Album title: Closure/Continuation
Artist: Porcupine Tree
Genre: Progressive Rock
Nationality: English
Familiarity (artist): I’ve heard a lot of their material, though I think only one actual album (
Fear of a Blank Planet)
Familiarity (genre): Oh this is where I shine! Prog rock? Bring it on!
A word before I jump in: Despite the above, I have a sort of uneasy relationship with Porcupine Tree. When they’re good they’re very good but when they’re bad I find them boring and repetitive, and to be honest my experience of them is weighted on the side of the latter. I can’t point to too many tracks I really like, but I can single out a lot I don’t. This is a double album so could be a mixed blessing. We’ll see. Note: the last seven tracks are just instrumental versions of the ones on disc one, so I won’t be bothering with those.
Tracks
“Harridan”
Bassy opening in a kind of rocky not very prog way, lot of percussion and I’m not fond of Wilson’s vocal here. Bad start.
Rating: 4
“Of the New Day”
Much better. An acoustic ballad, with a far better vocal. Very clear, and the music is better defined and more cohesive.
Rating: 9
“Rats Return”
Fades in slowly with maybe synth or feedback guitar, then bursts into a big Spock’s Beard style staccato rhythm mostly on guitar. Not overfond of this one either.
Rating: 4
“Dignity”
Another very slow fade in, this time on organ and synth with a sort of choral vocal thing very low in the background. Quite nice. Turns into a kind of
Seasons End era Marillion thing.
Rating: 8
“Hard Culling”
Another bass driven thing which does very little for me really.
Rating: 5
“Walk the Plank”
More Marillion style in a sort of spooky, atmospheric deal with a kind of phased vocal; reminds me of “Interior Lulu” from
Marillion.com
Rating: 7
“Chimera’s Wreck”
Comes in on sort of acoustic guitar, might be a ballad. Quite relaxing and laid back. Puts me in mind a little of Pendragon.
Rating: 8
“Population 3”
Shimmery sort of start gives way to a big guitar punch, quite reminiscent again of Pendragon, especially on “For When the Zombies Come” from
Men Who Climb Mountains.
Rating: 6
“Never Have”
Lovely little piano line running this in, seems to be another ballad. Often where Porcupine Tree shine, I feel, is on the slower songs.
Rating: 8
“Love in the Past Tense”
Again the Marillion comparisons come. This sounds very much to me like “Made Again” from their
Brave album. It kicks up then after the breezy guitar intro.
Rating: 7
Average Track Rating: 6.6
Comments: This album then is a pretty accurate illustration of the dichotomy that exists for me with this band. Some of these tracks (admittedly, only samples of same of course) sound like songs I would like to hear more of, some definitely do not. There are perhaps enough good ones to justify buying the album, but I have to say that filling it up with seven instrumental versions of the songs that make up the first disc seems a little cynical to me. I can’t see myself being interested enough to buy this.
Album Rating: 6B
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LvS...fmpjjHpcwxgS2X