Steven Wilson catch-all thread (Porcupine Tree, No-Man, Blackfield, Bass Communion)

[eversonpoe]

holy shit, another amazing show from steven wilson and co.
the new guitar player (who looks like andy serkis with long hair) and new drummer (who was wearing a zelda shirt) both fit in the band perfectly.
steven was very talkative and fun (i think partly because it was the second night in chicago) and extremely energetic.

setlist:

first regret
three years older
hand cannot erase
perfect life
routine
index (very different version)
home invasion
regret #9
thank you (alanis cover)*
harmony korine
new song**
how is your life today*
ancestral
many happy returns
ascendant here on
---
the watchmaker
sleep together
---
the raven that refused to sing

*both of these songs were just steven and adam (the keyboard player).
**leftover pieces from hand cannot erase stitched together into one song. he made an impassioned plea to everyone to NOT record it and upload it to youtube since it was literally their first time playing it and he wanted the music to be a surprise for the rest of the shows on the tour.

during "how is your life today" the guy behind me threatened repeatedly to kick the shit out of me because i turned around and asked him politely to be quiet after he wouldn't shut up. it was kind of terrifying to see someone get so angry for something so stupid that HE was doing wrong. other than that, the show was awesome.
also, i was surprised they didn't play "transience" but played everything else from the new album.

[pwing47]

holy shit, another amazing show from steven wilson and co.

**leftover pieces from hand cannot erase stitched together into one song. he made an impassioned plea to everyone to NOT record it and upload it to youtube since it was literally their first time playing it and he wanted the music to be a surprise for the rest of the shows on the tour.

Just saw him tonight in Madison, and it too was amazing. Our set was pretty similar to the rest of the tour so far. (Just uploaded it on setlist -- mainly from memory, so I might've missed one.)

Were the Park West shows seated, like ours? I was pretty much expecting a "people sitting down" show (and it was), but was kind of hoping there would be a bit more liveliness/rocking out from folks. Other than that, great first experience seeing SW. Definitely got some chills during Lazarus and Harmony Korine

[henryeatscereal]

also, i was surprised they didn't play "transience" but played everything else from the new album.

Yeah, i was wondering why Steven isn't playing it, it's not like it's a long song like "Raider II", so i don't know, glad you enjoyed the show.

[onthewall2983]

(L-R) Aviv Geffen, SW and Alan Parsons from this past February working on the new Blackfield record.

[onthewall2983]

^ reminder that the show is tonight, 8 PT.

[profane]

Did anyone manage to catch the stream and upload it?

Maybe?

Pretty please?

[onthewall2983]

It's available to stream here for the next 24 hours.

[Piko]

New blackfield? Didn't take long. Hopefully steven contributes this time.

[armogi]

It's available to stream here for the next 24 hours.

damn, how do i capture this!!! quality looks low sadly

[onthewall2983]

It looked pretty good to me.

[telee.kom]

Steven Wilson live at Wiltern



I'm not even half through but two things come to mind. While Dave Kilminster surely is great guitarist, he is no Guthrie Govan (but than again, who is?). That speech around 20:00 mark was weird.

[onthewall2983]

The band could do for another additional guitarist to play some of what they use on tape. And I miss Theo Travis, he gave everything such a good flavor on Get All You Deserve. But overall it was quite good, I'm glad to see SW take more guitar leads, though it's more doubling up with Kilminster.

[onthewall2983]

[onthewall2983]

8:10 Waiting
17:55 Dislocated Day
30:58 Signify
39:53 Radioactive Toy
48:23 The Moon Touches Your Shoulder

[henryeatscereal]

^I saw that recording before, it's very interesting to watch them as young guys, and even trying to "sell" their single (waiting), funny.

[pulse]

This video still blows me away every time I see it...

[onthewall2983]

[onthewall2983]

3 copies of the deluxe edition of HCE left at Burningshed. Get it while the price is still reasonable!

[seasonsinthesky]

3 copies of the deluxe edition of HCE left at Burningshed. Get it while the price is still reasonable!

Have you seen any US retailers with copies left? I don't even know which ones sold it in the first place.

[eversonpoe]

Have you seen any US retailers with copies left? I don't even know which ones sold it in the first place.

it was sold exclusively through Newbury Comics in the US, and on tour dates.

[onthewall2983]

I got this info through BurningShed

[profane]

Saw him and the band yesterday at a festival in Holland. 90 minute orgasm. One of my best live experiences ever. Still very humbled by it all.

[onthewall2983]

Vinyl-only compilation Transience, featuring new version of "Lazarus".

[seasonsinthesky]

Also a "single version" of "Transcience" and edits of a couple songs. Meh. Cash grabby.

