Customer Reviews

Deadwing

5 star:		(146)
4 star:		(32)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you haven't heard anything by Porcupine Tree, then this album is a perfect place to start.

Following in the large footsteps of their groundbreaking 2002 release, "In Absentia", Porcupine Tree has crafted yet another masterpiece. With "Deadwing", songwriter Stephen Wilson has mastered the art of blurring the lines between genres. The album further develops the unlikely combination of progressive metal's heavy guitar crunch with the warm passion of radio-friendly pop-rock, always retaining that vintage Porcupine Tree psychedelic and effects-driven ambience.

Combining a trance-like atmosphere with pounding guitar riffs is a daunting task if you think about it. Yet Porcupine Tree has managed to perfect a remarkably organic sound that they execute almost effortlessly. Even fellow prog-rock juggernauts Spock's Beard have distilled and one-dimensional songs that never take off with imaginative fireworks. Other bands, like the hyper-progressive Magellan cram as much musical firepower as they can into every song to the point that it makes your head ache. Stephen Wilson and the `Tree keep every element in check and make "Deadwing" come alive.

All the innovative elements of "In Absentia" are here: heavier songs, a greater focus on Wilson's guitar work and singing, and a profound emotional depth. Heavier pieces like "Shallow" and "Halo" emphasize the guitar and, surprisingly, the bass lines rather than the synthesized elements of earlier albums, giving the songs a more authentic sound and an added appeal. This convention is comforting, really. The British band's earlier recordings contained songs that were simply ambient sound with little or no apparent instrumentation.

This is not to say that the album is heavier on the whole. Although some come close, no song ever reaches the intensity of their previous album's face scratching "Wedding Nails". The overall heaviness of the album is kept slightly lower than its predecessor by certain standout tracks. The tear jerking "Lazarus" is guided by a cheery piano, accompanied by Wilson's soft, vulnerable voice. The album's hidden track, "Shesmovedon" (a remake of an earlier song), is another classic Porcupine Tree gem - acoustic guitars layering Wilson's harmonized vocals, soft-to-angry guitars, and a heartbreaking narrative ("She changes every time you look, By summer it was all gone - now she's moved on"). It's easy to compare the album's painfully melodic textures to mainstream artists Pete Yorn and Colplay, musicians who are rarely described as heavy or aggressive.

The majority of "Mellotron Scratch" is led by a repeated guitar line (very reminiscent of earlier, trance-like albums), but builds in intensity until it is a straightforward rock number, ending with a beautiful vocal arrangement. Similarly, "Glass Arm Shattering" leads you across its landscapes with a slow, repeating twang, stopping occasionally to let Wilson's delicate, almost feminine voice take the spotlight. Although not a spectacular cut, it follows the format.

But the album's truly outstanding pieces are also the longest. The title-track almost touches the 10-minute mark and exemplifies everything that makes Porcupine Tree such a noteworthy creative force. The song is framed by a repeated keyboard and a pounding bass line, joined by a reckless guitar and fast drums. Like most of the other offerings on "Deadwing", it is both catchy and technically challenging. In addition to exploring the trance-inducing textures that have characterized the band's catalogue, the song flaunts the edgy, bleak voice of Opeth's frontman Mikael Ǻkerfeldt.

And now we come to the album's magnum opus, the song everyone's talking about - the multi-dimensional "Arriving Somewhere (But Not Here)". The piece is a musical feast of every Porcupine Tree element thus far, and at 12 minutes it feels more like a generous buffet. It begins with a hypnotic keyboard/synthesizer duo, which is later joined by an ominous guitar and the dual attack of Wilson's and Ǻkerfeldt's morose voices. At the 4-minute mark, the song erupts with drums and a simple but impressive guitar solo. From here, the song builds in intensity, adding layer upon layer of guitars and keyboards, coming to a maddening halt around the 9-minute mark, where Ǻkerfeldt's guitar work shines in a soothing, bluesy solo. The song finishes brilliantly, fading with its original melody.

