Customer Reviews

Insurgentes

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Steven Wilson may just be the industry's best kept secret. Despite a multicontextual and multidirectional career which has delved into almost every genre imaginable, even Wilson's most popular of projects remain far-removed from the mainstream. He began his professional career with No-Man, in the sad vein of dreamy synth-pop, and has since gone on to form progressive groundbreaker Porcupine Tree, the dark and always irresistably catchy Blackfield, the psychedelic improv-based I.E.M., and worked with standard-setting bands such as Opeth and King Crimson. While anyone familiar with the above bands knows of Wilson's studio wizardry and multi-instrument proficiency, a solo career under his own name has been limited to a series of CD-R releases of acoustic material and cover songs only available through his web site and some random electronic instrumentals which remain largely obscure. Not anymore.

Insurgentes is his full-length debut, under his own name, and hits the listener as effectively as a well-aimed audio shotgun blast. It delves into every genre Wilson has explored while at the same time expanding on each of them, all the while attaining it's own unique sound with the focus and precision of a laser beam. This is a skill beyond the average musician, leaving the listener to always expect the unexpected. Indeed, the stylistic changes are often within the context of a single track, as Wilson begins "Salvaging" with a simple yet sinister guitar riff complemented by his snarls of "what was the point of making me trust...yeah you make me feel sick..." before dropping out the bottom into a soaring orchestral arrangement worthy of J. Ralph's approval. "Get All That You Deserve" works in the opposite direction as Wilson enters eerily, accompanied by only a piano, before bringing in massive walls of noisy distortion like angry drunks crashing a funeral. He has proven himself a true musical Dr. Frankenstein in his ability to take something beautiful and destroy it, only to resurrect it to even greater heights than before.

Consistency is still an ingredient throughout this madhouse of sonic manipulation, as "Harmony Korine" immediately lends itself to the status of hit single and the nostalgic "Veneno Para Las Hadas" evokes fond memories of Porcupine Tree's "The Sky Moves Sideways" with heart-wrenching beauty. Be wary of this album: it will immediately set the bar higher than anything you've heard this year or even this decade and leave the mark of true musical genius on your auditory lobes by comparatively ruining every other album you hear afterwards.

This DVD-Audio 5.1 mix has become the new sonic standard by which all surround recordings should be measured.

From a music perspective there isn't much more to add (Hans Gruber review here is very good), it's Steven Wilson at its creative best - every song is beautifully conceived and executed. But also the music was conceived from scratch in a way that it could really exploit surround sound. I listened to the download of the album for about 12 times before I got this DVD-A. As usual, Steven's songs grow on you with every listen, and you start to understand and enjoy them more over time. However, what makes this album really shine is the 5.1 mix:

1. The sounds balance between the front, center and rear speakers is impeccable
2. The album explores the complete spectrum of the human capacity for audio, in many cases all sound frequencies (from very low to very high - almost as high as white noise) are beautifully displayed at the same time!
3. Really noisy passages are followed by very quiet and haunting passages, the contrast is mind-numbing and beautiful
4. When you play the album out loud, the workout that the subwoofer gets is unbelievable. You better not have glass or breakable objects within distance!

Steven makes a point that in today's iPod generation, the true enjoyment of listening to an album with the right sound quality and fidelity, and enjoying the accompanying artwork has been lost. Downloading individual songs can never transmit the ideas that the artist puts together when creating a concept album. And even though downloads are getting better in terms of better sound quality options, they will never equal the awesome quality that Advanced Resolution surround gives you.

Well, Steven backs up with words with this masterpiece. You can feel the countless number of hours that he spent conceving, writing, playing, mixing and producing the songs. It is pure quality and pure magic.

If you don't have a 5.1 system (DVD-A or DVD-V DTS), go get a good one and play this album. You will be amazed and you will never look at music the same way ever again!

