Porcupine Tree
- Thread starter Belligerent
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Thats because its opposite your tastes. Same as some styles of music are opposite my taste. No big deal.
But you rave about Interpol?
Psychonaut
God Of Emptiness
Just saw there is a limited edition EP called We Lost The Skyline coming out for the die hards. May want to grab this before they're $100 on egay.
http://www.porcupinetree.com/news.cfm
http://www.porcupinetree.com/news.cfm
Psychonaut
God Of Emptiness
ShredHeadJHJ
oh noes itz a opinionn
Why are Porcupine Tree referred to by some as being "Progressive Rock"??? If this is true, what albums of their are most Progressive??? All I have is In Absentia, but I've thought about checking them out some more. In Absentia is not Prog at all really. I maybe want to get Deadwing & Fear of a Blank Planet. I sorta planed on ordering FoaBP next time I order a few CDs.
Bothering
The hole you're in.
ShredHeadJHJ
oh noes itz a opinionn
^In Absentia is a far cry from the long tripped out prog jams like The Sky Moves Sideways or Voyage 34...but it's still prog nonetheless. Each album is so unique in it's own way. In Absentia is, as what it is now called, a 'concept album'. The story that is told here involves a serial killer's telling of his life from childhood, through lovemaking, to the ultimate gruesome ending. Steve Wilson, the band's mastermind, has said many times that he does not consider his band to be progressive, but what he isn't realizing is that the type of structure his band's albums are built around screams prog to those of us fortunate enough to have experienced this extraordinary genre firsthand.
ShredHeadJHJ
oh noes itz a opinionn
About the three biggest thing that comes to mind when I think "Progressive" are...
* Odd time signiature changes throughout normally intricate songs
* Movements within songs or very noticable direction changes in songs
* Occassional long songs with many movements
This is indeed a generalization, but it rings true for the most part when referring to Prog. "In Absentia" is a great album, but lacking many of these characteristics (regardless of the direction they took on other albums I'm just talking about this one album right now). Even listening to "In Absentia" most of it sounds like it's in 4/4. There are really only slight Progressive elemtns in there as the album unfolds.
* Odd time signiature changes throughout normally intricate songs
* Movements within songs or very noticable direction changes in songs
* Occassional long songs with many movements
This is indeed a generalization, but it rings true for the most part when referring to Prog. "In Absentia" is a great album, but lacking many of these characteristics (regardless of the direction they took on other albums I'm just talking about this one album right now). Even listening to "In Absentia" most of it sounds like it's in 4/4. There are really only slight Progressive elemtns in there as the album unfolds.
There was a silly topic regarding this elsewhere recently. Progressive does not have exact boundaries. Time signatures is not a key element, in some progressive bands it is, in others it just the trip they take you on. For example Pink Floyd was a progressive band yet their time signatures were at least mostly 4/4. Im not going to run through their libary to double check. They also didnt go off into long syncopated flurries. Just one example but trying to explain all the various things that could make a band progressive is baffleing, its something I just hear and dont question. Some people want to pin it down to the exact Webster defination of the word, meaning its all new, never heard before, therefore representing progress. By these silly standards - a possible example - Kurt Cobain would have been progressive ? grunge ? I could name other examples but would get me in trouble and reopen old cans of worms.
For me I guess I hear it as how a band takes you on an adventure through their music regardless of the level or depth by which they explore the technical aspects of music. The music becomes a painting, it could be a hyper abstract painting or it could be a scerene landscape, or it could be a band totally out of the box, but thats rare and getting harder by the year, plus it would allow just plain off the wall stuff that exposed little talent or deep thought.
At one time this type of music went by other names, like "head music" "art rock", just a few I remember, there may have been more, but I think somewhere along the lines it was just settled on progressive to avoid another dozen sub genres. Unfortunatly with bands like Dream Theater applying intence musical knowledge, ability and virtuosity to their form of progressive metal many people think thoese elements are the only defination. But its not, its about the "trip", about the "painting".
Other early examples I can think of regarding the time signature issue, and excuse me if I wrong, I dont spend much time counting measures. My own stuff apparently, according to drummers, at times bounces between 6/4 & 4/4 so Im no counter. Jethro Tull - mostly if not all 4/4, same with Kansas and I even bet alot of ELPs stuff was 4/4. Rush mostly 4/4. Yet there was few similiarities in these bands.
Another thing thats causing confusion and discomfort with the term progressive these days is the fact that many different bands within their genres are applying various elements commonly found in progressive______ . So it can quickly become a giant mess if people want to go there.
For me I guess I hear it as how a band takes you on an adventure through their music regardless of the level or depth by which they explore the technical aspects of music. The music becomes a painting, it could be a hyper abstract painting or it could be a scerene landscape, or it could be a band totally out of the box, but thats rare and getting harder by the year, plus it would allow just plain off the wall stuff that exposed little talent or deep thought.
