For me Insurgentes is Steven's best behind Raven, it was unique dark blend of prog with shoegaze, post-punk and ambient, Significant Other and Harmony Korine are my favorite songs
Thanks for this duo review of Wilson's latest. A lot of insight. Personally I'm not sure Steven Wilson will ever produce a really excellent album ever again. A great string of albums like In Absentia - Deadwing - Fear of a Blank Planet or Grace for Drowning - Raven - HCE seems well-nigh impossible. HCE is now almost 9 years old and during these 9 years Wilson hasn't produced anything on that level. That's okay, he's 55 now and he has given us plenty.
I spared my mental health and didn't even listen to this one. Once I heard him in an interview discuss how he's inspired by 'sound' these days, I realized he and I have grown in completely different directions. There's nothing wrong with that, so long as I don't frustrate myself when I know what the result is going to be.
For me this is the best thing Steven Wilson has done since Hand Cannot Erase (and that includes the recent Porcupine Tree album). Sure, it doesn't come off as all that different from other Steven Wilson projects but what sets this album apart from something like To the Bone or The Future Bites for example is the pacing and song craft. The former was very inconsistent leading to bad pacing while the latter had very little in the way of songs that stuck with me. This has neither of those problems for me and it leads to a great listening experience as a whole. And when the album is good, it's really really good. Impossible Tightrope, What Life Brings and the title track in particular already being classics imo.
As a long time fan, I really consider this albums one of his most beautiful ones. It has length, depth, variety, awesome instrumentation, incredible production, great songs and moods. I like to listen to it as a continuum, fully focussed on the music. I also love the attention he put on the videos, very cinematic indeed. Impossible Tightrope is a masterpiece, and so is the album i.m.o. The one thing I am very disappointed about, is that The Luxe Edition sold out almost within a day. Great for him, but we need a rerun. It's a black hole in my collection, and I don't want to spend $400+ on Ebay. I haven't heard the companion CD yet. All in all: let SW do what he likes doing, I love his mucic above anything else.
Love it since the first listen! On 5.1 home sound system, it was a huge shock of beauty! He has found his own language! Creative but deep and complex too.
This album just resonated with me so much. In fact its the first new release I have bought for my new vinyl collection. Its really interesting hearing the different perspectives on this
Personally I really enjoyed this album! I do sort of agree with some of your guys’ points, but I don’t think they make the album worse. I enjoy the flow of this one much more than say an album like Grace for Drowning or Deadwing. Not his best, but still very very very good. Here’s my ranking of all SW solo albums 7. Insurgentes 6. The Future Bites 5. Grace for Drowning 4. The Harmony Codex 3. To The Bone 2. Hand Cannot Erase 1. Raven
I really like Harmony Codex. But, maybe, coming from all his projects (PT, solo, No-man, Blackfield, Bass Communion, etc etc) I am really open at this magnitude of influences and different sounds
I like the album very much, but I agree with Notes, that some songs seem like out of place. But I wouldn't say, Time is running out is one of them. On the contrary Time is running out makes very nice contrast with preceding Harmony codex. It is like end of one act and beginning of another act, or breath in and breath out. Good point for turning LP (whitch it really is). Btw songs seem very strangely disconnected. Some of them begining or ending with ambient sounds but coming from nowhere and going nowhere. It looks more like mixtape than whole album. Bonus CD makes more sense with Codex themes as interludes. It is for sure worth to listen.
'Steven Wilson is so far up his own arse', lol, hilarious. Thanks, that made me smile, I couldn't put it any better. Rated, download don't buy, so right. Experimental, I don't hear anything experimental, it's Wilson by numbers, a bit of everything, AI music. It's bland, it's boring, it's awfully average. Nice to hear an honest review and not just licking Wilson's ego (or arse). In the UK it got to number 4 week of release, following week not even in the top 100. While the charts these days don't mean much, in this case I feel it will reflect what happens to the general feeling about this album. Like the Future Bites, it'll quickly be forgotten, put to the bottom of the pile. Wilson as run out of ideas, never very original anyway.
Israel is a new made up country. Jew's given a safe haven after ww2 but the country was Palestine and they have now marginalised the Palestinian people. While I don't agree with what Hamas have done. Israel have been killing Palestinians for years and getting away with it because they are Jewish, they will use this as an excuse to clear the people out altogether. Then they will target the East of the area and nobody will say the truth because they are Jewish country. I have nothing against Jews but what Israel are doing and have been for many years is wrong and a war crime. Anyway, I'm sure Wilson and his wife don't see it that way of course.
For me Insurgentes is Steven's best behind Raven, it was unique dark blend of prog with shoegaze, post-punk and ambient, Significant Other and Harmony Korine are my favorite songs
Thanks for this duo review of Wilson's latest. A lot of insight. Personally I'm not sure Steven Wilson will ever produce a really excellent album ever again. A great string of albums like In Absentia - Deadwing - Fear of a Blank Planet or Grace for Drowning - Raven - HCE seems well-nigh impossible. HCE is now almost 9 years old and during these 9 years Wilson hasn't produced anything on that level. That's okay, he's 55 now and he has given us plenty.
