i always saw wilson as kind of a one trick pony, being very good at melancholia but shite at the happy stuff. even the pop tune masterclass of trains is bittersweet, striking the perfect blend of catchiness and with a solid underlying sorrow. songs like permenating and hand cannot erase are good songs but they just don't grab me like his sad gimp boy stuff

that said im fuckin loving this album even with its disgusting "posi vibes" as the kids say, theres inclination which almost has an industrial vibe to it, what life brings is a brit-pop throwback that could easily have lightbulb sun as its abode. economies of scale sounds like fucking vespertine era bjork, seriously just imagine her crooning over it. impossible tightrope is this albums ancestral, and even goes so far into bombastic it reaches into devin townsend territory. rock bottom i can do without, the ninet duet shite is cack now. the title track is a lost thom yorke track that could fit perfectly on the suspiria soundtrack. actual brutal facts is wilson ripping off massive attack and i'm okay with it, he even used the same pitch shifter geddy lee used on roll the bones to get a black dude voice. staircase is a decent closing ditty but nothing hasn't really grabbed me yet.

so yea this album has shit loads of influences and variety, luckily i dig all of em and this is a melting pot i can swig from and not have a chunder


thats my soundoff bye

KILL loving an album released in 2023 is a breath of fresh air, even if its a Steven Wilson album

Album Rating: 3.8

"Maybe just a coincidence but I swear to god, SW's music started getting worse as he started getting happier. I'm sincerely happy for him that he seems to genuinely enjoy shitposting on all sorts of social media now and just being a happy dude with a family, but the music was better when he was a moody out of touch asshole smashing iPods with a hammer."



I can assure you that you're not the only one who thinks this, lol

Album Rating: 3.8

Didn't mean to double post

Album Rating: 3.5

I am in that camp too, at least somewhat. TFW had a lots of very bad stuff, but some of his best (accessible) songs too. King Ghost is such a good song, to bad he didn‘t explore that direction anymore. In general i am of the firm believe, that only people in true pain make music that stands the test of time

Album Rating: 3.0

I don't think that last part is true (@sizeofanocean), but I agree SW made his best stuff in that sad asshole phase. So it might fit for him

"In general i am of the firm believe, that only people in true pain make music that stands the test of time"

Any form of artistic expression is a way to channel emotions that are difficult to express/exorcise, and given that most of us experience "negative" emotions (pain, suffering, anguish...) more intensely than "happy" emotions and way more often...
That's why people with "easy" lives are way less prone to succeed in artistic endeavors in the view of the rest. This doesn't apply to quiet, uncivilized tribes for example, which makes for a very interesting debate about the role of music and art in the civilized world. There are records of tribal people listening to some well known civilized world music and it's like alien to them, although they were able to tell the negative emotions in them.

"Perhaps it's good for one to suffer. Can an artist do anything if he's happy? Would he ever want to do anything? What is art, after all, but a protest against the horrible inclemency of life?"
- A.Huxley

Album Rating: 4.5

Yeah i gotta jam this

Album Rating: 3.8

I think it's less about negative emotions and more about legitimately having something to prove with your work. That's why so many reunion albums are disappointing, because the artist is coming from a vantage point where they'd already proven themselves years ago. So at that point, it just feels like artistic complacency



Of course, there are exceptions here and there. Metal-wise, I'd definitely make a case for Traced in Air and Surgical Steel

Album Rating: 3.0

"I think it's less about negative emotions and more about legitimately having something to prove with your work. That's why so many reunion albums are disappointing, because the artist is coming from a vantage point where they'd already proven themselves years ago. So at that point, it just feels like artistic complacency"



^ This



Personally I have a strong distaste for the depressed artist remanticisation thing. The hunger to prove yourself is much more of a driving force imo

Album Rating: 3.8

For sure, for sure

"Personally I have a strong distaste for the depressed artist remanticisation thing"

Oh! I personally don't romantizice it all. I'm pretty sure most artists influenced by their turmoil in life would have prefered to live a "happy" life even if that meant they would have not ended up making that music/art. I've actually talked about it with a few musicians along my life and it always sets for an interesting discussion. Let's be honest here. Many renowned artists use music/art as a way to deal with terrible trauma, emotional pain, life hardships, and it's often in combination with substance/alcohol abuse. I've lived my whole life very close to many different musicians and it's kind of a taboo to talk about this because it's not an easy, comfortable conversation to have

"Personally I have a strong distaste for the depressed artist remanticisation thing. The hunger to prove yourself is much more of a driving force imo"

y not both

Album Rating: 4.0

you can't be both depressed and striving

Album Rating: 3.0

shut the fuck up

Album Rating: 4.0

I sense that johnny has some sort of issue with me

"that said im fuckin loving this album"

talk about a death knell for this site

Album Rating: 4.0

common KILL W

@flug

If that were true we wouldn't have heard like 90% of the best music ever made

9. Actual Brutal Facts (5.05)