The cynical listener may chime in by claiming that "Deadwing" is a clone of "In Absentia" with a few bonus tricks. To be perfectly honest, it's a decently accurate description. But replicating "In Absentia", a modern masterpiece in the inscrutable arena of progressive rock, would be impossible. Porcupine Tree have taken a canonical album and explored the limits in each direction. The work is truly a five-star effort and a reassuring deposit into the constantly evolving world of progressive rock.

See also: Porcupine Tree - "In Absentia", Opeth - "Damnation"

I'm closing in on 50 years of age. Way back in the late sixties and the early seventies I was constantly bombarded with music that was inventive and always good. It was a high point in the history of rock, and from what I had been able to hear since then I assumed I would never hear anything that good again. Sure there were some good things coming out now and then, but nothing compared to those old bands and so I resigned myself to what I thought was the fact that the greatest that rock music had to offer was in the past. In fact I have to admit I was starting to grow a little bored with the whole rock and roll scene recently. And then just two weeks ago I heard Porcupine Tree for the first time. I couldn't believe my ears! Here was a band that created not just good music, but great music! I heard Deadwing and immediately went out and started buying their records. I bought Up the Downstair and In Absentia along with Deadwing, and I loved it all. The next day I sought out more. I found Signify and Stupid Dream and ordered copies of Coma Divine, On the Sunday of Life and The Sky Moves Sideways. All of those arrived within a week and during that week I downloaded the unreleased and live music available from their online shop. In short I've become a Porcupine Tree addict! And what luck: they have a new album coming out later this month! I went to a rather well known download store and bought the Blackfield 2 release mainly because it includes the title track from the forthcoming album, but I'm also really enjoying the Blackfield record as well. Needless to say I've spent a lot of money on their music in a very short period of time, and every single dime was well spent. According to the insert information in the repackaged versions of Signify and Coma Divine, both Lightbulb Sun and Recordings will also be re-released later this year, so I'll hold off on buying used copies of those (if I can wait).
Porcupine Tree have restored my faith in rock music again. I haven't been this excited about music since the good old days. In fact, thanks to Porcupine Tree, the good old days are here again. Unfortunately you just can't hear great music like this on the radio, so the only way to know it's there is for people who know about it to spread the word. For anyone who loves Pink Floyd, King Crimson, and Tangerine Dream I would say buy some Porcupine Tree. You'll probably wonder why you've never heard of them before as well. It surely shows the sad state of the music industry when something this good doesn't get the exposure it deserves.
Buy it. Play it. Buy a copy for a friend. Long Live Porcupine Tree.
If anyone has any recommendations beyond Porcupine Tree that they think I would like, I would appreciate it.

Just brief history of this prog fan, I differed from my peers as a kid growing up in the 60's I liked the non-commercial contempory artists, spending hours under the bed cloths listening to the likes of Captain Beef Heart on radio Luxenberg, being blown away by Page,Clapton, Genesis, Yes, to name a few artist's that my hard earn't paper run money helped fund!! Well I found the same excitment all over again with Deadwing, listening to samples on the prog rock archeives to begin with, simply curious about an unusual name. I was just as stunned as when I was a child in the 60's again! The track "arriving somewhere but not here", sounds as classic and iconic as the best from all those previously mentioned artists, it brought back memories of the pleasure of discovering "wish you were hear" "Lamb lies down on Broadway" Led Zep 4 etc. The music could best be described as similar to Pink Floyd, perhaps less commercial, and with no known boring tracks. I found the clean licks of Steve Wilsons guitar very similar to David Gilmour, and the quiet understated vocals with simple harmonys intoxicating. There could be similarities to Steve Hillage, though the songs are very current and will have a more modern atmosphere, also I felt that the music was very carefully crafted with slightly ambiguous lurics that I love, giving an overall impression of being incredibly well produced and engineered. Gavin Harrisons drumming is a revelation in its self, complicated, meticulous and above all interesting. The bass guitar of Colin Edwin providing additional melody lines, rather than just filling out the sound with depth and rhythm complementing the other musicians beautifully. The atmospheric keyboard work of Richard Barbieri I think lends a huge hand in giving the music such a strong colour and vitality, with captivating intensity and charisma. This was the first Porcupine tree CD I bought and it is now one of my favourites of all time, I am learning more and more new things so it seems every time I hear it. I have heard critism that is less favourable than some of the earlier CDs, but I would have to say this Band is heading in a great direction and manage to change and do something different, as in true progressive music. Yes Porcupine Tree are hard to catagorise, they are obviously on a journey which I will follow with great interest, and am trying to drum up interest down here in this part of the world, but if you want to succeed in New Zealand or that little place next door you will have to tour!!! (Please) GO BUY THIS CD!!!!!

