Porcupine Tree - Deadwing (2005)

March 2005 Lava/Atlantic Records 7567934372


Tracks:


1.Deadwing (9:46) (8/10)
Cool Intro, very unexpected. Nice progressive sound to it, simplistic is what it is. Solid and heavy riffage throughout, with very expressive leads. Seems like the intro electronica segment is played throughout the song which gives the song its smooth ambient tone. Very skilled and well placed bass lead at roughly the seven minute mark. Transitions are silky. Outro is well executed. I feel that this song could have been shorter, however, and written a bit more efficiently. Its a decent opener, however.


2.Shallow (4:16) (6/10)
Intro is a bit weak. Pre-chorus is a beautiful segment however. This song's strong point is this lyrics which speaks of isolationism and the modern world, which is very relevant. Alright song, but not a strong point in this album.


3.Lazarus (4:18) (10/10)
Very radio friendly song with a beautiful mellow tone to it. It's just really well written, thats all. Great piano and guitar leads. This is a great song.


4.Halo (4:38) (7/10)
Love the dissonant bass intro, it shouldn't sound great, but it does. Pretty basic song structure which is more lyric oriented. Some good prog riffage, however, and strong guitar solo.


5.Arriving Somewhere but not Here (12:02) (10/10)
Awesome ambient tones coming from this one. Very deep intro. Guitar lead slips in very nicely with smooth transitions throughout. Very catchy chorus and these UK vocals in general are top-notch, I'm telling you, this guy could sing for the Beatles. Again, expressive leads throughout. Drums and bass are solid and have sexy nuances from time to time to keep things interesting and most importantly, ambient. Song mid-way breaks into a Tool/Bluesy influenced riff sequence, nicely done Mr. Wilson. Goes back to the main motif with great form. Bass lead sounds amazing at this point (almost sounds like a synth). Down-beat guitar solo follows which is one of the most emotional solos I've heard in a while. The Outro is very well thought out, slowly decrescendos the song and fades out. This song is a must listen for anyone interested in ambient music.


6.Mellotron Scratch (6:56) (9/10)
Interesting "bitter-sweet" intro, Nirvana-esque. It maintains this mellow tone throughout. The vocal layering in this song is exceptional. Wow - the falsetto vocals at the end as nothing short of amazing, which makes for an amazing outro.


7.Open Car (3:46) (10/10)
Just a great song in general. You have to listen to this song, just everything is extremely well put together. Think "Beauty and the Beast".


8.The Start of Something Beautiful (7:39) (7.5/10)
Sexy synth introduction. But for five minutes with the same progression? Its a bit much. After that however, there is a beautiful chord progression with the piano and the bass guitar with the melody. Then a nice synth lead seeps in. The Outro saves the song.


9.Glass Arm Shattering (6:13) (9/10)
Cool ambient guitar chords, turns into something tropical, nice. The rhythm section shines in this song. Trippy sound throughout. Again with Steve Wilson's vocal layering, pure genius. Cool song to space out to, more so than a Pink Floyd song, which is a strong statement, mind you.


10.She's Moved On (Bonus) (5:00) (10/10)
Lyrics are very relateable in this song, however, this music under the lyrics are solid as well. Every instrument shines in this track. Wilson's song writing shines.


Overall-(9/10) Very Strong