The Incident
06-12-2009
Porcupine Tree are happy to announce the forthcoming release of their tenth studio album "The Incident". The record is set to be released via Roadrunner Records worldwide on 21st September, as a double CD.
The centre-piece is the title track, which takes up the whole of the first disc. The 55-minute work is described as “a slightly surreal song cycle about beginnings and endings and the sense that ‘after this, things will never be the same again’.”
The self-produced album is completed by four standalone compositions that developed out of band writing sessions last December - Flicker, Bonnie The Cat, Black Dahlia, and Remember Me Lover feature on a separate EP length disc to stress their independence from the song cycle.
Video footage of the band in the studio working on The Incident, as well as audio previews, will be available online soon. The band will tour extensively to promote the album from mid September onwards.
OK here is the low down on the listening party and "The Incident" :
The Incident consists of 14 songs/interludes that make up the entire piece. I was told that most of what I am about to tell you was forthcoming in a press release by Road Runner, so they weren't too overly concerned about this info leaking a few days early to all you die hard hobbits !
So here it is:
Occam's Razor 1:55
The Blind House 5:47
Great Expectations 1:26
Kneel and Disconnect 2:03
Drawing the Line 4:43
The Incident 5:20
Your Unpleasant Family 1:48
The Yellow Windows of the Evening Train 2:00
Time Flies 11:40
Degree Zero of Liberty 1:45
Octane Twisted 5:03
The Séance 2:39
Circle of Manias 2:18
I Drive the Hearse 6:41
All tracks by SW except Octane Twisted and Circle of Manias which are group compositions (besides the 4 other pieces on the separate ep).
Like I posted this AM, I truly do not know what to make of the new PT. It was almost too overwhelming to take in at one sitting, and for me, certainly NOT a CD/LP I could just sit down and immediately come away with a definitive impression of from the moment I heard it. In most cases, for me anyway, this is normally a very good thing, as many of my all time fave records were ones that I wasn't immediately struck by, but I am not sure if this is how it will play out with the new PT, and I did not get a promo copy so I'll have to sit it out like everyone else until the CD is released to get my next listen...
Of the tracks I remember specifically, Time Flies (which I mentioned is very Floydian, but still very much a PT sounding track) was probably the most immediately memorable. It's not uber proggy, but it does reference Dogs and Time liberally (and bits of Run Like Hell and Sheep as well), but still sounds very contemporary and cool !!!! Steven told me this piece was specifically inspired by his childhood/growing up etc.
The Blind House was pretty immediate as well, retro PT acoustic references, harmonies, with some very heavy sustained guitar histrionics as well.
Circle of Manias is the real powerhouse riff monster (along with Octane Twisted if memory serves me right) with tons of Meshuggah-like riffs clashing and crashing along in a torrent of angular time changes and odd meters. This has a similar vibe to Mother and Child Divided, but is much heavier and more angular and f**ked up... Oh, yeah, on this one, SW plays a new Baritone guitar that PRS made for him exclusively !
Drive the Hearse was actually a surprise, as I expected it to be dark and heavy to coincide with the lyrics and song title, but it's not. It's more "song oriented" with a memorable chorus and some really lovely acoustic moments backed with some spooky/eerie synth textures and a soaring solo fade out...
The other track that really got my attention was The Incident, which is, well crushingly funky (as in heavy electronica funk), this song is twisted and really will kick ass live I am betting... Lot's of weird synthy textures and if I had to point to any specific reference point it would be Sleep Together, but without all the strings. This track is more streamlined and stealthy...
Only one major disconnect for me that stood out from the listening session, and that was Drawing the Line. This might be the first PT song I can honestly say I immediately did NOT like much at all right away... Not digging the chorus at all and actually felt uncomfortable listening to it, which was a weird experience. It may grow on me , but somehow I doubt it... Please don't let my opinion cloud yours though when you finally get and opportunity to check it out !
The rest of the experience is all just too fuzzy at this point, sleep deprivation is clouding my memory and judgment so I'll stop there on my review of the individual and the whole...
Again, I think this is definitely a situation where it's going to take a few listens for me to fully wrap my head around and appreciate what is going on in this new release... I will say this though, it was my impression that this music was definitely inspired by and influenced by SW's experiences making Insurgentes. I can't put my finger on it, but I had a distinct feeling that Insurgentes had a profound effect on his writing for this new PT project. Perhaps it's just me, but we shall see....
A couple of tidbits extra.
