SoundscapeMN Wrote:But like I said, I know some who think it's one of if not their best albums. More power to those folks.
Sorry for the rambling tone, but this will be slightly on the longer side... funnily enough, I just may be one of those folks! I've been a fan of Porcupine Tree way back, and had previously been left under the impression that their (=Wilson's) creative peak was somewhere around
Stupid Dream and
Lightbulb Sun (or in an alternate universe, around No-Man's
Returning Jesus - or if we go far out, Bass Communion's
III!)... Deadwing was such a sour, sour experience for me after
In Absentia, which I thought was a brilliant album in its own right (it was a big change and I wholeheartedly accepted it), one that had a very strong first half and not only introduced modern PT but also gave us classics like "Trains" or "Heartattack in a Layby".
Deadwing, then, sounds like a band that has completely stagnated into playing derivative copies of their own songs to me. Sans "Lazarus" (which I agree is a fantastic song) there are zero redeeming factors to the album as far as songwriting is concerned. I could see every song, lyric and melody coming from a mile away.
It's not that the album is bad, it's just predictable and lazy, and the *cough*bastardized*cough* rendition of "She'smovedon" really sealed the deal for me. I was nigh-turned off the band for good. My friend, to whom I originally (and accidentally) introduced Porcupine Tree thought I was nuts (still does!) and just could not see where I was coming from.
I do understand those that like
Deadwing - if something can be said of the album is that it is the "definitive" PT album; just in a negative way for me.
This leads us to
FOAPB... which was a compelling return to form! The songwriting is fresh, the soundscapes returned, and the metal influences are no longer jarringly derivative like on
Deadwing! It sounds like a living and breathing band on the record (playing the material to perfection live before going to the studio may have contributed to this) and the album's greatest merits lie definitely in its consistency, majestic dynamics and pacing.
Sinistas Wrote:I think that if the EP had been included on the album, it would have met my expectations. Adding them together really brings up the quality overall.
This is why I'm completely surprised you should say that! You're the first person I hear even remotely thinking
Nil Recurring could possibly be somehow glued together with
FOAPB. The album is such a cohesive whole, one of the Albums (with a capital A!) of the recent years...
To me, the EP then contains songs that intentionally reach very different places and moods and were thus (for reason or another) left off the album for the sake of its timespan and consistency; While it has tremendous material (especially the last two songs), there is hardly any way I could imagine, say, "Normal" placed in the album's context stylistically. "What Happens Now?" would ruin the pacing of the album completely no matter where it would be positioned.
I'm an album man all the way, though, that may explain something... I'll have to admit though, I'd love it if they released
FOAPB together with
Nil Recurring on a separate disc. That'd be awesome.
