Show Me Something Artsy and Aggressive (ISYMIYSMY W/O)
Written: May 27 '06
Product Rating:
Pros: unique blend of prog rock and metal, with a little pop and funk blended in
Cons: the album never really finds a clear, personal voice
The Bottom Line: Deadwing may not push my musical buttons, but it's still a unique musical experience worth hearing for its unique combinations of old musical styles.
DrFaustus's Full Review: Deadwing by Porcupine Tree
There are no new ideas left to be explored in the artist world.
Granted, I don't actually subscribe to that philosophy, but it's what the post-modernists like to argue. For the post-modernists, the only way to create anything new is to explore old territory from a new angle or to combine two artistic styles that never been all that close. Post-modernism has helped to create Andy Warhol's pop art, The Airplane! movies, that Pop-Up Video show, the Baz Luhrman version of Romeo and Juliet, and so much more in today's world of entertainment.
And of course, music has its share of post-modern experiments. Take Porcupine Tree and their album Deadwing as an example. The drawn-out, neo-classical, theatrical scope of the music, particularly in the keyboard arrangements, has been explored thoroughly by the myriad prog rock acts that arose in the early years of the seventies. Likewise, the loud, aggressive, crunching guitar distortion that permeates many of the songs comes straight from the heavy metal pioneers of the mid eighties. The ingredients that Porcupine Tree gather together played themselves out years ago, but the band combines them together in a way that makes them sound fresh and new, albeit a little jumbled and dissonant at times.
Before we get too far into the music, though, we have to look at how I ended up at Deadwing. After all, it's only recently that I've started to see prog rock as more than just self-important egotism set to music. And as for heavy metal? Well, it's always been a bit of a musical joke that substitutes inflated rage and anger for the simple fun and excitement that music is supposed to have. The combination is never one I would dive into on my own, but it's May, which means that it's time once again for the writers in the music category here at Epinions challenge each other to step out of our comfort zone with the annual "I'll show you mine if you show me yours" write-off. This year, I've been paired with Netnut746, whose tastes tend to run a bit more heavy than mine. I sent him a copy of the very eclectic They Might Be Giants children's album No!, and in exchange, I ended up with Deadwing in my grubby little hands.
When my copy of Deadwing arrived, I wasn't sure exactly what I was in for, but I gave it a spin with an open mind. The album's title track starts the album off with soft, brooding synthesizer rhythms that are soon joined by threateningly sinister electric guitar assaults. Right away I could sense that strong dynamic between the prog rock and heavy metal influences, but as things progressed, the mix got even more interesting. Melodically introspective lyrics in the vein of Joe Jackson, minor key string arrangements in the background, a few vocal bridges featuring everything from dreamy Pink Floyd overdubs to monotone Ministry growling - they all blend together into a complex musical collage. I applaud Porcupine Tree for their ambition and their willingness to blend musical styles that don't seem to belong together naturally, but the end results of that ambition keep me from connecting with the music on a more personal level. It feels like the band has put all their effort into embracing as much musical variety as possible, overlooking the need to create a solid, consistent musical vision of their own. And at the same time, it feels like the song grew bloated and unwieldy as more and more musical ideas were added into the arrangement. Clocking in a nearly ten minutes, this opening track drags on an on without dividing up into "movements" the way many longer rock songs do, but rather marking time for about five unnecessary minutes at the end of the song.
As the album progresses, Porcupine Tree stumble over these same pitfalls time and again - too many songs drag on far longer than they should, and the group often makes too much of a "hey, look at me!" show of combining the well-established brooding artsiness of prog rock with the raw, dangerous aggression of heavy metal when they should be creating more of a distinct musical signature of their own.
But then again, there are several moments on the album where Porcupine Tree scales back the grandiose scope of the music, resulting in some truly sublime moments. Take Lazarus, with its soft, expressive piano and acoustic guitar arrangements, as an example. It's a perfect slice of sentimental pop. There's also the atmospheric jazzy funk of The Start of Something Beautiful to balance out the aggressive side of the album. Later on, Glass Arm Shattering offers Pink Floyd fans one of the strongest David Gilmore-esque tracks of the last several years, rivaling even what Gilmore himself recently served up for On an Island. Moments like these help to keep Deadwing varied and lively, but they still fall short of establishing a clear, distinct musical voice for the group.
I really wanted to find a way to immerse into the album. I had hoped that it would be something that would suck me in and expand my musical horizons. It just didn't happen, though. I can appreciate the way the group draws from such diverse stylistic backgrounds, combining them into something new and unexpected. All things considered, though, Porcupine Tree spend too much time exploring the dark, brooding side of music - the side that rarely does anything to rouse my interest. Levity, amusement, eccentricity, wit - if, like my, you look for these things first in your music, Deadwing can be hard to fully appreciate.
But even though Deadwing turned out not to be my thing, I'm grateful to Netnut 764 for offering me a break from my usual fare.
Be sure to check out MattA75's profile for some of the other participants in the 2006 I'll Show You Mine if Your Show Me Yours write-off and show some love for all of those who signed up to broaden their musical horizons.
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