“Porcupine Tree’s ‘In Absentia’... permanently sealed my fate to be a struggling professional musician” ^^the most relatable take I’ve ever heard on youtube
Peter Gabriel did It 40 years ago. I just cant understand the uprage. Marillion was acused of Selling Out like 3 or 4 times. So did Rush and King Crimson. Now Misplaced Childhood, Signals and Discipline are pinacles of Prog.
In the currently "Rush-less" world of 2021, just knowing that S.W. IS out there, kicking ass... is a reassuring notion indeed. I can't think of anyone else that I could say the same for.... and that's too bad.
I honestly cannot believe this. You are such a piece of sweetness. We're all sick of the hate, and I hope your positivity reaches many of the haters. "Expectations are really high everytime he puts out something new", and that is because we love him. Remember that, kids ❤︎
You nailed it with point #3. There is so much depth in the shifting timbres. Listen to this album with great headphones - eyes closed and ears wide open. Also, the intro percussion and keyboards in Count of Unkown are in THREE different superimposed time signatures! That's pretty damn prog.
hey, amazing video, music student from Iran here. Most of the things mentioned in this video were exactly the problems that I've noticed among prog fans. The very same set of issues and a few more plague the world of classical music as well.
Fripp is kind of my role model for stage presence. I just want to sit off to the side of the stage, mostly in the dark, with a borderline grumpy look on my face while I play cool stuff. Everyone else in the band can do flying roundhouse kicks or whatever needs to be done to get the audience to high-five each other.
The more I listen to the album the more I like it. Lots of new sounds, but at heart it is still Steven Wilson. Great songwriting, and ambitious in creating some new sounds.
Awesome, awesome critique! So many of the things I was thinking. Steven Wilson isn't constrained by genres, and combined with his insane production and songwriting abilities, it's what makes him one of my top few favorite artists. Great music transcends genre, and Steven Wilson knows that.
Brian, I am 68 years old. I have been a prog rock nut for the majority of my life. I’ve been a crazy SW fan since the 90s. Your message is important. I hope more fans take the time to view. Though I haven’t been pooping on THE FUTURE BITES on social media, I haven’t been giving it it’s just desserts. Very nicely done. You influenced me.
Couldn’t agree more. I am 65, grew up with the Beatles who went from a great pop band to the edge of prog within a decade. Steven Wilson inspired me because he also evolves, weaving his way across the soundscape of my life, picking out references to all genres and a wide range of artists. Mixing stuff up without limits is actually what progressive music is. The Future Bites contains some wonderful music. Look forward to seeing him in Sheffield later 2021.
This was so very necessary. My own relationship with progressive rock has long been a strained one despite my love of so many of the ideas because of how aggressive and humourless the fandom which surrounds it can be, and how it can switch on a dime between worshipping and savaging an artist based on arbitrary genre allegiances rather than a respect of all music on its own terms with negative or positive opinions expressed with that broader perspective. I do think this is true to some extent of any and all purely genre-focused musical discourse, but prog fandom can be especially hostile-which is ironic, because I've also met plenty of individual prog fans and prog-leaning musicians who are just some of the sweetest people you'll meet. But they also feel like people who love the music for its adventure rather than because it's a blueprint in their heads. Same with the chiller metalheads I've met. It's about perspective.
Generally I've found that Prog artists are people who don't take themselves seriously but do with their music. Can't think of anything better than a beer with a Prog musician.
This captured my thoughts on Steven Wilson and The Future Bites perfectly. Despite having to wait a week for my vinyl I've played it pretty much every day since. I absolutely love and and love more that he always keeps us waiting for more.
I wish I was an english native speaker to express properly how I admire the contents (as well as the form) of this video! Simply well done! I might be biased but I think of myself as the unconditional supporter of SW. I love the fact that he takes me (musically) to different universes. It takes time to appreciate Future Bites album, but it grew on me and I think it is yet another masterpiece. Of those 12 points I really appreciate that you point out the timbre aspect! I have read relatively very few in-depth reviews of this album that would cover as many aspects as you do here. Well done again!
13. Any music coming out in a pandemic is an accomplishment. I feel like everyone's creative process has been disrupted. Not always for the worse, but the world sounds different right now.
It was written and recorded before the pandemic, and pre-orders had even already happened. It got delayed because he had built a big media blitz around the release with novelty products, videos, etc. The pandemic ruined that plan so they decided to push it off nearly a year, which gave him a chance to rethink some of it (such as changing out the final song.)
thanks for this Brian! I've never really listened to him (or Porcupine Tree) before (being much more of a 'Jazzer' by inclination). His new record is beautifully produced, lots of great ideas in there. I was (surprisingly) slightly shocked by the swearing (I'm not sure why, I have been known to do this myself...) but great content. btw, I remember Gavin Harrison from London before Porcupine Tree even existed when he was just doing gigs (mostly on percussion I seem to remember). all best, MM.