In the video the opening sequence of guitar chords is from Occam's Razor which opens the album, and the synthy freak out bits Richard is playing is (I believe) from The Incident. Also, the acoustic bit SW's is playing is from Time Flies. The rest of the snippets of music are too short and detached from the rest of the recordings for me to place after just one sitting.
Oh one last juicy bit....
Another city/venue will be added in the coming days for the 9/26. There will NOT be another NYC show, however, there will be another East Coast show within a 4 hr drive of NYC. Won't say whether it's N or S of NY, but if you think real hard you should be able to narrow it down to one or two places...
Probably a lot more to tell, but just too burnt out to remember at present...
SoD
Contd:
I am sure more will be revealed soon enough. SW told us that there will be more "guitars" on this tour than ever before... Probably a million other things I am now forgetting, but that's it for now...
Hope all you monkey's are excited and satisfied with the field report... !! )
SoD
QuoteAre there instrumentals songs and guitar solos? Did you hear some flute? (like in Don't Hate Me or Revenant)Yep a fair amount of them. Occam's, The Yellow Windows, Degree Zero, most of Octane Twisted, and Circle of Manias are all intrustumentals. Yep quite a bit of solo guitar, many understated and sublime, and no on the Flute !
No guest musicians either by the way before it's asked, although a note about additional guitar recording at Red Room Recorders by Wes
More later
SoD
QuoteAre the songs independent tracks or are they all connected in some way and flow as just one long track (a la Anesthetize)Similar to Anesthetize, in other words there are no gaps or silence, but it's not as thought these interludes or connective pieces aren't separate pieces unto themselves either... Truthfully it's hard to explain after only one listen and I was trying to follow the narrative of the lyrics/story and their connectivity to the music... Wish I could explain it better, but that's the best I can do really...
SoD
QuoteThere's been a lot of "I'd like them to do something like IA/Signify/ FOABP etc again", so can this do you think be classified in terms of earlier work at all? or is this a radical new departure?I think I heard elements of all of those records in The Incident, but remember we are talking SW and the whole is a sum of the parts and this is not different. The PT personality is there, the old and the new, the borrowed and the blue etc etc ... However, I honestly couldn't look any of you in the face and make the statement: It sounded like Signify, or Stupid Dream, or Fear, because I heard elements of all of those recordings in there last night, but I also heard some things I hadn't directly heard on a PT album before ...
I do know I heard a sh*t load of Floyd in Time Flies, but that is NOT a bad thing and it was, according to SW, without question intentional ! Still, it was done in a way that was entirely within the character of PT if that makes any sense...
Again, the only major new element (and it's not really new, but let's say a bit more experimental for the sake of "giving it a name", was the influence of Insurgentes, which again is an SW product so the apple is not going to fall on the other side of the world from the tree if you get my metaphor...
I wish I could fully encapsulate my impressions of the album into words that would help you to better envision what it sounded like to me last night, but it's just not happening , and besides, it's all about what YOU all think of it when you finally get to hear it...
OK, so with that said, I am not going to make any further statements about my impressions of the music because I do not want to over think or over engineer my own thoughts at this point and I definitely do not want my impressions to overtly influence any one else's experience...
Hope that helps a little moonlight ...
SoD
Overall I agree with a lot of what you said. The Incident was a lot to absorb at once but I really came away thinking it was good. I also agree about I Drive the Hearse being a surprise, I was half expecting him to go for his first death metal growl based on the lyrics.
I think the thing that struck me the most was the massive difference between The Incident and Flicker. The Incident is really experimental, and as I said to SW, is sure to turn some heads.
[a slightly surreal song cycle about beginnings and endings and the sense that ‘after this, things will never be the same again’.”
“The Incident isn’t intended as one long song – it’s more a series of songs connected together in a continuous flow, with each song about a specific event. Originally the idea was to take the sense of musical continuity that is the basis of all PT albums to the next level by writing a 55-minute song cycle, starting with the simplest musical device - a single repeated guitar chord. I had no lyrical theme when I started, but I began at the beginning and each part of the song cycle grew naturally out of the previous one. This is very different to previous PT albums where the sequencing and flow of the albums was established at the end of the recording process by figuring out the best order for the songs. Here each song was specifically written to seamlessly flow out of the previous one and link to the next.”
Today I attended the Porcupine Tree playback for the new album, The Incident. Located at a London studio, the 55 minute epic was played through high quality 5.1 DTS surround sound speakers, showing off the advanced mixing skills of Darcy Proper, easily matching the sound experience of Deadwing.
It takes many, many listens to fully appreciate and notice all the subtleties of such a long song but even in a single session the unique Porcupine Tree sound was easily recognisable.