Absolutely amazing album!! Music that comes straight from the heart as it is supposed to be. If you are tired of the garbage that modern music has become give it a try. I don't know much about the technical stuff but these guys have passion and their music is really genuine.

AMAZING. Best album of 2005, but even that doesn't do it justice. Best album of the millenium, so far. I hesitate to say best of all time, because of things like The Fragile and then all the Floyd and Beatles stuff that people could simply out-argue me about.

DEADWING: Thrilling opener, never gets old, 10 minutes that feel like nothing. Unrelenting, very Tool-like in places, but also has moments of pure PT bliss. Actually, this song is worse than Blackest Eyes as an opener, but not far behind.

SHALLOW: Steven Wilson describes this song as "a big dumb rock song, done in the way someone not dumb would do it". This song is awesome! Very straight ahead but intense and powerful, and no PT song could be complete without the major piano part contrasting with the heaviness.

LAZARUS: Well, this is the worst song on the album, sorry. People have said that this is better than Trains, and that is one of the most blatantly incorrect statements ever concocted, but oh well. Still a pretty nice song, nothing special, and not out of place.

HALO: Perfect song. Kickass bass line, awesome drums, cool spoken word in the verse, catchy chorus, awesome jam in 17/8 in the middle, and back again. Cannot go wrong, and sounds terrific as the live finale.

ARRIVING SOMEWHERE BUT NOT HERE: Well, everyone's talking about it, and I can't really argue. It's magnificent. A 12 minute song has never ever felt shorter. This song does not get repetitive, it does not get old, it's totally cathartic, and seeing it live was one of the highlights of my life.

MELLOTRON SCRATCH: Some people like this song more than others, and I personally feel like it's simply too long. But the harmonies at the end make it all worth it, and it's a good listen no matter what.

OPEN CAR: This song grew on me the most. It has a very interesting riff that seems to not really make sense or click at first, but once you "know" the song, it's excellent. Also awesome chorus, and a brilliant, quiet ending.

THE START OF SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL: This is my favorite song by Porcupine Tree. Completely haunting and genius. Awesome groove in the verse, a little action in 9/8, and a great catchy chorus that is so singable. My brother thinks that the piano section in the middle is a little bit cliche and overdone, but I don't, I think it fits terrifically and is not hackneyed at all. Such, such, such, SUCH a good song.

GLASS ARM SHATTERING: It's chill, it's very Floydian (most Floydian they sound on this album), hard to argue with, and a great ending.

SHESMOVEDON: Although this song is great in every way, I think that PT made a mistake by including this rerelease on the album, because it doesn't really sound any different than the one from Lightbulb Sun, but more importantly because So-Called Friend and Mother and Child Divided did not make the album, and these songs are both so awesome that Wilson should have included at least one of them on the A-side.

Here is the thing about Deadwing, compared with In Absentia: I think that Deadwing is a better album, but barely. The first 6 songs of In Absentia set the pace for the best album of all time, but the last six simply do not hold up, so InAbs is flawed and therefore worse than Deadwing, even though very little on Deadwing matches InAbs's beginning. Both are incredible albums and should be bought, bathed, fed, and treated like royalty. Either that, or Steve Wilson should.

