Review Summary: A great rock release that is sure to please any fans of the genre. A definite must have.
(note: This is the first music review I have ever written, so if you have any tips for me, feel free.)
Porcupine Tree is a big name, but not big in the sense of pop culture coverage. They have, however, established a name for themselves among fans of progressive rock. They are the Pink Floyd for the 21st century: artistic and atmospheric, but with a pop sensibility. Their 2002 album In Absentia was the album that greatly boosted their popularity, and it isn’t hard to see the reason why. From the way the songs are written to the way one song flows into the next, it’s essentially flawless. Every song has an identity of its own while still remaining in the same eclectic style, nothing seems out of place, and the performance is simply spectacular.
When you first turn on the album, you are treated to “Blackest Eyes”, one of the album’s highlights. Opening with an eerie acoustic bit and quickly switching to a heavy metal riff, the song shortly drops in loudness and becomes soft and vocal-driven, eventually coming to a catchy, beautiful chorus. The metal riff returns a few times, eventually coming to a stop after a final chorus. Things remain fairly light for a little bit with “Trains”, a fairly light rock song that displays a more straightforward side to the band. The next song, “Lips of Ashes”, is a somewhat short acoustic ballad that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Pink Floyd record. It showcases a very atmospheric vibe, and has a very relaxing tone to it.
The following song, entitled “The Sound of Muzak” (well, technically the last word is music), is one of the most interesting songs on the album and is just as good from a lyrical perspective as it is from a musical perspective. It tells the story of how vocalist Steven Wilson believes that the music industry has gone downhill artistically, and has lost its meaning. He states that music is an important part of the world, summing it up in the chorus with the quote, “One of the wonders of the world is going down, it’s going down, I know. It’s one of the blunders of the world and no one cares, no one cares enough.”
Next up is “Gravity Eyelids”, which in some ways is like two songs in one. It retains the same atmosphere as “Lips of Ashes”, but is a much longer song. After the main song ends, it fades into a heavy section that builds up into a powerful instrumental metal refrain. It is one of the most repetitive, yet most memorable moments of the entire album, and any fan of metal should definitely put the section on repeat. Soon after, the heaviness dies down and the song finally ends for good. Things continue with the straight up metal instrumental “Wedding Nails” and the dark ballad “Prodigal”. After the mostly lyric-free “.3”, the album enters its darkest and heaviest moments.
“The Creator Has a Mastertape” is one of the heavier songs on the album, featuring distorted vocals in the verses and extremely heavy pre-chorus riffs. The song’s dark atmosphere and heavy tone means it isn’t for everybody, which is saying something considering the accessible nature of the album as a whole. That being said, it’s still a really well-done song, though it isn’t one of the best. “Heartattack in a Layby” is another softer song, but it is easily the darkest of the acoustic bits on the record.
But the summary of the album, the defining climax, and the most lyrically noteworthy track is easily the second-to-last on the album, the moody and sonically sinister “Strip the Soul”, a song that is proof that a whisper or a single note can be more terrifying than a scream if it is done with the right emotional precision. Perhaps the scariest part of it is how Steven Wilson can sing the introspectively violent lyrics to the song and still sound as calm and beautiful as he usually does. It is generally monotone in the verses, but the chorus is bursting with energy. The last 1.5 minutes or so of the song are an extremely down-tuned, slow, evil-sounding riff repeating until it fades that can provoke despair and darkness in the mind if one uses their imagination. Luckily, the album’s final track, “Collapse the Light into the Earth”, is a beautiful little acoustic song that ends the album on a high note.
As a whole, In Absentia is emotionally expressive, dark yet accessible, traditional yet forward-thinking, original yet familiar, diverse yet consistent, and simply a must-listen for anybody who is a fan of rock music. It combines many musical ideas and breathes new life into each and every one it covers. Anybody who is tired of the same old rock and metal dominating the airwaves should do themselves a favor and listen to this record. As a whole, modern rock music doesn’t get very much better than this.
