Buried beneath all the pop and
mainstream stars we hear every day on the radio and see on TV and magazines is
Steven Wilson, a musician who started in the late 1980s who most people know as
the front man of progressive rock/metal band Porcupine Tree. Even though Wilson
is often put under the category of progressive rock, he has a very long
discography containing albums classified as psychedelic rock, progressive, pop,
electronic, jazz, ambient, and/or metal music. As a result of a huge following
and selling out Royal Albert Hall twice while promoting his fourth solo album, Hand Cannot Erase, Wilson has been
referred by various sources as the most successful UK musician that most people
never heard of.
On August 18, 2017, Wilson released his
fifth solo album, To The Bone. Wilson
was inspired by ideas such as political corruption, religious extremism, and
the perception of truth varying from individual to individual due to different
religious beliefs or upbringings to write the album’s lyrics. Despite most of
the lyrics being melancholic, there are some that are very optimistic, which
will surprise most Steven Wilson fans as he rarely pens happy lyrics. Also,
Wilson was inspired by 80’s pop music such as the work of Peter Gabriel, Tears
for Fears, and Kate Bush to write the album’s music. Even though there are some
80’s pop elements on this album, it also contains a pop-rock and progressive
rock sound that’s reminiscent to what is heard on Wilson’s previous work (such
as Porcupine Tree’s Stupid Dream).
The album begins with the title track
that starts with several long, loud guitar and bass chords that may remind Pink
Floyd fans of the classic Floyd song “Time”, while the rest of the track has a
pop-rock sound with a somewhat funky bass line. The next track, “Nowhere Now”
continues that pop-rock sound. Track #4, “The Same Asylum as Before”, has a
very aggressive guitar sound that blew my mind, especially around the 2:38 mark
where the guitar sound gets extremely ferocious and quickly goes back-and-forth
between the right and left channels.
Wilson’s 80’s pop influence becomes
evident when you get to track #6, “Permeating”, and track #9, “Song of I”.
“Permeating” is a joyous, 80s-style dance-pop tune that was stuck in my head
for days due to its catchiness and happy lyrics. On the other hand, the “Song
of I” is 80s-style pop song similar in style to Phil Collins’ “In the Air
Tonight”.
The album’s lead single, Track #3
“Pariah”, is a soft pop track with Wilson singing verses and Isreali singer
Ninet Tayeb singing the chorus. This song is about the male character (Wilson)
feeling pessimistic about life, while the female character (Tayeb) urges the
male character to seek redemption and to “begin again”. Tayeb’s soaring vocals
are emotionally powerful, and the way the second chorus ends vocally and musically
will make your heart leap out of your chest.
In addition, track #10, “Denotation”, is
a 9-minute progressive rock track that starts off strong, but the second half
of the song goes on for a bit too long as it is just continuous jamming. Finally,
the album closes with “Song of Unborn”, featuring beautiful piano, acoustic
guitar, and choir. This song is Steven’s message to an unborn child about how
he or she should perceive this world he or she is about to enter into.
Overall, To The Bone is another ambitious, musically impressive work by
Steven Wilson. It is a poppy, straightforward record about relatable topics and
current events that the mainstream audience will appreciate. This may be a
reason why last week, the album reached #3 on the U.K. Albums Chart (behind Ed
Sheeran and Elvis Presley), which is the highest a Wilson album has ever
reached on that chart; however, Wilson’s success on the chart is mostly due to his
audience continuing to grow through word-of-mouth. After thirty years of
working, Wilson is finally close to receiving the recognition he deserves.
Works
Cited:
chug70. “Steven
Wilson - BBC One Breakfast 25th Aug 2017” YouTube, 25 August 2017. <www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei1MUSk44j0>
Simpson, Dave.
“Steven Wilson: the Prog Rocker Topping the Charts without Anyone Noticing.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media,
24 August 2017. <www.theguardian.com/music/2017/aug/24/steven-wilson-the-prog-rocker-topping-the-charts-without-anyone-noticing>
White, Jack. “Prog-Rock Star Steven Wilson Scores Highest New Albums Entry.” Official Charts - Homepage, The Official UK Charts Company 2017, 25 August 2017. <www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/prog-rock-star-steven-wilson-scores-this-week-s-highest-new-entry-on-the-official-albums-chart__20272/>