I remember misreading a post that said Porcupine Tree was opening for Yes on their current tour. Since I had tickets and never hearing Porcupine Tree I went out to buy their latest In Abstentia. Two days later I went to Tower Records and bought a copy of every Porcupine Tree cd they had. Steven Wilson is one of my favorite Musicians I look forward to every new piece of music he has done. They are mostly all different to a degree but each has for lack of a better term the Steven Wilson vibe and I love them all.
I love Steven's work, The Future Bites is no exception, and thank the fates that I found someone who actually understands him the same way I do. Thank you Brian!
Thank you for this passionate support of Steven Wilson. You're absolutely right. King Ghost is my favorite track from the album. And I actually bought the deluxe edition.
3:44 ok but lazarus and trains were my second-favorite songs from those albums. Respectively, my favorites were Arriving Somewhere but Not Here and Sound of Muzak. (but yeah I generally agree with you; the kinda fetishization of prog rock as some technical, music-theory dense thing is really emblematic of a naive, young musician just getting into more intricate music. I've grown out of that myself over the years)
I commented about one year ago... but I just re-watched your video again, and I REALLY must say, you are incredibly perceptive and thoughtful - and accurate! Obviously, you are a multi-instrumentalist, and an astute listener, with a mind that is simultaneously wide open, while also being highly critical (ie: meaning CAPABLE of noticing minute details in every area, while also apparently having the expertise and experience to inform you of how to best appreciate all those minute details. In otherwords, to conscientiously ZOOM OUT and look at the big picture, as well as the minute details. I am going to take a guess here, and say you have a master's degree in music theory. Yes? No? EIther way, I suspect that you would be quite an exemplary music professor! (if you aren't already) Bravo!
Really glad you made this video. You tapped exactly on some of the "f*ckboy" prog culture that definitely plagues the genre. I don't mind the pop stuff from Wilson. For me though TFB falls short in its narrative. The "narcissism = bad" theme is really low hanging fruit and the actual lyrics do not introduce any meaningful critique in my mind.
Also, arent Steven Wilson fanboys the same as any other fanboy? They are unable to hear criticism of their idol. "Leave Steven Wilson Alone" could become a meme. This is going to be a fight between Fanboys vs Purists. When do the "Artists need money" and "We should give our unconditional support" became rational arguments to defend a piece of music?
And for a final argument. The idea that retroprog is "evil" is an embarassing one. Steven Wilson 20 years ago complained about how much he hated Transatlantic. In recent interviews he said he regreted that and that anyone has the right to lisent to wathever they like. Live and let live. Dont worry about the quality of your music but about the quality of your enjoyment. "Good Taste" is a stupid idea.
The only Porcupine Tree / Steven Wilson song I've ever heard was Time Flies from a sampler disc from a Metal Hammer Magazine I think. You're making me think I really need to dig into their work.
Just last night I had a very similar conversation with a friend who was bashing Steve Wilson's new material. I made some of the same points you made, but not nearly as articulately, as thoughtfully, or as thoroughly as you have expressed in your video. I agree with every single point! Bravo!
1. Better tracks for me on the albums you quote 2. Agree 3. Agree 4. Agree 5. Totally agree 6. Agree 7. Agree 8. Very much agree - listem to the Instrumental CD in TFB an you will see how good his attention to melody and production is. 9. Not convinced by this but agree King Ghost is inspired. 10. Totally agree - absolutely. I can't believe how ALL streaming sites rip of ALL of our creative artists. 11. What a great guy - I'd love to spend a few minutes with him. 12. Agree - We need to increase the income the artists we love receive. Great post Brian - very impressed!
Unrelated to SW, but you listed Think Like a Mountain by cover.. I love that album so much. Its so obscure and to see a reference on youtube to it was so great. Oh and I agree with all you said.
You speak to me straight from the soul, man. I don't understand that constant hate on a S.W. Compared to you, I am a beginner (I discovered S.W. in 2018). Nevertheless, I obtained a complete discography of Porcupine Tree and S.W. solo work.
I was so sure that I would hate this album, but instead, I’ve embraced it and find the whole work/production compelling. Some of the unreleased songs on the deluxe version are even better, but I understand how they didn’t fit the original album.
