Steven Wilson Steven's Music

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bossfan

600 Club - QQ All-Star
Joined
Nov 29, 2011
Messages
639
Location
Canada
I thought about having this discussion over at the "other" music board but I figured it would get nasty pretty quickly. So here it is. Is there anyone out there right now making music, writing music, performing music and producing his/her own music at the level and complexity Steven is. I say no, not even close. Sings, writes, produces, creates. The man really does do it all. Plays a mean guitar and keyboards to boot. After watching Home Invasion tonight, I was thinking that his band members must love having the opportunity to play live with him. They seem to have so much more latitude than most bands would ever give them while performing very complex proggy music in a day and age of pop-driven bands. COMMENTS PLEASE.
 
I really don't like Opeth. I've tried but the music is too dark or something. Creeps me out lol.
The others I am not familiar with but thanks. Will check them out.
 
Try Damnation, produced by a certain Mr. Wilson. Less Death Metal than their earlier stuff.
I have damnation. It was the first Opeth album I bought. It's not bad so I bought ghost reverie. Not so much. But I'll give them another chance. I don't dislike it per se, it just doesn't sit quite right with me lol. Even some of Steven Wilsons music creeps me out a little. Raider for example.
 
That certainly seems like you have given them a fair shot; ignore my Opeth recommendation.
Check out Ayreon The Source and The Dear Hunter Act IV: Rebirth In Reprise instead.
 
I'm generally quite fond of his work, though admittedly due to the often-dark nature of it a certain state of mind or mood is required to really appreciate it. But once you get there, man, there's just nothing like it. No matter how many times you play them, songs like "Routine", "Drive Home", and "Russia On Ice" never seem to lose their emotional impact.

I do generally like the Porcupine Tree stuff more than the solo albums. Some of the earlier PT albums are not quite as involved and I can just throw them on whenever. Admittedly my favorite PT tracks are the more commercial-sounding ones, like "Piano Lessons", "Stranger By The Minute", "Shesmovedon", "Trains", and "The Sound Of Muzak".

As talented as he is, I do have to admit I have two somewhat persistent caveats with SW's work:
1. The "Music Industry Rant" Songs - I suppose you can call me a hypocrite as I just listed two of these above as favorites ("Piano Lessons" and "The Sound Of Muzak"), but usually I really can't stand these, two in particular being "Four Chords That Made A Million" and "Fear Of A Blank Planet". It's not that I don't empathize with him being frustrated; I just feel these songs stand out as too obvious and way out of place next to everything else.
2. Dynamics - it's great that his stuff isn't brick-walled and he cares about dynamic range, but sometimes it's just too much. Almost every one of his albums I've heard (particularly the latest, To The Bone) is full of moments where things get super quiet and then BOOM. On songs like "3 Years Older", "Routine", and "Pariah" I'm always fiddling with the volume knob.

The guy made me a prog fan though. Also, he's got the surround thing down pretty well :)
 
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Wow, sjcorne your comments were dead on on how I feel, Steve is a very unique and talented artist but a few thing stuck me on seeing him live on the current tour
he does seem to give off a hint of what could be best called frustration and as an example during the show telling the crowd words to the effect that they should go out to the lobby
and buy his new video instead of taking video clips on cell phones. Also talking about his "one" pop song he does and may never write another one again, seemed out of place
and did seem to alter the mood in the crowd a little.

Like all good to great artists they can't keep rehashing past works but PT stuff is dam good.
 
Well as long as he's not related to Kevin!! a slightly tenuous link I know...just a bit of fun (I hope!!)

That's Kevin 'Bloody' Wilson the man of OZ utter filth, so it is.

A huge spoiler alert for those who maybe are offended by this Xmas Vid

If it's too much for my fellow QQ'rs please delete.

 
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