I would be really curious to see the demographics of the people who like Porcupine Tree. Speaking for myself, I'm 54, a Vietnam Veteran and yes, I still remember the 60's fondly. Perhaps that is why I absolutely love this group! I didn't think it was possible for someone (Steven Wilson) who was too young to live the 60's to sit down, write, play and produce music of a quality that immediately transports you back to the days when we were literally overwhelmed with great artists, groups and songs. Like the previous album, "In Abstentia," "Deadwing" caught me by the ears and propelled me headfirst into each and every song, building up a level of excitement and listening pleasure that was (and is) hard to believe. What else is hard to believe is that Porcupine Tree is not being played on radios everywhere. This fills me with mixed emotions, as I respect and enjoy the band and want to see them be successful, but I also don't want them to go too mainstream and lose their edge and the humor - Steve's lyrics still crack me up sometimes - you really have to listen to them carefully. If you feel compelled to buy a CD soon - do yourself a huge favor and get "Deadwing!"

THE BAND: Steve Wilson (vocals, guitar, creator, mastermind and main song writer behind PT), Richard Barbieri (keyboards and sound effects), Colin Edwin (bass), Gavin Harrison (drums & percussion).

THE DISC: 10 songs running at approximately 70 minutes. Liner notes include lyrics, assorted obscure pictures and thank you's. Video: "Behind The Scenes Video Montage" (Approx 7-8 minutes). There is an extended version of "Deadwing" with a limited edition 72-page booklet containing mostly pictures that you can buy at PT's concerts or on their website (if still available). 2005 - Lava Records.

COMMENTS: "Dead Wing" is a great album, but on first listen I could not put it on the same lofty perch as "In Absentia" or "Lightbulb Sun". With that being said, this album has grown on me over many months and it's now on the same level. It also helped seeing The Tree live (Arizona Beach Club, 10/25/05) and the songs from "Deadwing" rocked (especially "Halo", "Arriving Somewhere But Not Here" with an incredible jam in the middle, and the stunning concert starter "Open Car"). Porcupine Tree is a unique pleasure to listen to. Often complex and varied, and rarely played on the radio waves. Maybe that's why so much of PT's catalog is still fresh - the songs are never overplayed. The band members are all master craftsmen. Steve Wilson (guitars & vocals) is the mastermind behind the band... and his genius once again shines on "Dead Wing". The new "Dead Wing" picks up for the most part where "In Absentia" (2002) left off... hard to define... covering many a rock genre - pop, rock, hard rock, electronic, soft rock ballads, 70's psychadelic rock, etc. I believe "Dead Wing" falls more in the 'rock' music category; more so than some of their more progressive material in years past. Wonderful vocals telling cusious stories. Brilliant guitars. Complex drumming and hi-hat work; no tom-tom left unused. Wonderful synth sound effects and piano. Stellar sound production as always, with crisp highs and deep lows. There are so many lush tones and layers upon layers of sounds - I honestly feel you'll get the best listen with high quality headphones. Porcupine Tree is easily the best band to (practically) never hit the radio. The 12 minute "Arriving Somewhere But Not Here" starts out slow with the rest of the band joining the song as it builds... this is my 1st favorite song on "Dead Wing". Others include "Shallow" and "Halo" - hard rockers; with the mellow "Lazarus" tucked nicely between the two. Here's to hoping the next PT album doesn't take as long as this one to be released. Great disc (5 stars).