At one time this type of music went by other names, like "head music" "art rock", just a few I remember, there may have been more, but I think somewhere along the lines it was just settled on progressive to avoid another dozen sub genres. Unfortunatly with bands like Dream Theater applying intence musical knowledge, ability and virtuosity to their form of progressive metal many people think thoese elements are the only defination. But its not, its about the "trip", about the "painting".
Other early examples I can think of regarding the time signature issue, and excuse me if I wrong, I dont spend much time counting measures. My own stuff apparently, according to drummers, at times bounces between 6/4 & 4/4 so Im no counter. Jethro Tull - mostly if not all 4/4, same with Kansas and I even bet alot of ELPs stuff was 4/4. Rush mostly 4/4. Yet there was few similiarities in these bands.
Another thing thats causing confusion and discomfort with the term progressive these days is the fact that many different bands within their genres are applying various elements commonly found in progressive______ . So it can quickly become a giant mess if people want to go there.
Psychonaut
God Of Emptiness
I personally hate trying to contain them to one particular genre anyway. The genre lines are too blurry. I usually just describe them as "rock" and let the other person decide for themselves. They have a great natural sound progression through their discography but it does vary.
On another note, I've been listening to a lot of their older stuff lately: Signify, The Sky Moves Sideways, On The Sunday of Life. Man, there's some great stuff buried in those older albums...
On another note, I've been listening to a lot of their older stuff lately: Signify, The Sky Moves Sideways, On The Sunday of Life. Man, there's some great stuff buried in those older albums...
Psychonaut
God Of Emptiness
On another note, I received the DVDA version of FOABP today. The 5.1 mixes are sweet but I really love the videos for Anesthetize and FOABP. It's the ones they show on the screen behind them when they're live. Well worth the money imo.
Listen to this man. Disc 1 off of their Stars Die compilation 1991-94 is a good introduction as well.
ShredHeadJHJ
oh noes itz a opinionn
Wow, good post Razors. You're right about the time signiature thing, it's just an element that alot of Prog bands add. Rush played in 4/4 a lot & I've been listening to a lot of ELP lately & most of their old stuff seems like it's in 4/4. These bands definitely switch it up & change direction in songs, however...
By your definition PT might be Prog, but I don't think In Absentia is because the songs are short & straight forward with only some minor experimentation later in the album. Thing is that a lot of non-Prog bands do weird shit on albums, & PT just lay down some airy well produced bass lines in there a bit.
By your definition PT might be Prog, but I don't think In Absentia is because the songs are short & straight forward with only some minor experimentation later in the album. Thing is that a lot of non-Prog bands do weird shit on albums, & PT just lay down some airy well produced bass lines in there a bit.
The term "prog" always has been and still is a terrible qualifier for music. Just like "experimental" and "avant-garde". All of those terms are relative, highly subjective and none of them mean anything by themselves so you can pretty much argue 'til kingdom come about which bands they do and do not apply to.
It all depends on your frame of reference and which aspects of music you emphasize.
It all depends on your frame of reference and which aspects of music you emphasize.
thanks Shredhead, I cant speak for In Absentia, I do like my Deadwing though
Cairath - the thing is, for me, what else can be done when bands need to be placed together at least for a means to alert people that they may be interested it _____ band if they also like ______ band. This way with the progressive term Im aware I might like other bands that are also progressive, but by my understanding of progressive I dont necessarily expect for example... Dream Theater type of approach, I realize the vast variants of qualifers due to the differences there has always been within the genre. I just know Im in for one kind of trip or another, a musical adventure, thus one of the old slang terms... head music.
edit : pay close attention to the drumming on PT, I didnt until the guy that turned me on to them, a drummer, made me listen. If nothing else, that dude is definantly progressive to the full defination of the word. Lots of little things going on in there, subtle little things, yet intricate. Really great stuff!
Cairath - the thing is, for me, what else can be done when bands need to be placed together at least for a means to alert people that they may be interested it _____ band if they also like ______ band. This way with the progressive term Im aware I might like other bands that are also progressive, but by my understanding of progressive I dont necessarily expect for example... Dream Theater type of approach, I realize the vast variants of qualifers due to the differences there has always been within the genre. I just know Im in for one kind of trip or another, a musical adventure, thus one of the old slang terms... head music.
edit : pay close attention to the drumming on PT, I didnt until the guy that turned me on to them, a drummer, made me listen. If nothing else, that dude is definantly progressive to the full defination of the word. Lots of little things going on in there, subtle little things, yet intricate. Really great stuff!
ShredHeadJHJ
oh noes itz a opinionn
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