Released in 2015, this is the fourth studio outing for Steven Wilson. When this first came out I think I played it endlessly for days. The concept is about a woman who dies, and nobody notices that she's gone. It's actually pretty depressing. Just perfect for a Steven Wilson album. This one is pretty fantastic from start to finish, in my opinion.
The album kicks off with the brief two minute instrumental, before moving into "3 Years Older", and if this tune doesn't draw you in, then you might not be paying attention. There are some fantastic musical moments here, and a killer instrumental section, that makes this tune one of my favorites from the album. The third track, the title track, is quite a beautiful tune. From the music, to the lyrics, I love every aspect of this melodically wonderful tune, but it's the vocal melody that gets me every time.
"Perfect Life" has some female narrative, about the protagonist having a friend who is like a sister briefly, before pushing her deep inside of her mind. Lyrically, there isn't a lot here, but the track is an atmospheric beauty, and one I like quite a bit. "Routine" has this hauntingly beautiful section in it, with mellotron, that I absolutely love. The vibe between the mellotron, and acoustic guitar creates a great tone, for the rest of the band to come in for a very cool instrumental section. This one features also features vocals from Ninet Tayeb, and she sounds fantastic. The song has moments of beauty, total chaos, and is another favorite on the album.
Elsewhere on the album, I really enjoy "Home Invasion", which has some of the heaviest moments on the album, and an excellent vocal performance. This tune segues directly into "Regret #9", which kicks off with some fantastic keyboard work, that calls imagines of Pink Floyd's "Animals" to mind... at least for me. Though there are no vocals here, between the keys, and a killer guitar solo, this song may be a favorite of mine. But then again, I am a sucker for a well written instrumental tune.
"Ancestral" is another great song, that goes through many different moods, and changes. An epic song that embodies the term "progressive rock". There are some absolutely wonderful instrumental moments (including some very King Crimson-y flute playing), some goose-bump worthy vocals, and overall another amazing track, on an album already full of them. At 13+ minutes, this one is the longest track of the album. This one is prog-metal at its finest.
The last full track on the album, "Happy Returns" is a melodic beauty, and if you know me, you know that this is the kind of track that I live for. With some beautiful acoustic guitar, lovely piano work, and emotionally drenched vocals, this tune is my absolutely favorite song from the album. I love the heavy stuff, but a melodic rocker is always going to be my favorite. I just love this tune.
This album still stands as my favorite Steven Wilson solo album. I know the word "masterpiece" is thrown around a lot, but to me, this album is a beautiful masterpiece. There are so many facets to this wonderful piece of music, that I hear something more to love each time I put it in. And to be honest, now that it's done playing, I kinda want to play it again. Great stuff, and definitely worth checking out, if you are a fan of fantastically well written progressive rock music.
No comments:
Post a Comment