decide whether this is a startlingly effective contrast, or a boring letdown. The overall effect is one of a band stuck awkwardly between catering to the rock genre and being true to the experimental style or their creative priority. Or else they're just not skilled enough to merge the two effectively.

Whether it is because they pull out everything they have too soon, or whether it is due to the general lack of direction and musical purpose in individual tracks, Porcupine Tree failed to impress me after about four pieces. They all start to blur into a never-ending, ever-changing stream of sound and deadpan vocals. Perhaps this was the musical intent of the composers, but as Wilson sings in "The Seance": "give me something new". Some tracks, like the sweetly nostalgic "The Yellow Windows Of The Evening Train" evoke pleasant soundscapes amongst the clatter of experimentalism; likewise, the minimalist influences of "Time Flies" create a jugging bed of rhythm for soaring electronica. But the danger with all experimentalism - irrespective of genre - is getting lost in an array of blistering solos and spacey ambience.

Things change on disc two however, when Porcupine Tree seem to find a groove to settle into and really rock it out. It's less prog, but better structured. Things get whackier by the second in "Bonnie The Cat", with guitars letting loose and Wilson chanting disjointed lyrics like "I hold your birth control to ransom". "Black Dahlia" is a dose of John Lennon-esque experimentation, but self-indulgent rambling returns on 7'34" closing track "Remember Me Lover". But ironically perhaps, I won't find this album that memorable. Moments of fearless music-making provide a large dose of adrenalin at times, but the exhilaration is carelessly managed and fails to harness the true power of musical momentum that successful prog rock relies so heavily upon.

Listen to: The Blind House, Time Flies, Bonnie The Cat

Is it worth my $$$? - While this is not an album that I'd be inclined to listen to in its entirety again, I am tempted by standout tracks...there is some fantastic prog on there, despite my overall criticism.