While it's not quite as innovative or wide-ranging as its predecessor In Absentia, Porcupine Tree's latest is yet another tasty Pink-Floyd-meets-Opeth-by-way-of-Radiohead offering from one of the only bands to ever come close to making progressive rock sound cool. If you liked the genre-bending sounds and oddly layered arrangements of In Absentia, then this album should leave you grinning like, erm, a young person in a store that sells sweets, as it's chock full of all the elements that make PT such a brilliant and distinctive band. Once again, they combine crazy instrumental skills with intricate, unpredictable songwriting and the haunting, emotional vocals of Steven Wilson, who makes up in power for anything he might lack in polish. Though it contains only nine tracks, Deadwing has plenty of goodies to offer the discerning listener, as it cycles through a vast mix of sounds-ranging from the dark, dense, and metallic to the spacey and Floydian to the melodic and folky-often within the space of a single song. For the most part, this album is divdided between lengthy, multifaceted epics (Arriving Somewhere But Not Here, Deadwing), and shorter, sharper rockers marked by striking riffs and surprisingly infectious choruses (Halo, Start of Something Beautiful). Naturally, this being PT, things aren't that simple, as there are plenty of variations on the theme to be found as well: hypnotic keyboard textures drift in and out of the midtempo, riff-driven gallop of the title track; the angry, assaultive guitar crunch of Shallow segues without warning into a disarmingly pretty piano-backed vocal melody before lurching back to metal with a vicious chorus; and Glass Arm Shattering ends everything on a languid, mellow note. As on their previous album, perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of PT's approach is their restraint: unlike certain other bands in the oft-derided prog metal genre (Dream Theater come up often, although there are many far worse offenders), nothing about PT's songs ever sounds forced or pretentious, even when they flirt with (or go past) the ten-minute mark, I've yet to hear a PT song overstay its welcome. And, fortunately, there are still no keyboard solos.

At the time of this writing, this album is number 116 on the ProgArchives.com Most Popular Album List. Considering that one of the factors affecting the ranking on this list is the number of reviews submitted, that's pretty high for an album that's only one year old. It is also the number one album of 2005 according to their reviewers.

One of the disadvantages of being an old fuddy-duddy with a wife, kids, jobs, etc., is that you get out of touch with the music scene. You listen to the albums you bought as a kid decades ago and you listen to the radio. And you forget that musicians are still making vibrant music. You forget that musicians have always, and will always, go past the limits set by radio marketers.

And so I decided that I needed to hear what was currently being created by "progressive" rock bands. And I purchased this album.

My only previous exposure to PORCUPINE TREE were the tracks played on my XM radio (channel 51 - Music Lab). And when you listen to the radio at work or in the car, it's easy to just lump everything together. I know they've played live at the XM studios several times, but that was the limits of my knowledge.

I really enjoyed the album. Deadwing isn't a thrash metal album, or even a hard rock album, but on several songs uses thematic elements of hard rock to push the mood. But on other songs the mood tends towards a quietness that rivals YES at its most New Age. The songs are not limited to what is commercial, but evolve on their own.

On the other hand, my twelve year old daughter wasn't thrilled with the album. She thought that the songs changed too much. However, she has copied "Open Car" onto her iPod and had it featured on her MySpace page. At 3:46 in length, it's probably the most commercial of the songs on the album.

This is a great album to remind an old fuddy-duddy that music can still be fresh and original.

It has been two and a half years since Porcupine Tree's last album, In Absentia and the follow-up is Deadwing. Porcupine Tree is a London-based band that somewhat fits into the progressive rock genre. As their ninth studio album, Porcupine Tree has chosen to release a semi-conceptual record loosely based around ideas generated from a ghost film screen play. Slated for a European release date of March 28 and April 26 for America, Deadwing is going to please the Porcupine Tree fans and should create a wealth of new followers!

There was a lot of speculation as to what direction Steven Wilson, front man of Porcupine Tree, was going to take this album; especially after the release of the first single and radio song taken from Deadwing titled "Shallow". Shallow has received lots of airplay in the US and to be honest scared me when I heard it. Steven Wilson described "Shallow" as, "a big dumb rock song, done the Porcupine Tree way." With a commercial and radio friendly song released a few weeks before the album, I was hoping that Porcupine Tree wasn't about to release a more marketable rock album. Well, you can rest assured that my fears and worries were so far off it wasn't even funny. Deadwing is chock full of great songs, save for it falls on the different side of standard Porcupine Tree releases yet it still hits the mark as another phenomenal release from the band.

Deadwing starts off with the title track, "Deadwing". Just shy of ten minutes, "Deadwing" is the perfect way to begin the voyage into the new album. Starting off with an electronic intro that hardly builds up the beginning riff that jump starts your adrenaline. This song is absolutely brilliant and holds some of the best vocal melodies of the album. "Deadwing" definitely fits in the Porcupine Tree catalog of epic songs and doesn't feature the standard structure of: verse, chorus, verse, etc. that most other bands compose. In fact, the song doesn't even feature a chorus! Ending in eerie noises, "Deadwing" progresses right into the first single off of the album, "Shallow".

