TO THE BONE
Caroline International.
Art Pop, Alternative Rock, Progressive Rock.
Listening Format: Digital.
When it comes to modern Progressive Rock, nobody feels like more of a flag-bearer of the genre than Steven Wilson. Sure the "dinosaurs" of the 70s still hold all the acclaim. Whilst Prog has certainly influenced many artists that came after it, and latched onto other subgenres of music, there aren't as many artists in the music limelight who quite openly embrace the somewhat untrendy term. Steven Wilson is one of the brightest stars. He fully embraces all that is Prog. Wilson has even been integral in remastering classic 70s Prog albums by the likes of Hawkwind and Jethro Tull, fully immersing himself into the history of the genre. The Londoner has been making music since the late 80s in various different forms, but his most famous act is Porcupine Tree. Whilst many of the genre leaders like Yes, Genesis and ELP spent their 80s derailing into Pop music and somewhat leaving behind Prog altogether, by the end of the decade Progressive Rock started to see a resurgence with artists inspired by the likes of 'Close to the Edge', 'In the Court of the Crimson King' and 'Dark Side of the Moon' starting to surface. The likes of Dream Theater, Spock's Beard and of course Porcupine Tree. With Steven Wilson as their main songwriter and frontman, Porcupine Tree were truly a progressive band. They explored multiple styles and subgenres, never making the same album twice, always expanding their sound and making complex, thought provoking music. The band seem to be on indefinite hiatus now, but Steven Wilson has basically carried on a similar sound and ethos into his solo ventures.
Wilson's first three solo albums were as Prog as it comes. In particular 'The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories)' was full of mind-boggling complex instrumentation, different movements, long instrumental jamming and soloing, varying themes and time signature changes, analogue production and mastering. It genuinely felt like it was a lost gem from the 70s heyday of Prog. The album that followed, 'Hand. Cannot. Erase' in comparison sacrificed a lot of those things in order to make a much more cohesive and accessible album in terms of songwriting, combining catchy hooks and soaring melodies, with complex playing and Wilson's fetish for the mellotron! This album also sounded much more personal lyrically and much more modern. Sure there were touches of nostalgia, but it very much sounded like what a modern Prog album should. Not all of the Prog-heads got on board with it, but I personally found it to be his best solo album yet (amongst a mighty fine discography). In a way Wilson's fifth full length album 'To the Bone' takes this direction even further. 'To the Bone' is Steven Wilson's most accessible, catchy, hook-laden and Pop oriented album in his solo discography. There isn't even a song that breaches the 10 minute mark! Has he gone mad???
'To the Bone' sucked me right in from the start, opening with one of the strongest tracks (rightly so since it is the title track of the album). After a Morricone inspired Spaghetti Western style intro, bursts a very upbeat and stripped back sound. Production-wise it instantly feels so bright and colourful, with a slight Funk influence kicking in the chorus, complete with soulful female backing vocals. The second half of the song beautifully opens into a dreamy and uplifting ending, punctuated by floaty synth and mellotron that overwhelms the guitar. Wilson's voice cuts through magically. 'Pariah' is a huge standout on the album which sees Wilson's duet partner Ninet Tayeb return. She stirred up such a massive presence on Wilson's previous album 'Hand. Cannot. Erase', especially with her solo vocal on the outstanding downer ballad 'Routine'. They recapture that magic on 'Pariah' with their voices gelling so wonderfully together that it will be hard to imagine future Steven Wilson albums without her presence. Wilson has just got better and better and working in such strong, overwhelming melodies. Surprisingly the two minute long acoustic ballad 'Blank Tapes' is a wonderful little inclusion on the album. It's not often we hear a Steven Wilson track sounding so brittle and so short, so this was a lovely surprise.
'To the Bone' isn't a complete home-run though. 'Detonation' is the clearest attempt to do something more typically "Proggy" but falls a little short with off tangent guitar soloing and changes in direction that don't quite flow. It begins with an intriguing Electronic beat intro, and ends with funky Talking Heads inspired Funk Rock. In an album filled with more linear tunes, it's weird that the most "typical" Steven Wilson track sounds out of place and overbloated. Even still there are still interesting ideas in this track even if as a whole it doesn't quite come together. The single 'Permanating' is a track I keep going back on forth on. I felt like hearing it on it's own, with the video, it sort of worked, but placing it bang in the middle of the album, it feels so jarring. The record suddenly takes a massive sonic jolt, into something really loud and kind of obnoxious. ''Permanating' sounds like a Scissor Sisters song, and genuinely just as camp with pounding piano chords and Wilson's "oh yeah, I'm going full falsetto and you can't stop me!" vocals. It's fun, but I kind of feel like this would have been better as a non-album single. I just don't feel like it fits the flow of 'To the Bone'.
So is 'To the Bone' a Progressive Rock record at all? Yes actually. Steven Wilson continues to prove that he is a progressive artist, and even with a discography as vast as his (if you count all his other projects), it is incredible that the man still has so many fresh ideas inside him, good ones too! Don't get me wrong, 'To the Bone' is not for the King Crimson fan, or for those that enjoy listening to Rick Wakeman make mad, violent love to his keyboards, clad in full wizard attire. Wilson has already done plenty of that kind stuff in the past. With 'To the Bone' he has taken risks and proved that he can make compelling Pop and radio friendly music, which still honours the sound, style, production, writing and ultimately the ethos of Progressive Rock. In many ways, 'To the Bone' makes me think of Arcade Fires' latest album 'Everything Now'. Arcade Fire were once a band known for thinking outside of the box, making challenging and thought provoking music. But with 'Everything Now' they decided to make a catchier, Poppier record and it just fell flat on it's face. Steven Wilson has shown us the right way to make more accessible, easy on the ear music, and yet not sacrifice artistic integrity. 'To the Bone' very much has a less is more approach, but it actually channels two of Porcupine Tree's lighter more accessible and Pop-oriented albums 'Lightbulb Sun' and 'Stupid Dream'. What the album lacks in pomposity and pretension, it more than makes up for in strong melodies, hard hitting choruses and well written songs. If anyone else made this album it would be seen as one of the most ambitious and versatile of the year, yet because STEVEN WILSON, has made this album, somehow it might come across as less ambitious and striking compared to his past discography highs. I personally feel like the tipping scale has worked in Wilson's favour. The lack of pure Prog trademarks is more than suitably made up for with the emphasis on huge melodies and strong writing. And in terms of sound and production, this is still a near immaculate effort. Wilson still manages to inject so many amazing textures, soundscapes and atmospheres, playing with a more than suitable team of collaborators. The man very much knows what he is doing and has invited his listeners into yet another unique and distinctive world full of wonders. It isn't as dark as previous outings, and perhaps it doesn't quite hit as hard as his last two records, but it very much stands on it's own merits. Like the album sleeve and title suggest, this is Steven Wilson stripped to the bone. 8/10.