Steve Wilson is the first musician alive that successfully and brilliantly brought back the atmospheres of sound originally projected and conceived by Pink Floyd into his own style. There is alot to be said about this achievment. Others have mimicked but fallen short, and there really has never been another band that could really do what Pink Floyd did. There are a lot of dark and scary sounds and mentally projected hallucinations that seemed to come clearer upon repeated listens. And not only did Steve Wilson acheive this major feat, but he also excellently executes alot of the ground achieved by the latter day King Crimson as well. Of course there are also moments of Porcupine Tree (his own band of brilliance) and some of his other projects that have formed "Insurgentes" into a real and true work of art. Steve has learned from all the masters and he has now become one of them. He has, over the last ten years, become one of the most important musicians of our time.

Porcupine Tree's Steven Wilson continues to create what is a musical world unto itself. His highly crafted music evokes images and moods; it is at once powerful and colorful, and often contains tension. Throughout Wilson's career he has pushed his own limits, exploring progressive rock and other musical forms with Porcupine Tree, with his side projects such as Blackfield, and now with his solo album "Insurgentes".

What makes "Insurgentes" such a great disc?

With "Veneno Para Los Hadas" Wilson quotes both Pink Floyd and earlier Porcupine Tree ("The Sky Moves Sideways"). In "No Twilight Within the Courts of the Sun" he evokes mid-Seventies King Crimson right down to the vocals and the drumming in places, but throws that mix into the 21st century. The obvious musical references are done extremely well, but what demonstrates the genius of "Insurgentes" is when Wilson quotes from his own Porcupine Tree catalog and it stands with the other bigger-name influences you will hear. While this is undoubtedly not his intent, "Insurgentes" demonstrates that Wilson's music is some of the very best of its kind.

To hear some early Porcupine Tree influences, check out how "Harmony Korine" echoes "Even Less" from Porcupine Tree's magnificent "Stupid Dream" CD from 1999. Musically, you might also hear a bit of "Radioactive Toy" in "Salvaging". Then again, this album's title track (basically a solo piano track with bass koto accompaniment and studio treatment) is something unto itself, as are the wonderfully strange instrumental "Twilight Coda" and instrumental passages in "Get What You Deserve".

With "Insurgentes" Wilson plays most of the instrumental parts, but has some friends along for the ride. Porcupine Tree drummer Gavin Harrison is present on much of the album, and Wilson has invited master bassist Tony Levin on board for a few tracks. Dream Theater's keyboardist Jordan Rudess is outstanding on three tracks. One guest highlight is the backing vocals by Clodagh Simmonds on the wonderful "Significant Other"; that is a very fine track, but her presence really makes it fly.

Steven Wilson and his musical endeavors deserve whatever attention they get, because there are not many musicians today who put the time, care and attention to detail into their works as he does. Whether you are a fan of Porcupine Tree's material prior to their major label debut with "In Absentia", a fan of the band's more recent material, or just a Porcupine Tree/Steven Wilson fan in general... there is something on this disc for you.

And if you are unfamiliar? Well... let's just say Wilson and Porcupine Tree have one of music's greatest treasure chests of the last 15 years! If you like creative/prog sounds and have not heard this music, lifting the lid may open a whole new world for you! Warning: this stuff is all so good that it is quite easy to get hooked. One Wilson/Porcupine Tree album will inevitably lead you to another.

But this is how it should be!

So download this CD now, or rush out and buy a copy. You will not be disappointed.

First of all, if you're looking for Porcupine Tree and won't accept anything else, you probably won't like this album. There's not much tight song structure, and the guitars are mostly there for ambience than to drive a consistent melody. The drumming, however, is top notch... thanks to the help of Porcupine Tree drummer Gavin Harrison. I didn't officially know that GH drummed on this album until recently, but I knew from having listened to the album because it's not hard to guess. You will recognize the drumming style from past PT songs, particularly the style of the toms.

The first track ("Harmony Korine") is loud and grand and atmospheric and the exception to the rule on this album. You should not buy based on this track alone because you will be disappointed if you are looking for that to hold up throughout the whole album.

The rest of the album is atmospheric, uneasy, quiet-then-loud, lots going on in the background, etc. It's experimental but not completely random -- there is a thread that holds everything together in most tracks, and that's the main reason it works, in my opinion.

