Review:
Is there any other band that can do what Porcupine Tree does? Let’s rephrase that: Is there any other band that can do what Steve Wilson can do by himself? In the past two decades, he’s written all kinds of music. Combined trance with psychedelic rock, ambient and prog rock (which run into short pop jams), and then, death metal. But it isn’t that he’s just skilled at writing for all genres; he’s also good at stringing them together.
In The Incident, he is as enthusiastic about being ambitious as he ever was. It consists of one hour-long song broken into 14 parts. Musically, it’s a lot heavier, which is what they’ve been leaning towards since In Absentia, but with a heavy dose of melody, which the band has always been noted for. Opener ‘Occam’s Razor’ lasts less than two minutes, but is forceful nonetheless. The song may be defined by a pounding drum beat and heavy riff, but it’s the presence of the acoustic guitar that makes the song a Steve Wilson work. The second song moves further into PT territory – metal riffs that lead to a lush, atmospheric chorus.
Breaking down the album can be tedious, considering the width of his oeuvre. ‘Great Expectations’ is a tiny ditty, ‘Drawing The Line’ is an ominous metal song, while ‘Kneel and Disconnect’ is a haunting piano melody. The eeriness of the music is about all that runs through the album’s 55 minutes. Wilson’s lingering falsetto can make your hair stand.
But if you’ll listen to only one song here (and I don’t recommend it), make sure you get ‘Time Flies’, where the band pays homage to Pink Floyd’s Animals. The song lasts eleven minutes and goes through jams, acoustic chords and spacey melodies before reaching its heady climax.
There are lots of great things about this band, but it’s their increasing ability to play complex tunes without losing sight of melody and interlude that’s most impressive. At the same time, they keep themselves accessible. Even first-timers would enjoy this album, although their first listen would seem like a roller-coaster rider. This is isn’t life-changing stuff, but it’s as close as it gets.
