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Steven Wilson: The raven that refused to sing (and other tales)

07/02/13 || Smalley

While there are still a few records from 2012 I want to review, a new year means new metal, which means anything from last year gets put on the backburner temporarily (as in maybe never, hah); what can I say, gotta make way for that bulldozer of progress, bitches. Fortunately, even though the first interesting 2013 record said bulldozer brings me only qualifies as hard-ish progressive rock at the most, it’s still great enough on its own terms, and with a frontman with enough 2nd-hand metal cred from years of working with genre icons, that “The raven that refused to sing (and other tales)” could be enough to entertain even the most blood-crazed death metal fanatic.

Could, I stress, but let’s forget about this site’s target audience for a sec, what’s really important here is that I (and every prognerd in the world, I’m sure) enjoy “raven” a shitload, despite my incomplete knowledge of Wilson’s various works; sure, I love his involvement in producing Opeth’s “Blackwater park” & Deliverance, (2 of their best records), I have a bit of a passing familiarity with some of Porcupine Tree’s stuff, and I listened to his good-not-great collab “Storm corrosion” with Akerfeldt from last year, but that’s it; “raven” is the first full effort I’ve listened to from Wilson’s solo records. Then again, lack of familiarity with a band never ever stopped me from writing a review before, so why would it now?

“Raven” kicks off with “Luminol”, which is initially driven by Nick Beggs’ oh-so-lively, proggy bass, and is layered with classically spacey keyboarding, a constantly driving tempo, and an underlying sense of songwriting adventurousness in the truest fucken sense of progressive, where it strikes a delicate-but-perfect balance between quickly driving the things the fuck forward, and even-ing all that out with a slow, soft, very extended midsection where we get to enjoy the softer side of Wilson’s classy vocals. Everyone wins here; the musicians get to show off in little tangents early on where they just freak the fuck out with all sorts of instrumental wankery (Jethro Tull-y flute cameo ftw!), though that thankfully never becomes gratuitous, and we get a lovely cool down in the middle from that heavy prog workout, before things ramp back up and end like they began (which is to say, awesomely).

It’s an adventurous, mind expanding, multi-sectioned 12 minute epic in the finest tradition of the genre, so ubiquitously, gloriously, unabashedly PROG that understated follow-up “Drive home” can only disappoint, if just slightly; it is a pleasantly intimate cut, but coming after the epicness of what proceeded it, it just can’t help but pale in comparison mildly. Absolutely none of that is any of it’s fault though, it was just kind of dealt a bum hand with its placement on the record (maybe try not having your lowest-key track come right after your most sprawling one next time, Stevo?). Fortunately, the 10-minute “The holy drinker” kicks the ambition here the fuck back up with ominous, eerily off-kilter synthwork, wildly energetic performances all around, and that old sense of unrestrained improvisation and exploration (saxophone cameo ftw!) that has become a hallmark of the genre. Which is prog rock. As I’ve mentioned.

Anyway, all the rest of “raven” is excellent, from the triumphantly melodic “The pin drop” to the lovingly peaceful ballad “The watchmaker”, to the compellingly sparse, tender title track… itsall good, baby. And that’s all of the tracks here, even, so if a 6-song record lasting 55 minutes isn’t enough to convince any unswayed progheads by this point, I don’t know WHAT the fuck will, heh. While this one isn’t instantly pleasurable in the knee-jerk, Pavlovian sense of the word, like many great progressive works, it takes time building itself up, and is all the more fulfilling for that, if you’re just willing to be patient with it; but, if you’re just looking for instant-gratification trash, go wank to Beneath The Massacre, you fucken Neanderthal. Harrumph. Anyway, if I add a “Fave non-metal record of the year” category to my year-end best of 2013 article (which I should’ve done on my previous best ofs, d’oh!), “raven” is a strong early contender for the winner, and I have a hard time imagining anything else this year replacing “raven” for that #1; it’s just that motherfucken good.

Prog.

Information
Released: 2013
Label: Kscope
Website: www.swhq.com
Band
Steven Wilson: vocals, guitar, bass, piano, mellotron
Guthrie Govan: lead guitar
Nick Beggs: bass, chapman stick (whatever the hell that is; not gonna Google it, hah)
Marco Minnemann: drums
Adam Holzman: keyboards
Theo Travis: flute, saxophone

Tracklist
01. Luminol
02. Drive Home
03. The Holy Drinker
04. The Pin Drop
05. The Watchmaker
06. The Raven That Refused to Sing

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