This
sampler was a free gift at the American gigs of Porcupine Tree this summer. We
can only hope that they will do the same on their European tour. However,
this sampler is meant as a preview for the forthcoming album. When they come
to Europe, the album will have been released already, so I’m afraid there
won’t be any sampler. The
fans that were afraid that Porcupine Tree would have changed their style,
having signed to a major label, don’t have to worry. No
compromises, it’s still Porcupine Tree. Steven
Wilson stands too firm in his musical shoes for that. “Blackest
Eyes” is a song that will appear on “In Absentia”. It’s a poppy song
that has the same amount of hit potential as “Piano Lessons” and
“Stranger By The Minute”. The guitars have a surprising heavy sound from
time to time. A superb song. “Trains”
is also from the new CD, but it’s an edited version. It’s a much softer,
acoustic song. There’s
a keyboards sound that sounds as if it’s played backwards. The sound stays
on the background, but it adds something special to this song. The
second half of the song is heavier. It’s
a typical PT song that begins quietly and goes crescendo to a full sound. It
contains some marvellous vocal harmonies. Steven Wilson sounds better on
each album. The song ends
in a strange way with a rhythmic handclap. “Trains” has certainly the
high Porcupine Tree quality. “Shesmovedon”
is a “Tim Palmer Remix” of the song that you can find on “Lightbulb
Sun”(2000). There are no changes to the structure of the song. Only
the balance and the sound of some instruments have changed. “Buying
New Soul” is an edited version from “Recordings” (2001). I don’t
know the original, so I can’t compare. But it certainly makes you want to
buy the full CD. “Stranger
By The Minute” is the same version as on “Stupid Dream”.(1999) “Strip
The Soul” is an edited version from the new CD. A song from Porcupine Tree
with a verse and a chorus is a rarity. The verse is made of a mysterious
keyboard sound, supported by a bass riff, completed with some sort of slow
rap (half sung) by Steven. The chorus is a complete change of sound. It explodes suddenly with a heavy guitar and a “vocoder” voice. What
a contrast between the two parts. This is a song that could become the
favourite track of “In Absentia”, but it needs some time. This
three songs from the new CD and “Gravity Eyelids”, that you can download
from their site, make sure that it can’t go wrong with “In Absentia”. The
band has yet again a more intense and more emotional sound. Reviewed by: Danny 'Camil' Focke |
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