It's drab and depressing, but in a good way. If your mind is congested and you are too tired to do much of anything, but this on and it will clear it up. Seriously -- it is a decongestant for the mind.

You really need to give it time to grow on you. To me, it's so different from most other music that I can't remember what most of the tracks sound like, even after repeated listens... but I quickly recall them as soon as I hear the first few seconds of the track. This doesn't happen to me with many albums and it probably means I'll never get tired of it.

Can't wait to hear what SW will do on his next album.

I am Dhruti's husband (John) writing from the USA (but originally from the UK) to give "Insurgentes" this review. I need to make my own account so i can write another review supporting this fantastic artist. My wife (Dhruti) was also agree that Steven is a genius. We've followed Steven since 2004 since hearing his band "Porcupine Tree". Where to start??? This is a masterpiece and find that Steven Wilson is like a fine wine and gets better the longer he's out there. So eclectic is his style, that it's true to say that he is in the same vein as Frank Zappa in terms of his ability to creatively weave beautiful music in a variety of styles. You can see snippets of Zappa, Metallic, Rush, Yes, Pink Floyd and more in his music. Although his lyrics can be a little on the depressing side, the music is uplifting and very experimentational (is that a word?), that is work never sounds dull and always takes you on an epic journey. Who needs love songs...we have enough of those around!! :- Another thing I admire about Steven is his fondness for Packaging and the experience of the days of old when you would buy a new record and open up the packaging and read the lyrics and look at the pictures...I've missed those days, but Steven spares no expense to build quality into anything he touches. His live performances are also amazing - both solo and with Porcupine Tree. Those that don't know his work, should really give it a shot. Check him out on YOUTUBE, then go buy his CD's..please!!!! His new CD (Grace for Drowning) is beautiful.

Don't make the same mistake I did... I bought the mp3 disc. I am now kicking myself, Steven Wilson puts so much effort into the production. Being a Porcupine Tree fan, I should have known better; I am going to have to repurchase the CD/DVD version. (Maybe Amazon should offer FLAC downloads next...)
Most popular music these days is produced for the masses. Songs are pretty much meant to be downloaded as singles, Insurgentes is the opposite of this. The album as a whole is a piece of art, and it should be enjoyed as one continuous piece of music. The more I listen to Insurgentes, the more I love it. The contrasts are breathtaking... crescendos into a wall of sound that drops off to a simple piano melody, classical harmonies blended with noises I didn't know the guitar could make...this is not easy listening. If you are a casual music listener, this disc is not for you. On the other hand, if you are a Wilson fan already, and you find that certain music captivates your soul as well as your ears, Insurgentes would be a great part of your collection.
I can't wait until the remix disc comes out, it should tide me over until the new PT release this fall!

This mans talent just gets better with everything he does.Amazing musician and songwriter, this is a must have if your a fan.

With the review Hans wrote and the product description, there's not much more I can add. Many in the 60's thought "Eric Clapton is God". If you are one, then SW is God's father! He can turn water to wine and dirt to gold. There is never a dull moment listening to this disc; he cover's so many genres. And if you are into 5.1 Surround Sound, are YOU in for a treat... unbelievable! This is a "must have" disc along with ALL of Porcupine Tree's, Blackfield I and II, No-Man's Together We're Stranger and Schoolyard Ghosts plus Opeth's Damnation!

There are some excellent detailed reviews, so I'll add my subjective impressions:

I never heard of Steven Wilson, or Porcupine Tree for that matter. I bought this because I saw it with a DVD Audio disc and I love the sound from that format.

What a surprise....

This is, without hyperbole, one of the best albums I've ever heard. Moody, industrial, beautiful, melodic, quiet, then hard & heavy - it's a mix of catchy songwriting, industrial, atmospheric, rock, and other styles that just work together so well.

After a month, this disc has just grown and grown on me. If you like vinyl, you can try to get the limited edition 2 LP album from BurningShed. The 4 x 10" LP set are sold out and selling for a mint on eBay if you're lucky enough to find one.

If you like Floyd, Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails/Trent Reznor then give this album a try and listen more than once. I can only give it my highest recommendation. And the DVD-Audio does sound excellent as well.