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There's a lot more to come so it's definitely possible. And even if I don't persuade you, this month is really for my own benefit because I really wanted to do a month long thing for his work since there's so much of it.

Ol’ Qwerty Bastard

Fair enough, just wanted you to know someone is reading!

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Music Blog / RYM / Last.fm / Qwertyy's Journal of Music Reviews and Other Assorted Ramblings

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Some facts:



Steven Wilson is a self-taught producer and has taught himself to play various instruments including guitar and keyboard and bass guitar and flute whenever needed. He's also been involved with several different acts like Pendulum, King Crimson and Yes. People probably know Steven Wilson more for his work with Opeth and his collaboration with Mikael Akerfeldt during the Storm Corrosion days, but he's found a lot of success in other various ways such as...



On Dream Theater's Systematic Chaos release, Steven Wilson guest starred on the Repentance track.

Another noteworthy track that he's been involved with is on Pendulum's album Immersion titled The Fountain which in my opinion is such a fantastic track from start to finish, and Steven Wilson just makes it that much better.



Worth a listen if you're interested.

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Steven Wilson - Hand Cannot Erase

When it comes to solo albums, Steven Wilson is no stranger to creating albums that put you into a state of mind that you've probably never been in before. Part of what I enjoy about his solo work is the fact that you're basically getting what you loved from Porcupine Tree, without Porcupine Tree which unfortunately has become a thing of the past. If you've been a fan of Porcupine Tree as long as I have, you'd be of the same opinion that Steven Wilson solo work is the next best thing.

Hand Cannot Erase was one of the first three solo albums I heard from him, and instantly I was blown away by it. It's got so much going for it that brings together a lot of what makes Steven Wilson great, without being too overwhelming. The title track "First Regret" is easily one of the most creative and wonderfully crafted openers on any of his albums because it puts together some of the prog you came to love from PT while still adding his own niche. As the album progresses, you still get struck with the "holy ****" feeling like you almost can't believe that this man has the power to continuously make great music after all this time, but it's true. Nothing has ever stopped him from making music of beautiful caliber even if at first I wasn't a fan of his No-Man work.

I'd say the obvious standout track is the opener of "First Regret" but that's not giving the album enough credit, so I'll just say the entire album is a standout as each track offers something that fans of progressive rock / Riverside-esque prog can come to enjoy.

And before you ask, yes it pretty much sounds like a lot of what you'd expect from Steven Wilson, so those thinking they'll get something different out of this, it won't happen. For those that are already fans of his work, this is up your alley. He doesn't do a lot that differentiates his work from one another, but he's consistent with his work much like Devin Townsend with the fact that he always makes good music. It's very rare that you'll get a bad Steven Wilson solo album, and this is a very good example.

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And speaking of work other than Porcupine Tree, Steven Wilson is also involved heavily in Blackfield. To me, it feels like Blackfield doesn't get enough attention in regards to his work as a whole, though it's easily in my top 3 favorite projects that Steven Wilson is a part of.



Specifically speaking, I usually always end up going back to Blackfield and Blackfield II for their album work, however there are a few hidden gems within Welcome To My DNA, but other than that, I'm not too familiar with the later albums. Of course, looking at the wiki page, I had no idea they were preparing for a Blackfield V this year, however looking deeper into it, it looks like it'll be released in 2017. Still, something to look forward to.

I'll be doing separate reviews for the Blackfield line, but i'll post a standout track from Blackfield that still to this day effects me in way that's tough to put forward:



And yes, before you say anything, the song title is Blackfield, which appears on the album titled Blackfield by the group named Blackfield. It's Storm Corrosion - Storm Corrosion - Storm Corrosion all over again.

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I don't usually post theme month posts on the weekends, but I feel since I'm awake early enough I'll throw something extra in here.

