Steven Wilson

[Kotowboy]

I try not to listen to any music less than 320kbps. Music at 192kbps is a no-no for me.

I still buy CDs - and If I buy music online - I try to find out the quality of it before I pay.

I'm certainly no audiophile - but I do try to have high quality music.


I do agree that listening to really low quality mp3 on shitty iPod earbuds is just a horrible way to listen to music.

It's double worse if you actually use your iPhone speakers.

[Buddyhunter1]

256kbps for me. Anything equal to or above that is fine to my ears.

And yeah, those earbuds are terrible.

[jammindude]

guys I'm standing in a CD store right now and I can only afford one of the following, either The Raven that refused to sing (the regular version) or the special edition of the first album. which one should I get?

[King Postwhore]

Raven!

[Zantera]

I would say Insurgentes is the better album by far, but since I know you're more into Prog, Raven is probably a better pick.

[jammindude]

I'm not necessarily all frog but in the end I did decide to go for Raven. It works better into the budget because I also found an old iq album on sale. I also picked up the brand new Spock's Beard.

[jammindude]

stupid talk to text. Lol

[King Postwhore]

The Dude's phone does not abide.

[TioJorge]

Whoa 

At least you're not all frog. I wonder though...which part of you is? 

[King Postwhore]

His legs, in a speedo.

[jammindude]

 

I was listening to Raven on the way home.   First impression is that I was really surprised at how "prog rock" it was.   I had only heard the title track, so I was expecting an album's worth of slightly more ambient material....maybe a hair closer to Storm Corrosion.   It actually rocks a bit harder than I expected.

I really enjoyed it.   REALLY gives me a Signify/Stupid Dream-era kinda vibe.    Other than the songs being longer, I feel like the "feel" of the songs really hearkens back to the PT of that period. 

[jammindude]

His legs, in a speedo.

This is spot on.   

To quote Red Dwarf:

"Have you ever been in dissection class held up a frog by its head? You know the way its belly sort of sticks out above its spindly little legs? Well, that's the picture I see when you get down from the bunk in the morning."

[Sacul]

New album, guys.
https://www.prog-sphere.com/news/steven-wilson-announces-new-solo-album/

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Holy crap that dude works fast.

Can't say I mind, though, last two have been incredible.

[The Letter M]

New album, guys.
https://www.prog-sphere.com/news/steven-wilson-announces-new-solo-album/

Great news! But this also means no chance of PT returning til at least 2016 now.

-Marc.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

I'm feeling like the chances of PT ever coming back are getting smaller and smaller.

[SomeoneLikeHim]

As long as he does what he wants to do, that's great. I don't want him to return to PT because of the fans until he wants to.

[jammindude]

I was just thinking as I was listening to Raven last night of how much it reminds me of pre-IA Porcupine Tree. I honestly can't understand why he's not releasing some of this stuff under the Porcupine Tree moniker, because it's really not that far removed from the Porcupine Tree sound.

[robwebster]

I'm feeling like the chances of PT ever coming back are getting smaller and smaller.

Same. Which is a shame, cos I like pop-Wilson way more than prog-Wilson, but if it's not where he is, he shouldn't force it.

His solo stuff's not essential like Porcupine Tree was, for me - I skipped Grace for Drowning completely - but TRTRTS did surprise me, I liked it a lot more than I thought I would, so a bit more Wilson in the world can only be a good thing.

[KevShmev]

I was just thinking as I was listening to Raven last night of how much it reminds me of pre-IA Porcupine Tree. I honestly can't understand why he's not releasing some of this stuff under the Porcupine Tree moniker, because it's really not that far removed from the Porcupine Tree sound.

It is too jazzy at times, and Richard Barbieri hates jazz, so good luck getting him to play a lot of that material.  Plus, his solo stuff has a lot of emphasis on playing, while PT was never a band that was about flashy playing.  Big, big difference. 

[Kotowboy]

40 albums in 20 years and some bands can barely manage one a decade

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

I've noticed an interesting trend:

Insurgentes
Grace For Drowning
The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories)

The titles are getting progressively longer.

What could be next?

[Buddyhunter1]

I've noticed an interesting trend:

Insurgentes
Grace For Drowning
The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories)

The titles are getting progressively longer.

What could be next?