I prefer listening to what those who critique a work have to say more than those who just gush over an artist simply because of the brand of who they are. It helps inform me better of what I'm hearing from a side I might not have considered and rounds out my interpretation or opinion of it. This is something someone such as Steven Wilson would typically appreciate. An intelligent audience - not a blindly pandering one.
Three cheers for this MOST lucid "opinion piece". Having had the good fortune to spend a few quality hours in and around Steven's world during the late stages of Porcupine Tree, I can confirm that he's a thoughtful and genuine fellow with a wry sense of humor. Talking electronic music history with Steven, Pat Mastellotto and Tony Levin during the Incident tour still ranks near the top of a long list of favorite all-time music moments -- right next to sipping scotch with Don Roeser after a show at the Olympia in Paris.
Couldn't agree more, I've played in a wide variety of 'genres' and my last band was a prog band ... but in reality when you're creating music you don't think in genres, most musicians hate genres because they add restrictions. Genres were created to make it easier to catagorise and sell records in stores and the reason this is relevent is that Stephen Wilson isn't a Prog Musician ... he's a Musician' ... writing what he feels like writing at the time (as anyone who actually is creative will tell you is how creativity works!). The Future Bites isn't a prog record so these stuck in the past 'fans' need to stop judging it as a prog record, because it isn't, so their assessment is completely meaningless. What it is, is a very good record, well written, crafted, performed and mixed with influences from a number of different sources. It's well put together artistically as a package and has some beautiful songs on it, as an overall work of art it ticks all the boxes (except of course the ones marked 'early 70's prog').
In the last few years I often wondered why I can't really get into SW's newer material. Like you said, from a songwriters perspective there are many parallels to his older work, especially in terms of his melodies and chord progressions. Plus they sound great. I think one part of it is that I don't really like his singing voice nor is he imo a great lyricist (for me they often seem a little bit superficial, at least since PT's Fear of a Blank Planet). So with the stripped down arrangements I can't "overlisten" these things. In addition to that, the material that got me the most was where he lay the foundation (songwriting-wise) and had a bunch of people who contributed to it (Gavin Harrison, Barbierie & Edwin in PT, Pat Mastelotto on his second solo album, Marco Minnemann, Holtzman & Guthrie Govan, Akerfeldt and Harrison on Storm Corrosion, just to name a few) whose contributions he directed to match his vision. He wasn't the star of the show, he was the "director" of a bigger picture. In these cases, the music felt much more "inspired" to me. For me that's the biggest talent of SW (and that probably plays into the fact that he delivers great sounding mixes). I won't criticize him for taking a different direction (as you said, he did that oftentimes over the span of his career), he can do as he pleases as an artist. But except for a few songs it's just not my cup of tea.
Agree with you. His last two albums were not my coup of tea, but I think it is great how he just experiments and does what feels right for him. That's what a "true artist" should do.
About the end message, I genuinely had no idea that musicians nowadays had to wear so many hats that doesn't involve making music. I hope things are better for you! Take care, buddy!
Very interesting reflections: Many times we expect artists to meet our expectations and that prevents us from being open to new experiences, nor does it allow us to see the quality of many works that do not fit into our concept of that artist. Very well argued. Thank you.
Brian - very well done! I'm so glad to see some much-needed and completely justified positivity towards SW! I have shared this with a few people who also love Steven's work and it'll make their days. I have subscribed to your channel as well.
i totally agree with all your saying and at first hearing this different direction wilson was going i admire him for doing so. as a huge bowie fan i can cope easy with artists changing or evolving rather than sticking to a formula which sells easy. i love this album as i do most stuff wilson has been involved with and aye i am an abba fan too lol. peace from scotland
Point 9 is my favorite. It’s really the definition of TFB. I’ve listened to it over and over and fall deeply in love with all of the songs. EDIT: You earned my sub with this video. Awesome job!!
After 3 or 4 listens I’m still not a big fan of this record but I never criticize an artist for making an album I don’t like. I just keep my mouth shut and hope I’ll enjoy the next one better. « To The Bone » was more my jam, it felt more imaginative and was objectively a great pop album (and how can you not love the amazing Ninet Tayeb) -cool little joke to make the cover appear when you said « to the core » btw ;)
You're absolutely right about Wilson having this gift for writing "hooks". If he wanted, I bet he could have been a huge selling artist in the same league as the Beatles, U2 or whatever. I remember one evening surfing on youtube, amazed by this insane drummer Gavin Harrison, I had never heard of. And then I was hit with Porc tree - trains. Instantly sold. You know, that rare feeling hearing a song for the first time and thinking WOW. So I was hoping, maybe some more WOW songs. At 3 am, after listening for hours, I couldn't believe having heard so many songs with instant hooks, mixed with weird chord progressions and sounds. I was confused, because I don't really like prog. rock. Most of that genre sounds pretentious and forced to me without any direction. Wilson's music feels authentic and very original. And I love those hooks that come in all kinds of shapes. Melody, lyrics, sounds, chords, progressions, riffs. Not to mention the great musicians he plays with. The guy is a gem in today's meaningless pop music. Btw, listening to the future bites right now. TBH, I've heard better stuff from him.