Starting very suddenly and changing often, a mixture of Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds and Nine Inch Nails shines through the middle section as the “story” of the first song progresses. Intense electric guitar contrasts against “Trains”-like acoustic, interspersed with grand piano which could easily be from Insurgentes.
Indeed, The Incident would not be out of place on the In Absentia album with its heavy guitar riffs and swirling Barbieri synth effects.
We were only treated to the first song, broken down into 14 parts, with 4 remaining, but separate, songs still to be revealed. One thing is certain, this is going to be a good year for Porcupine Tree.
The Incident in the new album from Porcupine Tree, out September 21st 2009.
Wotcha all!
This will be a very short post as I don't have much time this morning to do the thing justice but here goes...
Air Studios, Hampstead, is a converted church which you could easily walk past if you did not know it was there but I did and I went in!
The actual event kicked off at around 6:15pm yesterday evening with SW hovering around checking speakers etc. SW did apologise to all who were around the edges in that they would not get the whole 5.1 experience. We were let in early and I bagged the best seat right in the middle!
Anyway, the lights did not dim but the music did start and for the next 55mins we were exposed to another episode of PT brilliance. Unlike SoD I thought the whole thing held together really well, in fact, I think it is a much better crafted album than Fear. Nothing seemed out of place although the mood does change from track to track. Time Flies is certainly a brilliant 'hats off' to PF and was very reminiscent of parts of the Animals album. I really loved it but there was plenty more really good stuff too. Yes there are Opethesque heavy riffs in parts and some brilliant harmonies but overall it seemed to be a very tight almost Spartan affair in terms of the final effect. SW's vocals are really spot on and not hidden behind effects.
To answer some of the other questions on the forum regarding the other players... yes it is true that neither Colin or Richard's contributions are 'in your face' but they are very much there and really bring things alive. Colin is certainly playing a fretless for some of the time but I couldn't say that for every track. Richard uses lots of very subtle effects in addition to the standard keyboard stuff... really adds to the atmosphere. And Gavin is right in there with his usual variety of rhythms and tempos.
Some brilliant but simple riffs and rhythms are dotted throughout the album but in many ways this will be one to listen to from start to finish and then start over again.
All in all as good as I've heard and yes there are Insurgentes similarities but this is very definitely a PT album rather than a SW one.
I'll try and give a more full account of each track later today, if/when I find the time but for now I'm afraid I have to go.
Well Roadrunner Records UK and the band held 3 listening sessions today at Air Studios in North London. I was lucky enough to get a invite via the CRS and attended the evening session.
Mr Wilson and Mr Barbieri were present, but Steven was feeling a bit unwell (and no doubt had been chatting to other journos all day), so he didn't stick around for very long after the listening session. Steven did give a little intro talk but didn't really add to what you can already read on the Website or the Roadrunner site.
We were all sat in the main studio in the middle of a quad speaker setup which sounded fantastic, even though, seated as I was on the front-row, I probably didn't get the very best of sound
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2988717&l=c89fc1c7c6&id=685806666
We got to listen to the 55 min 'song cycle' (i.e. the first disk) and very nice it was too.
THE INCIDENT
i occam's razor (1.55)
ii the blind house (5.47)
iii great expectations (1.26)
iv kneel and disconnect (2.03)
v drawing the line (4.43)
vi the incident (5.20)
vii your unpleasant family (1.48)
viii the yellow windows of the evening train (2.00)
ix time flies (11.40)
x degree zero of liberty (1.45)
xi octane twisted (5.03)
xii the séance (2.39)
xiii circle of manias (2.18)
xiv i drive the hearse (6.41)
I think its impossible to review anything on the basis of one listen, but a few things which stood out were
1) The songs flow was good and there was a certain feel which was reminiscent of On the Sunday of Life - i.e. songs of various styles which bled into each other quite nicely. Early songs were punctuated by the heavy riffing of the opening number, but the later songs transition more smoothly.
2) The longest song - Time Flies at 11:40 was the song which stood out for me. There was a nice long guitar solo in the middle.
3) The oddest song was perhaps the title track which went from almost industrial sounding to pleasant breezy Porcupine Tree circa Lightbulb Sun. I wonder if Frippertronics were involved at the beginning ... but Fripp is not mentioned as being a guest on the album
As someone who like FoaBP but still found it a little indigestible in some ways, I think that this is a more accessible and less heavy Porcupine Tree.
Its gonna take a bit more digestion ... when (if) promo copies get sent out, but I think that there is certainly a little of everything in there for PT fans of all eras.