[jammindude]

I was just thinking as I was listening to Raven last night of how much it reminds me of pre-IA Porcupine Tree. I honestly can't understand why he's not releasing some of this stuff under the Porcupine Tree moniker, because it's really not that far removed from the Porcupine Tree sound.

It is too jazzy at times, and Richard Barbieri hates jazz, so good luck getting him to play a lot of that material.  Plus, his solo stuff has a lot of emphasis on playing, while PT was never a band that was about flashy playing.  Big, big difference.

RB may hate jazz...but go back and listen to Signify and then listen to Raven again.     I see SW's solo stuff as finding a home in the Signify-Stupid Dream era of PT...and I think that's a good thing.    As a matter of fact, I think that's why I'm digging Raven so much.   It reminds me of Signify.

[Kotowboy]

I've noticed an interesting trend:

Insurgentes
Grace For Drowning
The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories)

The titles are getting progressively longer.

What could be next?

Pfft. Fiona Apple did it first.

And #2 : Boy Bands have not "won". There has been and always will be pop music.

It's like saying green has won because it still exists.

[KevShmev]

I was just thinking as I was listening to Raven last night of how much it reminds me of pre-IA Porcupine Tree. I honestly can't understand why he's not releasing some of this stuff under the Porcupine Tree moniker, because it's really not that far removed from the Porcupine Tree sound.

It is too jazzy at times, and Richard Barbieri hates jazz, so good luck getting him to play a lot of that material.  Plus, his solo stuff has a lot of emphasis on playing, while PT was never a band that was about flashy playing.  Big, big difference.

RB may hate jazz...but go back and listen to Signify and then listen to Raven again.     I see SW's solo stuff as finding a home in the Signify-Stupid Dream era of PT...and I think that's a good thing.    As a matter of fact, I think that's why I'm digging Raven so much.   It reminds me of Signify.

The vibe is similar, sure, but the fundamental approaches were very different. 

[Buddyhunter1]

Pfft. Fiona Apple did it first.

And #2 : Boy Bands have not "won". There has been and always will be pop music.

It's like saying green has won because it still exists.

I wasn't agreeing or disagreeing with it (I don't even listen to the band), I just posted it cuz it was the longest album title I could think of.

[Kotowboy]

I was just commenting on it.

Look up Fiona Apple's album title for " When The Pawn..."

[Zantera]

Musically there are similarities, but what SW is doing now is much more about everyone displaying their technical skill, and PT was never about that. It's a bit of a shame sadly, but if this is what SW wants to do, then he will keep doing it.

[Sketchy]

New album, guys.
https://www.prog-sphere.com/news/steven-wilson-announces-new-solo-album/

YES PLEASE

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Musically there are similarities, but what SW is doing now is much more about everyone displaying their technical skill, and PT was never about that. It's a bit of a shame sadly, but if this is what SW wants to do, then he will keep doing it.

Some of Raven, maybe, but I don't see how you could group Grace For Drowning under that description (unless you weren't).

[Zantera]

I'm not counting Grace, because it's a different thing than Raven. On Grace he wrote a lot of the music without any intentions, but on Raven he has stated that he wrote the music with the musicians in mind, clearly taking it a step further. The new stuff he has been playing live is very much like the Raven stuff, a lot of technical skill and it also seems to be written the same way Raven was, with SW writing complex music for complex musicians. Grace was different, it might have had some of the same musicians he has now, but the way it was written was different.

[King Postwhore]

I'm not counting Grace, because it's a different thing than Raven. On Grace he wrote a lot of the music without any intentions, but on Raven he has stated that he wrote the music with the musicians in mind, clearly taking it a step further. The new stuff he has been playing live is very much like the Raven stuff, a lot of technical skill and it also seems to be written the same way Raven was, with SW writing complex music for complex musicians. Grace was different, it might have had some of the same musicians he has now, but the way it was written was different.

I still thing there was some beautiful, simple melodic moments in this album.  Also when you can reign in Guthrie Govan it's says something.

[jammindude]

I especially think the title track (from Raven) could have EASILY been the ending for any PT album. Fits nicely alongside Glass Arm, Stop Swimming, Collapse Light...etc...etc...

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

The title track sounded kind of jazzy to me, I've never heard much of that in PT.

That's just me, though.