[Song Highlight] Storm Corrosion: Storm Corrosion



Storm Corrosion is the collaboration album with both Steven Wilson and Mikael Akerfeldt as the stars of the show. The album as a whole is phenomenal, but this track alone really sticks out as one of the most beautiful tracks I've ever heard either of the guys make. Their vocals mixed together in this track as well as throughout the rest of the album make this a must listen. This album is definitely not what I expected when I heard the collaboration was in the horizon, but they still delivered and this was one of my all time favorite albums at the time of its release. Not only are the lyrics absolutely beautiful, but the instrumentals and vocals are beautiful as well. The perfect song honestly.

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Quick Ranks Pt. 1:

Instead of doing full on track by track reviews for every single album by Steven Wilson, throughout this month I'll post an album or two, give it a rating out of 5 and explain briefly why I believe it deserves the rank. Not only does this allow you to quickly read the post, but I've never been too good at track by track reviews and this works much better.


Porcupine Tree - The Incident (2009)

Rating 4/5: This was unfortunately the last album we ever got out of Porcupine Tree but god damn what a great way to end it. Not only do they have the beauties of Fear of a Blank Planet and Deadwing under their belt at this point, but The Incident is not only one of the best albums they've ever done, it's also incredibly underrated. People write this album off because it has some tracks that aren't Porcupine Tree-esque, but if you listen to it as a whole, the story going along with the album is absolutely beautiful. A well deserved 4/5. Would have been a perfect 5 had it not had 1 or 2 tracks that I don't particularly like.


Blackfield - Blackfield (2004)

Rating 5/5: I've talked about Blackfield in this journal already, and probably multiple times through my existence at this forum, but it's possibly one of the few albums I have no problem giving a perfect score to. Not only is it a beautifully crafted debut album for the band name of the same name, but it's also got some of my all time favorite tracks that Steven Wilson has ever done. Plus, when you have 3 consecutive tracks to start off the album that are all absolute perfection, it's hard to not give this album a perfect score. It's the perfect length and amount of tracks to make it one of the best albums Steven Wilson has ever been a part of, and that's saying a lot considering it's music history.


Porcupine Tree - Deadwing (2005)

Rating 4.5/5: Deadwing is always an awkward album to write a review for because it's got so much going for it while simultaneously feeling a bit stale. It's got the beautiful 12 minute banger of Arriving Somewhere But Not Here, but it's tough to sell the potential of this album based on only one track. I mean, yeah it's a fantastic track and maybe the best track Porcupine Tree has ever done, but in an album with some other tracks that aren't super exceptional, it's tough to really give this a perfect score. It's dangerously close especially with how much I love the song Lazarus and Halo. If all the tracks were of exceptional caliber, the rating would be an easy 5/5.

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Quick Ranks Pt. 2

Time for the next part in this mini series of quick album ranks.


Storm Corrosion - Storm Corrosion (2012)

Rating 5/5: If you've not heard me talk about Storm Corrosion at this forum, you must be living under a rock. I mentioned a track from this album during this month already, so I feel it's only natural to write about the album briefly. This album is perfect in every single way. Back when it was announced that we'd get a Opeth/Porcupine Tree hybrid, I honestly wasn't exactly sure what to expect. Was it going to be heavy like Opeth? Was it going to be proggy like Porcupine Tree? Neither. We were given such a beautifully orchestrated experience that can only be described as perfection. Even if this is the only album that Mikael and Steven do together, it's certainly the best thing music wise to come in quite some time, at least that's how it was back in 2012. It still holds up today with every track being such a beautiful experience that it's tough not to listen to the whole thing in one sitting, which I've done several times. If you've put this album off even today, I strongly urge you to listen to it and experience the beauty that this album has to offer. It's nothing you've heard before from either artist, but it's seriously something so special.


Blackfield - Blackfield II (2007)

Rating 4/5: When it comes to Blackfield, there's really no better album in their discog when their debut album exists. But of course Blackfield II deserves a mention here for a variety of reasons. While I was getting into Blackfield, both this album and their debut were constant listens and this one quickly became a go to whenever I needed that style of music. The reason I mention this album is because the song "Epidemic" was one of the first tracks I ever learned to play by ear. It's such a fun song to play, and relatively easy in comparison to other things I've attempted to teach myself to play. Still, all in all it's a fun album with some great tracks. I wouldn't feel good giving it a lower rating than a 4/5, but it's nowhere near perfect. It's great, in fact it's pretty amazing, but it doesn't touch their debut.