that last point hit me hard. I've always wanted to come on YT to expose my music but actually never "really" realized how it's the only source of income for some people right now. I have been enjoying your content since your video on fractals and I've been wow'd by each video since then. I know I am part of the silent viewers, and I'm already supporting people on Patreon ; with a student living wage it's kinda hard to support all the people I'd like to. However, I really mean it when I say that you make some great content. Also, while Lazarus is the song I like the least in Deadwing [:^)] TFB was great. To The Bone was Great. EVEN ON THE SUNDAY OF LIFE. People also tend to forget the existence of Lightbulb Sun when talking pop and Steven Wilson. I may not listen to current pop music, HOWEVER I am still able to hear what makes this and that good records/tracks, and enjoy them whenever a friend plays one. So yeah. Pop is nice. Support your artists. I still think you may criticize, but with the proper tone. If it's bashing, it's useless. And if it's "all bad", then there may be a problem with your arguments. Anyway. Thanks for the video Brian, and thank you for the content.
'Steven Wilson always wrote great pop hooks'....Yes, he did. And why is that? "..I love these records. I think they're kind of standard for anybody who wants to understand anything about great pop music, how to write, how to construct, how to produce great pop songs [.....] essential for me, anyway, as being a ABBA nerd" - Steven Wilson on ABBA 'The Studio Albums' (vinyl), What's In My Bag? [Home Edition] February 1, 2021.
Well said throughout...I'm a PT and SWs solo work fan but not this particular record. It simply does nothing for me but you have to respect his courage in putting out TFB after the superb Hand cannot...I guess he knew he would get some bottling from the disgruntled PT mob. So, I give him brownie points on that score for doing his own thaaang. If he ever were to reform PT for a one off album, I guarantee you it would be the bigest of his career.
Mmm, interesting take. I don't hate the album, but it certainly isn't his strongest work. I prefer the pop sensibilities of Blackfield over his last two albums. I get Steven Wilson wants to put music out that he likes, and he is entitled to do that. As someone who buys music I have a right then to reject that music and not like it, so I don't really get what your saying here. We should like his work no matter what because he's good at what he does and works hard? For me it doesn't work that way, I will not just blanket like an artist because who it is.
Great video! Not sure if I'd have known about this album if you hadn't made the video. It's really obvious to see the line from 70s prog rock to Porcupine Tree to this album, and it's very confusing what people aren't enjoying about it. Very glad I checked this album, it certainly is a good record
Great job on the video. I'm loving TFB atm and of course YT recommended me your video. I'm glad it did, I enjoyed it and will check your other videos too! Excellent stuff
Thank you! Very well done! I'm glad to see and hear more people contribute positive feedback not only for the album, but Steven Wilson's creative path and career. He's such a workaholic and perfectionist that deserves so much more respect than he gets, especially now. It provides a good contrast to that famous line of Joni Mitchell's of not ever wanting to become a 'human jukebox' for people's entertainment but still loving being a performing artist. "No one ever came up to Van Gogh and said, 'Paint A Starry Night again, man!' " I think that was on the Shadows and Light album. That's why artist's need to grow and change. A good audience and perceptive listener will adapt to the growth and changes, or move on. I certainly have not moved on after hearing this album. There is too much I do like. And to anyone with a good ear, there is SO much more going on than just 'pop music'. The 5.1 mixes are superb! The Atmos mix is out of this world! The extended mix of Eminent Sleaze is not to be missed. Man of the People is stunning. Follower is the standout guitar track that no one is talking about. I wish there was an extended version of THAT! But, the themes behind it all, is true prog! The sense of self, birthed in the beginning and the sold and bastardized continually, in true Tullian fashion, throughout the sequence of the album until the end when, during the Count of Unease, he first realizes that he no longer is sure of that 'sense of self' in the last stanza. In typical Wilson fashion, he closes the album with a troubling, thought provoking question of the subject matter he just presented for the last 40 minutes. And these people don't want to call it prog?
I love you ❣️ :) top notch! Honestly haven't felt like listening to the new album that much, but couldn't agree more on how annoying it is to see people defining what anyone can or cannot do with their freaking careers!