[onthewall2983]

INDEX is a deluxe hardback collection illustrating the visual side of my album releases by long-term collaborators Lasse Hoile & Carl Glover. The book covers the period from Porcupine Tree’s 2002 album In Absentia right up to my most recent (and probably most visually ambitious) album Hand. Cannot. Erase., as well as my other projects; no-man, Blackfield, IEM, Bass Communion, and Continuum. Although by necessity there is a crossover with the artwork of many of these releases, the book does also include many previously unpublished pictures.I should stress at this point that although it also has my name on the front (their choice not mine!) and I wrote some text for the book, it is entirely about Lasse and Carl’s wonderful work, and includes an interview in the form of an extended conversation between them.
240 Pages. 340 Pictures. 178 Previously unseen images. Index is the same dimensions as the deluxe editions of the 4 solo albums, so will slot in nicely alongside them on the shelf (-:
The book will be released to coincide with the two concerts at the Royal Albert Hall on 28/29 September, and a special edition in the RAH colours of Red and Gold (limited to 800 copies) will be made to commemorate those shows. A regular Green and Gold edition will be on sale via mail order from the usual favoured outlets.
News on ordering soon...

[onthewall2983]

Something for fans of my Bass Communion project, which focuses on experimental, drone, ambient, and noise music. The first new Bass Communion music for almost 4 years will be released next month by US label Important Records, and it’s a pretty noisy one! It’s my third collaborative release with Dutch musician Frans de Waard (Freiband), following two 3"CD releases we made together on Frans’ own label. This 26 minute vinyl mini album is a recording of a live and largely improvised performance given before a small invited audience in December last year. No additional overdubs were made, but parts of the music on the second side were subsequently layered and recycled in the studio. On side 1 'Courage' is in the tradition of ambient musique concrete, and continues the style and approach of the previous Bass Communion / Freiband releases. But on side 2 'Cowardice' shatters expectations with a slab of psychedelic noise assault, complete with exploding rhythm machines and gnarled electric guitar.

An extract from side 1 (the quiet side), is available to listen to on the Important Records Soundcloud page:

https://soundcloud.com/importantreco...union-freiband

Strictly limited to 500 copies on vinyl in a beautiful Carl Glover designed sleeve. You can pre-order now from Important Records in a choice of black or clear vinyl.

http://importantrecords.com/imprec/imprec423

[onthewall2983]

Since there's going to be a bit of lull here for at most a month I figure it's time for the inevitable list.

My top 5 albums of his.

1. Insurgentes. I still feel it's his boldest and, not to mince words, most progressive album.
2. No-Man - Schoolyard Ghosts. Just listened to more than half of it for the first time in 5.1, and it made me fall in love with it all over again. A really underrated effort, given the buried treasure that No-Man is anyway.
3. Porcupine Tree - Deadwing. This for me captured the real essence of both their late 90's output which was more pop-sounding in places, and what they were doing later on with the metal influences.
4. Storm Corrosion - Storm Corrosion. The creepier side of ambient, explored to it's fullest. Really hope there's another album from them in the future, but if this will remain a one-off than it's a hell of a one.
5. The Raven That Refused To Sing. It's a hard choice between all the solo albums other than the first, but this is one I can find myself going back to easily than either Grace for Drowning or Hand.Cannot.Erase as it's a bit more focused than the latter, and frankly not as depressing as the latter (great as they are).

[henryeatscereal]

That's actually a great idea and i will remind that my picks are purely subjective:

Top 5, SW-related albums (No particular order)

- Hand. Cannot. Erase. - I know that it's a cliché to say that the "latest" work is the "best ever", but i do believe that Steven has recorded one of his "definitive" albums, far from the early experiments and not as "proggy" (but complex at the same time) as before, it's a masterpiece, no question about it.

- Porcupine Tree: In Absentia - To me this is the best PT album ever, it's prog as fuck, dark, moody but also shows the "pop sensibilities" that Steven would explore in later works, probably Deadwing works better as a "mainstream piece", but if we're talking songs this one is stronger.

- Blackfield (Self Titled) - I know that most of the songs were composed by Aviv Geffen, but i do think that Steven added lots to this project, the nostalgic atmosphere and songwriting are the strong point of this record, "Cloudy Now" it's one of my favorite songs ever.

- The Raven that refused to sing - Probably the most complex SW ever, i love all the songs and the ambition on it, if this album was released in the 70's i bet it would be included as a prog classic among "Aqualung" or "Red".

- Porcupine Tree: Lightbulb Sun - I'm obsessed with this album, i'm not sure if it's the music and/or the lyrics or the fact that it doesn't sound like anything else from the PT catalog, i just know it's a special album that is both beautiful and sad, i don't think i would be a SW fanboy if i hadn't listened to this...

[onthewall2983]

Recent Facebook update suggests an EP of unreleased and unfinished tracks from HCE will be coming soon, and that he'll be playing them on the road starting on his tour next month.

[onthewall2983]

Hand. Cannot. Erase. sweeps last night's Prog Awards