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

Satisfied?

  • Total voters
    4
This album is great. So much better than the first two solo albums, and right up there with the very best PT albums. Right now I'd have to put it at #3 out of everything we've listened to in this game, just behind In Absentia and Deadwing. (Of course this is very much subject to change. :p)

The talent of all the musicians really shines on this album. Also there's not a single weak song here, which is the album's biggest strength, and probably why I currently rate it ahead of Fear of a Blank Planet. The songs here all range from enjoyable, to incredible.

Voting for Holy Drinker and Pin Drop.
 
I have to say I don’t really get the demand for PT reunion. SW solo is so much more exciting and the musicians he uses are light years ahead of PT (save maybe Gavin Harrison).
 
GODDAMnit. Somehow I thought we were on a different album. Now I’m 2/3rds of the way through Hand Cannot Erase and realizing I jumped way ahead.

Anyway, I’ll try to give this a few spins in the next two days. Sorry guys.
 
The first vote, the one I'm actually comfortable with, goes to Holy Drinker.

After much deliberation, the second vote goes to Raven. The unfortunate victim of a strong album.

I'm disappointed Drive Home appears to be on the way out. That's actually my favorite song of the entire album.
 
Eliminated
The Holy Drinker
Drive Home

Promoted
Luminol
The Watchmaker
The Raven That Refused to Sing


Hand. Cannot. Erase.
For his fourth studio album, Steven Wilson decided to continue the trajectory of the previous album by including the same musicians. However, the music wouldn’t be a retread of previous material. Where The Raven was heavily inspired by retro prog rock and jazz music, Hand Cannot Erase mixes prog with a more commercial sound that takes inspiration from modern pop and electronic music. There are also heavier moments that are reminiscent of Porcupine Tree’s metal period.

It is also another concept album, although this time the songs are more unified. The lyrics are inspired by Joyce Carol Vincent, a woman whose death went unnoticed for three years. Wilson took the story and used it as a commentary for city life and modern society with themes on technology that harkened back to Fear of a Blank Planet. These themes are musically complemented with a juxtaposition of traditional rock music and a more electronic sound.

As mentioned earlier, the same core musicians are present although Wilson has also expanded since. One of the most notable inclusions is Israeli singer Ninet Tayeb, who provides lead vocals on two tracks. The addition of another lead singer helped add a new dimension to Wilson’s sound. It also helped make up for some of his vocal limitations, in the same way Guthrie Govan is able to play more technically challenging guitar parts that Wilson himself can’t play.

Just like the previous album, Hand Cannot Erase was a huge success that brought Wilson more recognition and continued his recent rise in success. It was a Billboard top 40 album and the #1 rock album in the UK. It was critically acclaimed among Jazz, Rock, Metal, and even Pop publications, showing Wilson’s ability to appeal to a wide variety of audiences. More importantly, it was highly regarded by fans as yet another great Wilson album. Wilson even performed the album in its entirety on the tour.

4 1/2
Four and a half was released as a stopgap between Hand Cannot Erase and Steven Wilson’s 5th album, hence the title. It consists of leftover material from the previous two albums in addition to a remake of Don’t Hate Me, an old Porcupine Tree track. Since Don’t Hate Me was already included in the survivor, it will not be included as part of 4 1/2. The remaining 5 songs will be treated as their own group with three songs promoted as usual. Despite being an EP of leftovers, there’s some really good stuff on here. The poppy Happiness III might be the most upbeat/commercial song Steven has ever written, although the lyrics don’t quite match the musical tone. Book of Regrets is a new epic that is worthy of any Steven Wilson album.
 
I'm confused with how this is organized as Spotify (where I'm listening) plays First Regret/Three Years Older and Home Invasion/Regret #9 as single tracks...?
 
H.C.E. is just an all around fantastic album. So far every solo album has been better than the one that came before it.

As for the EP, Book of Regrets and Happiness III are good, but the three instrumental tracks are nothing special at all.

First Regret
Perfect Life
Home Invasion
Transience
Ascendant
Sunday Rain
Vermillioncore
 
Awww. Its hard to vote for any of the HCE stuff that's left. After Book Im pretty unfamiliar with the 4.5 stuff so I’ll have to give those a serious listen.
 
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