Matador de Froot Loops
The cover art is weird, almost very "un-wilsonish" maybe it's because this time he isn't on the cover... maybe because the art looks like a children's book...
I bet the music will be top-notch and im hoping something even better than GFD and Insurgentes
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I'm guessing by the number of tracks, lengthy as they may be, that this might be a more disciplined effort than Grace. That album kind of went all over the place, in a good way if not a little bit disjointed in places because of it. That he has this band, that can translate the kind of depth and scope he wants to achieve, could mean the songs have more focus. His interest in the supernatural is well-documented from some of the songs he's written about it before to the Bass Communion album Ghosts On Magnetic Tape (which is one of the projects he's most proud of as a musician).
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No-Man: Part 1
I've been meaning for a little bit to write something about them, because I'm not sure they're as well-known to people on ETS as PT or his solo career might. It's an important piece to the Steven Wilson story as far as his evolution as an artist, but it's not as celebrated. At least in America, I do know they've had some sizable importance in the UK. It's not as accessible as Porcupine Tree or Blackfield, and it's struggling to define it as one easy genre. At times, elements of electronic, folk, jazz, prog, industrial, rock, and dance music have found their way into the tapestry of their music. I have always felt that the way they operate works to Steven's strengths purely as someone arranging the music, since he has Tim's voice words to play off of. And the work proves that he's just as much at ease working in strict collaboration as he is calling the shots.
Their 1999 album Speak, a collection of their first recordings with re-recorded vocals, has become a personal favorite. The way it's described in the documentary Returning was that it was an attempt to pay homage to the kind of folk music they'd admired (using Nick Drake and Donovan as examples, who they in fact cover on this) but with the mostly electronic instruments they had at their disposal. It comes off very well, a sound of it's own, dipping into the past but looking into the future.
The track, "Angel Gets Caught In The Beauty Trap", from their 1994 effort Flowermouth is possibly one of my favorite pieces of music. It's more seductive than anything close to progressive rock should be. It marks the first collaboration Steven had with Robert Fripp, who would go on to play on a few more No-Man tracks and a few on the Fear Of A Blank Planet/Nil Recurring period for Porcupine Tree. He provides his distinctive Frippertronics and a scorching guitar solo alongside a soprano sax, keyboard, trumpet and violin accompaniment.
After some bumps in the road, and detours into attempts at being more commercial, they came into their own with 2001's Returning Jesus, a record that had taken several years to come out. The return to their roots while working on Speak had actually given them the spark that would lead to the future of the band. A more melancholic approach, more considerations to atmospheres and organic instrumentation.
Together We're Stranger is the most expansive, quasi-minimalist record outside of Bass Communion SW has ever been involved with. Some of his BC work is actually the foundation for the title track, with instruments and vocals added later. The concept behind the first half of that record, a suite or tone poem of songs interlinked together was arguably a more successful experiment in that area compared to what was done later on the Porcupine Tree album The Incident.
Last edited by onthewall2983; 09-07-2015 at 03:46 AM.
Matador de Froot Loops
^ One of the reasons i visit ETS, bravo!
I really like No-Man i think it's Steven's weirdest project, but i consider it his most personal work along with his solo carrer.
I think it's something you have to discover by yourself along with Bass Communion and Blackfield but all of his projects have something special that defines them and single them out from the others...
My favorite Bass Communion album is "Returning Jesus" it makes me think of a 70's Mogwai, i really want to watch him perform with No-Man someday (Much like he did with Bass Communion in Mexico)
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Got BC on the brain, eh?Originally Posted by henryeatscereal
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Hahaha, guilty as charged! I guess it helped that i was listening the "Live in Mexico City" album a few days ago!Got BC on the brain, eh?
It was a great gig with Pig and Rogelio Sosa (He used to be a teacher of mine by the way), one of the best performances i've ever attended!
Both Bass Communion and No Man are awesome acts! and i really need to watch No-Man live!
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Matador de Froot Loops
god he was young!
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These images from the new album are available to download as wallpaper, in larger sizes here.
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Available for pre-order
Steven Wilson's supremely ambitious third album The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories) was written between January and July 2012 and recorded in Los Angeles in September.
Steven's current band comprises some of the world's most respected musicians - lead guitarist Guthrie Govan, bassist Nick Beggs, Marco Minnemann on the drums, Theo Travis playing saxophone/flute, and Adam Holzman on keyboards - and has taken his music into new and unexpected directions.
Lyrically based on stories of the supernatural, the record has been engineered by legendary producer/engineer Alan Parsons and contains 6 songs, 3 of which are over 10 minutes long.
This 4 disc deluxe edition of the album is presented in a 128 page hardback book - illustrated by Hajo Mueller -containing lyrics and ghost stories.
CD1 - studio album
CD2 - 7 demo tracks (album tracks plus one unused idea, Clock Song)
DVD-V - 96/24 Stereo LPCM of the album, plus 2 x 5.1 mixes of album (DTS 96/24 5.1 surround & Dolby AC3 5.1 surround)
Art Gallery (images by Hajo Mueller)
Photo Gallery (photographs by Lasse Hoile)
Studio Documentary (filmed and edited by Lasse Hoile)
Blu-Ray - 96/24 Stereo LPCM of the album, plus 2 x 5.1 mixes of album (96/24 5.1 LPCM & DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1)
Instrumental versions of the album tracks (96/24 Stereo LPCM),
bonus track ('Drive Home - lounge version', also 96/24 Stereo LPCM).
Art Gallery (images by Hajo Mueller)
Photo Gallery (photographs by Lasse Hoile)
Studio Documentary (filmed and edited by Lasse Hoile)
Last edited by onthewall2983; 12-27-2012 at 04:35 PM.