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Long story short, I got burned out. There's enough in here for you to enjoy.

Anyway, let's talk about a new potential album of the year.


The Weeknd - Starboy (2016)

2016 has been a fantastic year for me specifically when it comes to diving into hip hop. Blue Scholars, Travis Scott, Kanye West, and now The Weeknd are falling onto my radar for regular listens. Back when I heard the Starboy single with Daft Punk, I knew I had to give this album a listen when it was released, and god damn it does not disappoint.

I'm still getting through my first listen because the album is long as hell. But it's actually a good long as hell as opposed to albums being too long. It's one of those rare occasions where you're happy an album has a lot of tracks, because you simply don't want the album to end.

I don't have any standout or favorited tracks yet, but I'm sure that'll change as time goes on. I have to say that so far, Secrets would take my favorite track out of the album if I were to choose one.

I've never actually listened to The Weeknd before, and I'm going to change that right away. I like what I hear, and I really love the vocals this man has. Definitely happy with this release and will probably be bumping it for weeks to come next to Travis Scott's Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight.

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VS

So, as the end of the year is coming closer and closer, quickly I may add, I need to finalize my number one spot for album of the year. I'm actually surprised given the albums that have been released this year that two albums I never would have touched are facing each other for the number one spot. As I've said in the post talking about The Weeknd, I've been really diggin' hip-hop lately, and there have been some great personal experiences with it, and Travis Scott and The Weeknd are two I'm going to remember for quite some time.

The big question is, how am I going to decide? Well, I'm going to judge this solely on my enjoyment on each album. So here we go:

With Travis Scott's Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight, I first heard the album when my younger brother introduced me to him, and I was instantly hooked. Granted, I was also high as balls which made it even more enjoyable. Though coincidentally, I was also high as **** when I listened to The Weeknd's Starboy last night, so I can't base it on that alone. A lot of things I love about Travis Scott is his subtle use of auto-tune while still allowing his rich and beautiful vocals to come through each track. And the album as a whole is phenomenal. I rarely if ever skip any tracks on it, give or take maybe the final track. I have a lot of favorites on the album as well with Goosebumps, Through The Late Night, and Coordinate. He really shows that he's got what it takes to play in the park with the big dogs, and brings something so unique and special that it's hard not to get his music stuck in your head. From experience, I've gotten many of his songs stuck in my head for days on end. Truly a wonderful thing.

Now, with The Weeknd, much like Travis Scott, this is the first album I've heard from him, so I'm coming from a completely blind place with his music, but damn this is such an incredible place to start. Every track is ****ing phenomenal and the entire album doesn't feel as long as it looks. As I mentioned in the short review earlier, the album may be 18 tracks long, but each song is filled with some much pop/hip-hop goodness that it's nearly impossible to get into the groove from the first track all the way to the last. Plus, the Starboy single with Daft Punk is just incredible and it's a fantastic track to start the album off. I've listened to this album at least 3 times since it was released, and I don't see myself stopping any time soon. There are some websites praising this album and some others saying this is his weakest album to date, but for someone like me who is going into his music blind, it's a wonderful album and one I'm going to listen to for quite some time. I would say as far as tracks go, Secrets, A Lonely Night, and Sidewalks are my favorites.

Now, each album holds their own form of fantastic, but I think Travis Scott remains at the top for my number 1 choice with The Weeknd taking the 2nd place. This is no way in any form saying that either album is better or either album is worse, they are both the same in regards to amazing as far as I'm concerned. However, I feel Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight has a bit more diversity and the album length is perfect. With The Weeknd, sometimes the songs feel the same, but that makes it flow really well. So, the number one spot won't be changing any time soon. Travis Scott still takes the spot for album of the year.