I spared my mental health and didn't even listen to this one. Once I heard him in an interview discuss how he's inspired by 'sound' these days, I realized he and I have grown in completely different directions. There's nothing wrong with that, so long as I don't frustrate myself when I know what the result is going to be.
For me this is the best thing Steven Wilson has done since Hand Cannot Erase (and that includes the recent Porcupine Tree album). Sure, it doesn't come off as all that different from other Steven Wilson projects but what sets this album apart from something like To the Bone or The Future Bites for example is the pacing and song craft. The former was very inconsistent leading to bad pacing while the latter had very little in the way of songs that stuck with me. This has neither of those problems for me and it leads to a great listening experience as a whole. And when the album is good, it's really really good. Impossible Tightrope, What Life Brings and the title track in particular already being classics imo.
I love it.
Loved this album! Great review :) The record needed some time to stick, but eventually it did!
As a long time fan, I really consider this albums one of his most beautiful ones. It has length, depth, variety, awesome instrumentation, incredible production, great songs and moods. I like to listen to it as a continuum, fully focussed on the music. I also love the attention he put on the videos, very cinematic indeed. Impossible Tightrope is a masterpiece, and so is the album i.m.o. The one thing I am very disappointed about, is that The Luxe Edition sold out almost within a day. Great for him, but we need a rerun. It's a black hole in my collection, and I don't want to spend $400+ on Ebay. I haven't heard the companion CD yet. All in all: let SW do what he likes doing, I love his mucic above anything else.
Yes, the companion disc should be really interesting... I'm looking forward to listen those alternate tunes when published on streaming platforms
Love it since the first listen! On 5.1 home sound system, it was a huge shock of beauty! He has found his own language! Creative but deep and complex too.
This album just resonated with me so much. In fact its the first new release I have bought for my new vinyl collection. Its really interesting hearing the different perspectives on this
Actually, Steven considers Insurgentes one of his best solo records
SpectrumPulse audio is kinda hard to understand
Personally I really enjoyed this album! I do sort of agree with some of your guys’ points, but I don’t think they make the album worse. I enjoy the flow of this one much more than say an album like Grace for Drowning or Deadwing. Not his best, but still very very very good.
Here’s my ranking of all SW solo albums
7. Insurgentes
6. The Future Bites
5. Grace for Drowning
4. The Harmony Codex
3. To The Bone
2. Hand Cannot Erase
1. Raven
I love this album. It keeps growing.
Was nice to hear a good discussion 👍
For me, it would fall after HCE, The Raven, TTB
I really like Harmony Codex. But, maybe, coming from all his projects (PT, solo, No-man, Blackfield, Bass Communion, etc etc) I am really open at this magnitude of influences and different sounds
This is the most I've liked a Steven Wilson solo album since Hand Cannot Erase.
Absolutely brilliant album
The title track is heavily influenced by tangerine dream
I like the album very much, but I agree with Notes, that some songs seem like out of place. But I wouldn't say, Time is running out is one of them. On the contrary Time is running out makes very nice contrast with preceding Harmony codex. It is like end of one act and beginning of another act, or breath in and breath out. Good point for turning LP (whitch it really is).
Btw songs seem very strangely disconnected. Some of them begining or ending with ambient sounds but coming from nowhere and going nowhere. It looks more like mixtape than whole album.
Bonus CD makes more sense with Codex themes as interludes. It is for sure worth to listen.
'Steven Wilson is so far up his own arse', lol, hilarious. Thanks, that made me smile, I couldn't put it any better. Rated, download don't buy, so right.
Experimental, I don't hear anything experimental, it's Wilson by numbers, a bit of everything, AI music. It's bland, it's boring, it's awfully average.
Nice to hear an honest review and not just licking Wilson's ego (or arse).
In the UK it got to number 4 week of release, following week not even in the top 100. While the charts these days don't mean much, in this case I feel it will reflect what happens to the general feeling about this album. Like the Future Bites, it'll quickly be forgotten, put to the bottom of the pile. Wilson as run out of ideas, never very original anyway.
For me, it's not my thing. I tried but can't find anything special on this one.
I liked this album a lot!
This album it’s boring as hell. A good sound doesn’t mean a good song… this album sound fenomenal, but just that
The more I read about Steve Wilson politics he leans heavily into Zionism besides making shitty remakes of Yes albums.
His remixes are great
Not surprised he's a zionist when he works with lot of Israeli people and has Israeli wife
Israel is a new made up country. Jew's given a safe haven after ww2 but the country was Palestine and they have now marginalised the Palestinian people. While I don't agree with what Hamas have done. Israel have been killing Palestinians for years and getting away with it because they are Jewish, they will use this as an excuse to clear the people out altogether.
Then they will target the East of the area and nobody will say the truth because they are Jewish country.
I have nothing against Jews but what Israel are doing and have been for many years is wrong and a war crime.
Anyway, I'm sure Wilson and his wife don't see it that way of course.
The remixes are hit or miss