Matador de Froot Loops
The shipping is going to rape my wallet, but i really want the 4 disc deluxe ed...
Last edited by henryeatscereal; 01-09-2013 at 12:48 PM.
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Me too. And the timing might be good for me to get it now.
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Tour: Steven Wilson USA/Canada Tour 2013
16/04/13 Tampa, Florida The State Theater United States
17/04/13 Atlanta, Georgia The Variety Playhouse United States
19/04/13 Glenside, Philadelphia Keswick Theatre United States
20/04/13 Washington, Washington D.C. Howard Theatre United States
21/04/13 Buffalo, New York Town Ballroom United States
23/04/13 Toronto, Ontario Phoenix Concert Theatre Canada
25/04/13 Montreal, Quebec Club-Soda Canada
26/04/13 New York City, New York Best Buy Theater United States
27/04/13 Boston, Massachusetts Berklee Performance Center United States
30/04/13 Pittsburgh, Philadelphia Mr Small’s United States
02/05/13 Cleveland, Ohio House of Blues Cleveland United States
03/05/13 Chicago, Illinois Park West United States
04/05/13 Minneapolis, Minnesota The Fine Line United States
06/05/13 Boulder, Colorado Boulder Theater United States
09/05/13 San Francisco, California The Fillmore United States
10/05/13 Los Angeles, California Club Nokia United States
14/05/13 Mexico City Teatro Metropolitan Mexico
she/her/hers
sweet! i can usually get in to park west shows for free/discount because i put up their satellite dish! that's where i saw SW last time and it was fucking phenomenal. i can't wait.
Matador de Froot Loops
Steven's update on the tour:
http://stevenwilsonhq.com/sw/new-year-update/
According to the link, he's playing a Porcupine Tree song in his upcoming solo tour!
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The video for the title track will be released later this month. Here is a look at some stills of the video, directed by Jess Cope (who also did the Storm Corrosion video, and has worked with Tim Burton on some of his recent projects).
Last edited by onthewall2983; 01-08-2013 at 05:16 PM.
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Going to try very hard to make it to the SF show.
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Drip, drip.
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Stubby Member
That would literally be my dream concert. Shame I live thousands of miles away from NY...
Love the artwork though, the cover from Heritage actually looks better there, slightly more subtle.
Matador de Froot Loops
Gotta say the album is awesome and "Drive Home" is my favorite track right now! (Sorry Steven i couldn't help myself...)
Throbbing Member
How could I pass up going to that Opeth/SW show? Got two tickets!Does the album art remind anyone of David Firth's animation? And does the poster remind anyone of...Majora's Mask? Connections.
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Actually, I'm kind of pissed that it leaked. Yet I couldn't help myself either (financially as well, cancelled the order on the box set but still will purchase it on iTunes and get the Blu eventually). It's a fabulous album. Steven's really hitting his stride with this band. It's pointless trying to compare it to Porcupine Tree, it's a different dynamic there.
Matador de Froot Loops
I think he's beyond Porcupine Tree now, you can tell this is what he always wanted for his music (At least that's my opinion)
Anyone who didn't like "Grace for Drowning" (anyone?) will hate this one, this album is even more "70's prog" that the last one and i think he has surpassed "Insurgentes" by far (Still, i like all the 3 albums a lot!)
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Speaking of the Tree, I was shocked to find this. It's a performance from the 2001 NEARfest. Can't get enough live stuff of the 4-piece years.
Last edited by onthewall2983; 11-26-2014 at 06:42 AM.
Matador de Froot Loops
Even Less!!!
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I think PT might be done for. Steven doesn't seem too willing to go back. And, the more I listen to the new one, the more I love it.
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I think so too. The solo career is just going too well for him. Fortunately the other guys all have stuff they've been doing and playing on. Not as high-profile as with the band, but they're still working and not waiting by the phone for SW to give them studio and/or tour dates. However, I'd imagine Steven will still utilize them as players on other projects and maybe even future solo projects.
Stubby Member
Loved the No-Man retrospective @onthewall2983 , I went out and bought Together We're Stranger on the strength of your recommendation. Been meaning to give them a try for a while now, but I have to say I'm kind of not getting it. No matter how many times I listen to it I can't get excited about it. I don't know whether it's the fact I can't stand Tim's vocals or if it's the somewhat depressing nature of the music, but something in my brain is not connecting here. To be honest (and I'm going to feel like a massive philistine for saying this) but I doubt I'd give it a second listen if it didn't have SW's name attached to it. I'm all up for stripped back minimalism and I love Wilson's more ambient side (certain tracks from The Incident and Insurgentes, as well as Storm Corrosion for example) but I feel like he's capable than a lot more than a few repeated synth lines and some strummed guitar chords. Who knows, maybe it wasn't the best starting point, or perhaps it's simply not for me.
Stubby Member
Loved the No-Man retrospective @onthewall2983 , I went out and bought Together We're Stranger on the strength of your recommendation. Been meaning to give them a try for a while now, but I have to say I'm kind of not getting it. No matter how many times I listen to it I can't get excited about it. I don't know whether it's the fact I can't stand Tim's vocals or if it's the somewhat depressing nature of the music, but something in my brain is not connecting here. To be honest (and I'm going to feel like a massive philistine for saying this) but I doubt I'd give it a second listen if it didn't have SW's name attached to it. I'm all up for stripped back minimalism and I love Wilson's more ambient side (certain tracks from The Incident and Insurgentes, as well as Storm Corrosion for example) but I feel like he's capable than a lot more than a few repeated synth lines and some strummed guitar chords. Who knows, maybe it wasn't the best starting point, or perhaps it's simply not for me.
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