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| Progressive Rock CD Reviews |
Porcupine Tree
In Absentia
Review by Steve Alspach
Steve Wilson's pet project (the group started as nothing more than just a fictional band several years ago) released their latest work, In Absentia, last year. The album is a thoughtful blend of melody, metal, and progressive. There is a slightly dark edge throughout the disc, though.
The performers on this CD are: Steve Wilson, guitars and vocals; Richard Barbieri, keyboards; Colin Edwin, bass; and Gavin Harrison, drums and percussion. Aviv Geffen, vocals; and John Wesley, additional guitar and vocals put in guest performances.
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2003 Year Book Volume 1 at https://garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2003-and-2004/.
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| Track by Track Review
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Blackest Eyes
This is a catchy tune with rich harmonies on the chorus line, yet it contains some metal riffing in the intro and throughout. |
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Trains
This song strikes a happy medium between the acoustic and electric. It goes into an interesting section featuring acoustic guitar, handclaps, and a banjo lays down the melodic riff. |
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Lips of Ashes
Porcupine Tree lean towards the acoustic on this track, and the result is reminiscent of Pink Floyd's "A Pillow of Winds." |
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The Sound of Muzak
Another cut where the chorus features an infectious hook, smart radio stations would do well to put this one on their playlists. |
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Gravity Eyelids
The first part of the track is a rather quiet affair with keyboards and a rhythm track, but the band breaks loose halfway through with some strong power chords before winding down. |
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Wedding Nails
This one is a cruncher of an instrumental track, similar to King Crimson's "Red" or some of Bozzio-Levin-Stevens' work. An unusual twist, though - an atmospheric keyboard coda ends the song |
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Prodigal
Here is another piece with quiet verses, strong harmonies on the chorus, and a rock-out instrumental bridge. |
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3
Former XTC member Dave Gregory provided the string arrangement to this track. It starts with a bass-driven rhythm pattern, and the strings provide a rich backdrop. The minimalist lyrics ("Black the sky, weapons fly, Lay them waste for your race") allow for the development of a four-chord pattern. |
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The Creator Has a Mastertape
This pedal-to-the-floorboard rocker is propelled by Gavin Harrison's drums and Wilson's fuzz-drenched guitar chords, but the vocals are a bit muffled and effect-drenched. |
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Heartattack in a Layby
In contrast to the previous cut, this is a slow, sleepy affair. Is the singer having a heart attack on the side of the road, or is he just not feeling well? |
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Strip The Soul
The verses are in a silent, smoldering mode, but the choruses feature power guitars and muted vocals. The song is a bit ooky - a number about a man who bumps off his family ("They are not gone, they are not gone, They are only sleeping, In graves, in ways, in clay, Underneath the floor"). There is a Fripp-like solo snippet, and the piece lands with a strong, dirge-like thud. |
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Collapse the Light Into Earth
Again contrasting the soft with the meaty, the album winds down with this composition, a rather delicate effort featuring Barbieri's keyboards and strings, again arranged by Dave Gregory. |
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 You'll find concert pics of this artist in the Music Street Journal members area. |
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