Nice job on the analysis. I definitely appreciate that Steven is always giving us something new and the mix always adds to the album (some albums get killed by a bad mix). Do I love, The Future Bites? Not as of yet. Are there some great moments? Definitely. But I've found with To The Bone I actually enjoy it considerably more now then when it first came out so we'll see how things fair with this record. Its clear to me Steven wants to try different things (hence the break up of Porcupine Tree), the solo career allows this as he can bring in musicians that work well with what he's trying to create. He definitely wants to look back and have a career like Prince, Bowie, or Peter Gabriel who were always moving into something different or unique.
There's one thing I feel Steven Wilson owes me; getting Mikael Åkerfeldt to growl again. It was his pesky influence that made him stop, so he can bloody well put him on the right path again.
Pull yourself together. Artists don't owe us anything. Mikael is his own grown man and decided by himself to operate a change of style. With his singing first, then in the general music he wrote. It's possible that he was influenced by Steven's work, yep (we know he had been a fan of PT for a long time) but I highly doubt Wilson was pointing a gun at his head during the Damnation recording sessions to prevent any growls...
@@kreiontresadenn5633 Good sir, are you aware of the concept of a joke? I'm surprised there are poeple taking what was written in jest to be seriously meant.
@@heavynov Oops, my bad. ^^" Believe it or not, it was a popular opinion among Opeth fans at a time. Mikael even recieved death threats after saying he was done with gutural vocals. I thought you might be one of these entitled extremists. Reading your comment again, it was somehow obvious it was not to be taken seriously. I must be tired. :D
What a great argument for Steven Wilson's enduring brilliance. The end of the Self video might remind people of another groundbreaking rock musician who never stopped reinventing himself.
Steven was definitely my favourite artist during my teenage years, and the biggest musical influence I'll ever have (first video I ever uploaded being a bass cover of Luminol). Love this video!
Great video, you made some very good points although I have to admit, I wasn’t aware of any backlash to Steven’s newer work. Maybe that because I don’t go to music forums or get involved in discussions in RU-vid comments anymore. I did see the YT premieres of a couple of songs from TFB and the live chat was always very enthusiastic. Tbh the only person I’ve seen make a big deal out of the pop sound of his newer material is Steven himself. I was at the recording of the Home Invasion live concert and I remember he gave a big speech about how he was going to shock everyone by performing a pop song, before the band played Permanating. To think of it now, perhaps this was in response to the feedback he’d gotten from fans about the song but at the time I was like “dude, have you listened to any of your earlier records recently?” 😂 As for The Future Bites, I have only given it a couple of casual listens so far, but I really like it. There’s a really interesting energy to the album. The only thing that I’m not a big fan of is some of the female vocals. To me they sound like soul singers singing over electronic music and it’s a jarring contrast. Maybe I will come to be more appreciative of them over time, and I am excited to get to know the album better.
Thanks Brian, I agree with every word of this, except 50s being middle aged! Wilson has given plenty of warning that he will not repeat himself. I love "In Absentia", "The Raven", etc but I already have them. I have been a Zappa fan since I was 14 and never had any preconceptions about what he would do next.
A good video you posted. As you say Steven has set the bar so high with his back catalogue. People will find the new direction possibly hard to accept but all PT albums were different musically and we loved them. In Absentia I found brilliant coz you had to listen to it many times to fathom it. Deadwing I believe is the perfect album coz every track is superb. 👍👍😎
I couldn't agree more, i really hate that elitist attitude that whenever a band or solo artist evolves and opens their horizons to try new musical concepts they get labeled as "sold out" or "they arent good anymore" etc... I feel majority of people that say this arent legit music lovers, if you only listen to one genre for the whole of your life and expect an artist to do that as well and not evolve their sound then you dont really appreciate music. A good example is opeth i see lot of people talking shit about their new sound, yes granted opeth is not "metal" anymore but that doenst mean their new stuff isnt good its just different and there is nothing wrong with that. As a musician writting the same stuff for years and years burns out the creativity and passion for the craft, its always good to experiment and even morph into new genres.
What a loud of twaddle. Nobody is bothered it's different, the issue is, it's not different. It's bland and boring. You obviously like it, good for you. Just don't make out this is a masterpiece because it's far from that.
Amazing thoughts and points...a huge lesson for a begginer like me... that also are a steven big fan, and alsooo love the new album. Please send me more ir ur personal works and about steven hahah... congratulations for the amazing work in this video!
Yeah you've pretty much put into words my thoughts about the album (and my surprise that it hasn't been that well received). I definitely think it's one of his better solo albums, probably my 3rd current favourite after Hand Cannot Erase and Insurgentes.
