AKARSH SHEKHAR
STEVEN WILSON The Future Bites Score Reviews
Former Porcupine Tree frontman Steven Wilson has explored new sonic landscapes throughout his career , especially since he embarked on his solo project . His latest solo album “ The Future Bites ” is out now via Caroline International and that ’ s what we are reviewing here .
Though he has previously called the 80s a “ bad decade for music ”, he probably loves the decade in general . Just listen to “ 12 Things I Forgot ” as he croons ‘ I just sit in the corner complaining …. Making out things were best in the 80s .” Well if you want to make a solid pop album , the 80s were a great time to get inspired by . “ The Future Bites ” is a pop record after all . Well , there are definitely more elements to it than just pop but that ’ s the essence of this stop of Steven Wilson ’ s musical journey .
Fans of the prog rock / metal days of Porcupine Tree might be a little surprised by the poppy elements of the music . Gone are the crunchy riffs and soaring leads . In their stead , you will find .. well a lot of electronica . If you were looking for Steven Wilson to just do another Porcupine Tree album in the guise of his solo effort , you would be disappointed . However , it wouldn ’ t make sense for Steven Wilson to embark on a solo musical journey while still clinging on to the musical styles of the band he dissolved more than a decade ago . Sometimes , the only way to explore new avenues is to walk away from the beaten old path .
On “ The Future Bites ”, Steven Wilson has worked with famed electronica and dance music producer David Kosten . He had made this announcement prior to work on the album began . That was a very useful hint at the direction that the album was going to take .
If there is one thing that Steven Wilson hasn ’ t done very much in his career , is repeat himself . His music catalogue spans genres such as psychedelia , space rock , trip-hop , jazz fusion , progressive rock , progressive metal , pop , ambient , art rock , alternative rock , pop rock , drone music and trance . Steven Wilson is very similar to his cultural hero Stanley Kubrick as he preferred each piece of his work to be different from anything else he has produced as well .
Coming to the album , the standout tracks are definitely “ Personal Shopper ” and “ King Ghost ”. The former features legend Elton John , whose rich voice and singing style makes for an interesting contrast to Steven Wilson ’ s more restrained performance . However , every song on the album is a journey by itself . It ’ s all over the place but in the best possible way . Another great play in contrast , is the depressing lyrical theme of “ 12 Things I Forgot ” juxtaposed over a very happy tune . This strange combination somehow manages to work very well in the end .
With “ The Future Bites ”, Steven Wilson has regaled all listeners with a brand new musical language . The recording and production are top notch as usual . What is starkly different , is the simplistic and direct musical structure and delivery . The usual musical virtuosity associated with the “ prog ” universe is absent . However , what is progressive music anyway ? If you play similarly complicated music with odd time signatures , weird tempo changes , complex chord progressions and virtuosic displays in every single album , where exactly are you “ progressing ” to ? You can ’ t really be “ progressive ” if you follow a hard set of rules that paint your music in a complicated corner . Yes , “ The Future Bites ” is not a progressive rock album , it definitely is a progressive album . Quite simply because it marks a progression in Steven Wilson ’ s musical journey , the next step , to infinity and beyond .
Verdict : A solid pop record .
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