PORCUPINE TREE In Absentia (Lava)
Great Britain's Porcupine Tree has become an icon in both the progressive rock and the psychedelic undergrounds, creating nearly a dozen powerful, often stunningly crafted albums full of music damn near impossible to describe. Leader Steven Wilson's vision encompasses pretty much any kind of music he comes across that appeals to him; past PT albums have incorporated elements of psychedelic rock, prog, pop, techno, ambient, space rock, metal, folk and world music, all artfully blended into an alloy that is only recognizable as Porcupine Tree music. Amazingly, the band has managed to build an exceptionally accomplished body of work while remaining under the radar, beloved mainly by a cult audience. But with past masterpieces like Signify, Stupid Dream and Lightbulb Sun on its docket, and a slowly-but-steadily growing fanbase singing its presence, it was inevitable that a major label would eventually snatch the band up and try to squeeze some dollars out of a rock act that pretty much defies classification. (Kudos to Lava parent Atlantic Records for having the cojones to give PT a try on the corporate treadmill, though one wonders if both parties won't come to regret it.).
The result of this unlikely alliance is In Absentia. The band's tenth studio record is not only its first album with major label dollars behind it, but also the first since Wilson began moonlighting as a producer for extreme metal bands. The former situation isn't particularly evident; as producer and engineer on the group's prior albums, Wilson has always maintained the highest recording standards, making records that sound easily as good as or better than most major label product. (Though the major label budget allowed him to hire someone to take his place in the engineering booth: Paul Northfield, who's worked with Rush, among others.) The latter presence, however, makes itself known in subtle ways. In particular, Wilson's work with progressive death metal band Opeth on their masterwork Blackwater Park has had an effect on his sense of arrangement. There's little on this record that could be classified as metal, and Wilson's never shied away from heavy guitar sounds, but the dynamics of tracks like "The Sound of Muzak" and "Blackest Eyes" definitely reveal a metallic influence. The scorching instrumental "Wedding Nails" edges PT closer to the number of the beast that it's ever trod before, as Wilson's crunching guitar slashes its way through the band's relentless drive.
Which isn't to say that the quartet has abandoned its trademarks for a harder-edged sound overall. Wilson still mixes acoustic and electric guitars into a six-string tapestry more colorful than most bands with two guitar players can manage, and his mellifluous vocals still ooze soul. Richard Barbieri still uses his analog keyboard arsenal to layer in tasteful fills that seem like mere ornamentation at first, but become impossible to imagine the tracks without. Bassist Colin Edwin, possibly the most underrated four-stringer in music, still lays down impossibly melodic basslines that never give up the groove. New drummer Gavin Harrison has the skill and imagination to keep up with the high standards set by his predecessor Chris Maitland. The band works as if its members were born to play together, moving through its meticulous arrangements with taste and fire. The elements borrowed from extreme metal don't detract at all from PT's distinctive sound; instead they add more weapons to the group's already-impressive arsenal. Few rock bands combine lush and edgy as well as Porcupine Tree.
All this would be nothing but aural wallpaper without good songs, of course, and Wilson handily delivers on that score. The guitarist is a master at combining enticing melodies, impressionist lyrics and a mysterious atmosphere, and on In Absentia he's crafted as fine a set of tunes as one could wish for a major label debut. The opening cut "Blackest Eyes" puts a crunchy riff and a soaring melody to the service of a protagonist with only the darkest of intentions. "The Sound of Muzak" shoots arrows at the music business that has finally accepted the band; over an angular acoustic guitar riff, Wilson sings "The music of the future will not entertain/It's only meant to repress and neutralize your brain." The aggressive "The Creator Has a Mastertape" looks for answers in dreams of the divine, while the grungy "Strip the Soul" surveys the barren landscape of industrial Britain and find it wanting. The beautiful ballads "Collapse the Light Into Earth" and "Lips of Ashes" address heartbreak with melancholy resignation; they're the aural equivalent of tears bleeding through a veneer of stoicism. "Gravity Eyelids" goes from psychedelic ballad to hard rock anthem over the course of its erotic journey, while "Trains" is simply one of the band's best pop tunes. A lot of fans expect a diminution in quality when a formerly independent artist makes the jump to the majors, as an act sacrifices substance for whatever style will move the most units. Happily, that's not the case here.
In Absentia is another triumph for the multi-faceted Porcupine Tree, an album sure to delight its fans and of which it can be very proud. The challenge will be for Lava/Atlantic to market this artist's genre-busting music to a wider audience without compromising its distinctive vision. That In Absentia is a work that deserves to be heard by more than just a cult audience is beyond question; what isn't is whether the suits serving a larger corporate interest will have the brains and imagination to know how to bring this album to the wide attention it requires. Let's hope so; Porcupine Tree is much too good a band to not share with the rest of the world. Michael Toland[buy it]
For fans of:Peter Gabriel, Rush, Radiohead's OK Computer
PORCUPINE TREE