I'm sure that a report will appear soon in UK publications (print and online) as there were 3 of these sessions and I'd expect that the takeup was pretty good. I'd guess that those who were able to attend the sessions earlier in the day probably had the opportunity to interview members of the band, but having to work meant that the evening session was the only one I could attend.
We were also given a little handout with the lyrics and some details of the album. There don't appear to be any guest appearances though Wes does contribute some guitar - not sure if he counts as a 'guest' or not.
fuck ptcould someone warn dragonx for this? i don't think rules allow this kind of groundless bashing.
This coming Monday (JULY 13TH), we will reveal a taste of things to come from the upcoming album by PORCUPINE TREE- THE INCIDENT.
Check back here at 4pm Monday to hear a snippet of the title track from the new album, which in it's entirity lasts a staggering 55 minutes! We will also bring you the thoughts of some of the fans who attended a full 5.1 playback of the track in a studio here in London on the 6th July.
The album will now be released on SEPTEMBER 14TH in three formats- a standard double CD, and MP3 download and a Deluxe Edition (full details TBC).
could someone warn dragonx for this? i don't think rules allow this kind of groundless bashing.actually i think that's grounds for promotion
i might understand your argument if there was a time pt wasn't pretentious and vague as fuck but dude, it has never been the case. pt's music has always been like that, and AT LEAST borderline pretentious. foabp is the only album which actually makes a somewhat clear statement.
also you have a wrong idea. it doesn't matter if they shit on their audience or not. they don't create their music for you, they create it for themselves. if you like it then that's cool but don't get the wrong idea. they shouldn't be thinking about what listeners want when they are making music.
if this was really the case why even market the albumeven if you are going to do something your own way doesn't mean you don't want others to hear and like it. not sure how you reached that conclusion. all i said that as musicians you should do what you want to do and not care what your fans want. that's stupid as fuck.
pt are on roadrunner? ahahhahabeen for nearly 3 years now, get on with the times pal. i fail to see what's so funny about it though, roadrunner has done great job with both pt and opeth and their popularity has increased a lot despite both putting out pretty unconventional records!
roadrunner is one of the worst record companies probably evermay i ask where you come up with this stuff?? they aren't even considered a major label as far as i know so i really doubt they are as corporate as some bigger labels. as for being one of the worst record companies, do you mean their lineup? if so, i agree that most of the artists under them are absolute garbage. but as long as they let bands do what they want, that doesn't matter to me. then again i don't really give a shit about record labels.
theyre also pretty excessively 'corporate'
Oh aight, if some bands have had problems with them then I understand if they are considered a bad label. Like I said, I don't really give a shit so I have never read up on Roadrunner. I just know SW has criticized their past label for lack of support while being extremely happy with the way Roadrunner has handled things and giving them free hands from writing and recording to producing. Roadrunner just practically markets and distributes their records, I suppose it's a win-win situation for both.yea i really don't care either as long as they're making music i like and the record label isn't treating them like shit although record labels are apparently pretty important to some people
But yeah, obviously Roadrunner is a business company so they'll surely want to make as much money as possible, but that applies to pretty much all the labels and we all know that music industry sucks. But as long as labels don't start affecting what kind of music you have to put out (as in artists I like :cool: ), I don't have any bigger reason to care about labels.
over n out... im goin 2 sleep
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v682/ninoops/Incident.jpg)this looks like an rm2k title art, seriously
From your write up DS I'm pretty excited about this. I was worried it was going to be FoaBP2 but it sounds like that's not the case. I heard a preview of this on the radio (like they played a track or something, couldn't tell you which one as they didn't say) and it reminded me a lot of Stupid Dream. I'm really excited now!
guys lets be honest, this album ain't the album of the year and the new muse album is superiorseriously man make a topic about the new muse album with youtube links + stop repeating beating (ds gimme creds :sly: :cool:) that line in every other topic...!
Edit: Bonnie the Cat, was unexpectedly heavy, you know for a song called Bonnie The Cat. I'm not really getting the second disc. Like, I don't see the point in it at all! I guess it saves them releasing these songs in 6 months time and charging £8 for a NEW MINI ALBUM ala Nil Recurring. The songs are good but it's not part of THE INCIDENT so I'm not bothered. It feels like something they've stuck on at the end. At least they put them on a different disc as not to ruin the flow of the other album.They released the second disc with the album because with Nil Recurring they really noticed that EPs simply don't get the same exposure as albums do and wanted to release it with the album because they felt the songs were just as good as anything else on the first disc. I agree because all the songs on the second disc are great and Remember Me Lover is easily one of their best songs.