Porcupine Tree – The Incident (2009)

The whole point of this blog is to listen to the vast array of CDs I already possess, but I'm buying them at a rate which means the older ones are being pushed aside for the new purchases, especially if I've been internet shopping after a drink, when there's little or nothing on the TV.

So here's yet another Porcupine Tree CD, their 10th studio album, and their last one before a decade long hiatus.

What could be more prog than a 2 CD set, where the first CD is a 55 minute long epic piece? Perhaps one part of that epic being an 11 minute song? This is The Incident, ladies and gentleman, a wonderful sprawling epic of quality songs, enjoyable instrumentals, some ambient phases and some fantastic rock.

It's basically six lengthy songs, segued together with some top instrumental breaks and a couple of shorter pieces. The Blind House is a solid rocker, following a brutal guitar intro, with some gentler acoustic work before the more poppy and commercial Walking The Line, and it's then straight into the title track, The Incident, dark and mysterious at first, but finishing with a brighter Beatlesesque run out. There's a short, possibly amusing (I thought so, I'm not sure if I was supposed to) song Your Unpleasant Family, with an engaging guitar solo, before the extended centrepiece, Time Flies. This opens with a bouncy, wistful song, then a long instrumental section, initially quiet and acoustic, becoming more brooding and dark, before returning to the theme. Octane Twisted turns up the volume on the guitar amp, with that driving prog bass characteristic of Wilson and Porcupine Tree, leading ultimately to the final song of the piece, the calming and lovely I Drive The Hearse. It is a fantastic suite of songs, and the album would be sufficient with just that.

But there's also CD2, much shorter, just four songs, and they don't feel as strong as what's preceded them on CD1. Flicker is pleasantly relaxing, Bonnie The Cat a bit louder and darker. Black Dahlia is slow, gentle, almost countrified, but not very interesting, however the final song Remember Me Lover, succeeds where the previous song fails, gently holding the attention, as it swings from the difficult goodbye, to the more upbeat guitar sections. Just lovely.

I highly recommend this album, especially the The Incident section. I'd forgotten how much I can enjoy loud guitar music at times, and this delivers it, along with melody and depth.

Link to full album

4* - a great album, particularly the main piece which has everything for the 21st century progger