"Shallow" is definitely the most radio friendly song on the album as I previously mentioned. Reminding me in a way of "Blackest Eyes" from In Absentia in regards to song construction, "Shallow" starts off with a heavy guitar riff which the verses are sung over transitioning into a melodic pre-chorus before the heart-stomping chorus. "Shallow" is an ordinary song in terms of current releases, yet it is a different song for Porcupine Tree even though it does have a good rock-vibe and is very likable. I'm sure a lot of fans are going to debate this song, but I like it none the less.

Are you a fan of Steven Wilson's Blackfield side project? If so, you are going to love "Lazarus". If not, you are still going to love "Lazarus"! As the third song on the album, "Lazarus" is a magnificent and beautiful ballad that would have fit the Blackfield release. I absolutely adore this song and hope to hear similar tracks like this in the future from the band. Whether you are a fan of Porcupine Tree or not, "Lazarus" is likable on so many different levels. Listen to it and decide for yourself. Regardless, "Lazarus" kicks ass!

Speaking of kicking ass, get ready to tap your feet because "Halo" in my opinion is the catchiest song on Deadwing. "Halo" begins with a captivating bass line that caught me off guard. Every now and again a band can compose a song that just grabs your full attention and won't let you go until the song ends, and Porcupine Tree accomplished just that with "Halo". This is definitely not your stock rock song, which is what makes this song so much fun to listen to.

I have read a lot of posts on forums and other reviews for Deadwing simply describing the fifth track as the song to buy the album for. "Arriving Somewhere, But Not Here" is an amazing song, and this is the reason to buy the album." Personally, I really like how this track progresses along through its twelve minute journey. Porcupine Tree covered almost everything within this song from a heavy section smack-dab in the middle to the light guitar riffs that begins the song right through the soft percussion leading into guitar solos and lead riffs at the end of the track. To say the least, I really like "Arriving Somewhere, But Not Here", although I think it is a bit overrated compared to what others are saying.

"Mellotron Scratch" and the ninth track "Glass Arm Shattering" are the two mellow tracks on the album. Either one of these songs could have showed up on the last three or four Porcupine Tree albums and fit the record. Both songs are good, not phenomenal, but good. I really don't have a lot to say about either one, except that "Mellotron Scratch" has my favorite outros on the disc.

From what I have gathered, I'm going to take a lot of crap for saying, "My favorite song on Deadwing is `Open Car'." This song has the best vibe between the opening guitar and the fanatical vocal melody that is played over it. My favorite line on the album comes from this song as well when Steven Wilson sings, "Being with you is hell." It is few and far between when I like the shortest song on the album, but "Open Car" is simply stated, "awesome", and has a transition right into "The Start of Something Beautiful" virtually making them one song. "The Start of Something Beautiful" is my second favorite song on the album and could have easily been dropped right on Opeth's "Damnation". There is a perfect connection between Colin Edwin, the bassist, and Gavin Harrison on drums and is reminiscent of the "Martin to Martin" connection between the bassist and drummer on the Opeth Damnation album. Another good selling point of this song is the instrumental section "starting" around 4:45 that is just amazing and "beautiful". No pun intended, of course! Anyways, if I was to give a reason or recommendation to buy Deadwing, it would be for "Open Car" and "The Start of Something Beautiful", because these songs are nothing shy of amazing.

It took me a few times listening through Deadwing to realize that I absolutely love the album, and probably is my favorite release to date in 2005. At the moment this disc is my favorite Porcupine Tree album and is just as brilliant as Stupid Dream and In Absentia. Now to the part of the review that I give you a whole bunch of reasons to get a copy of Deadwing! Actually, why even bother? If you have read this much you probably are familiar with the band and don't need any reasons other than the fact that it is the newest addition to the Porcupine Tree catalog! If you haven't heard the band before, well give them a chance and give Deadwing a listen to. I think most people are going to like this album.