Steven Wilson n00bvivor Results: The hiss of the train at the railway head

Satisfied?

  • Total voters
    4
Thanks for the patience y'all, should be regular updates from now on. Also looks like a new Stevie album will be out before this ends. :D
Lightbulb Sun

Released a little over a year later, Lightbulb Sun is very much a continuation of the more commercial/accessible direction of Stupid Dream. In many ways, it is the second part of the previous album. Many of the lyrical themes are also similar, including critiques of pop music (Four Chords That Made a Million) and stories of failed relationships (Russia On Ice).

Musically, the usual suspects have influenced Steven Wilson. This album features the band’s usual blend of psychedelic, prog rock, and pop. However, Lightbulb Sun is significant because it is the first album to bring in Metal as an influence. Of course around this time, Stevie met Mikael from Opeth and the two would form one of the most notorious musical partnerships. The Metal influence would only grow from here and become one of Porcupine Tree’s main influences by the end of the band’s lifespan.

The album is also divided into two parts, showcasing two sides of the band. The first half of the album is their more recent song oriented style while the second half is going back to the experimental side.

I think most fans see Lightbulb Sun as the as the last “old” PT album. This is the era where they began to develop their own sound and became recognized by a wider audience. However, there was one more change that needed to be made before the start of “modern” PT. We’ll get to that later.

This is another popular album for them. Some fans even consider it the best of them all. The Pink Floyd comparisons haven’t gone away yet, but at this point PT is being praised for carving out their own style. The consensus seems to be that of all the old school PT albums, this one is the best (it’s either this or Stupid Dream). So for those who enjoyed the classic PT sound, enjoy it while it’s still here. For those (like me) ready to move on, finally!
Release Information: There are some “b-sides” from this era. We won’t be including any of these, but if you want the complete experience, go for the 2008 Kscope 3CD version. It includes four unreleased songs. One of them, Buying New Soul, is a song that SW is actually fond of. It was just written too late in the production process. Other than that, there doesn’t seem to be much variation between the different releases. I will be going with the most recent 2008 remaster (standard version).
 
This album sounds wonderful. Wilson has come far as a producer and arranger - even the songs that aren't too memorable as songs are sonic marvels. You can drown in this music. I think this and the next two albums were a creative peak for Wilson. Some of his work suffers from being too clearly derivative of one particular set of influences (e.g. The Raven That Refused to Sing), here his style of gloomy singer-songwriter prog comes into its own.

Edit: Rereading the post, "gloomy singer-songwriter prog" sounds more dismissive than intended. ;)
 
No hurry, just want to see who's still interested since this went away for a long time.
 
Yeah, not gonna lie, that break nearly killed it for me. Now I'm in full swing with Dio/Maiden/Clutch and all my other summery bands...but I'll try to give this enough time to vote soon.

EDIT: Also, isn't this Round 1 for Lightbulb Sun?
 
Another good album. Similar in quality to the previous one, and nothing here is terrible. The initial highlights for me are the title track and Shesmovedon, the latter of which I was already a little familiar with, as they re-recorded it for a bonus track on Deadwing.

I also really really like the first part of Last Chance to Evacuated Planet Earth, but unfortunately I can't say the same for the rest of the song.

I'm not completely sold on Russia On Ice, but it could have the potential to grow on me. I'm definitely getting some major Pink Floyd vibes from it.

Voted for: How Is Your Life Today, Hatesong, and Feel So Low.
 
To any doubting whether to continue: All the PT albums after this one are incredible. The next one is the absolute cream of the crop, and not something you'll want to miss out on. ;)
 
Oh shit, didn't notice you updated, Mosh. Will listen to it a couple of times for the next few days, if that's OK :)
 
Lampwick 43 said:
To any doubting whether to continue: All the PT albums after this one are incredible. The next one is the absolute cream of the crop, and not something you'll want to miss out on. ;)
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I can attest to some of this. The next album is awesome and the bits I've heard from later albums are very good. I also really like SW's solo work lately.
 
I will continue. I got myself this Steven Wilson allergy lately (not helped by those absolutely atrocious first two albums), but I'll try to overcome it, because now it's getting interesting, indeed. Actually, I remember Lightbulb being already quite good. At least better than the second half of Dream. Anyway, I'll try to vote as soon as possible.

EDIT: The title track is quite good (and the lyrics even more so), hate the vocal harmony ripoff on How Is Your Life Today and Shesmovedon is absolutely amazing.

EDIT 2: Yep, this album is great. I admit that part of my dislike of PT/SW is because of the whole neo-prog-atmospheric-unmemorable-background-muzak approach, especially since I already have enough of that listening to Marillion (who became kings of that during the h era), but it's finally winning over me. There are some beautiful moments here, truly.
 
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Okay, I really like the album. As a whole. That's a first for Wilson. How Is Your Life and Last Chance are the only two tracks I could absolutely live without. Also voting for Feel So Low, mainly because out of the "poppy" tracks, it's probably the weakest one. I'm not all that crazy about either of the longs, but it's possible they'll grow on me, so I don't vote for them just yet. Russia is definitely a bit overlong, though.
 
Alright, finally gave this some listens! It's definitely the best album so far in this game, though I'd only put it a notch above Stupid Dream. Title track, Four Chords, Shesmovedon, and especially Hatesong popped out as my favorites. I still don't really get Russia on Ice (too much Floyd, too much soundscapes) and will be voting for it soon. However, for now, voting:

How Is Your Life Today?
Last Chance
The Rest Will Flow
Where We Would Be
Feel So Low
 
"The list changes every time you look
By summer Dream is all gone
Now they've moved on
You voted every other day
But your favourites are all gone
Now they've moved on"
 
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