Porcupine Tree - Stupid Dream

Year of Release: 1999
Label: Kscope
Catalog Number: SMACD-813
Format: CD
Total Time: 60:00:00

For a long time many people told me: ?Davide, why don't you listen to Porcupine Tree's music? They're very similar to Pink Floyd and usually play a prog-psychedelic-rock.?

So here we are! My first consideration is: this disc's genre isn't progressive, nor psychedelic. (Surely, the next one, Lightbulb Sun, is closer to this style than Stupid Dream.) It's something different: it's a delicate old-style rock with a few progressive elements.

I told these things for a simple reason: there are some songs on this work, like "Pure Narcotic," which could appear on the first Genesis release, From Genesis To Revelation and it was published in the 1969! In fact, I believe this Stupid Dream is influenced by Genesis, Radiohead and REM more than Pink Floyd

The opening track starts with Steven Wilson's distorted guitar and is the leading song of the album. It's a seven minute long piece and it's also present in Recordings with an even longer version, where there is an instrumental final section.

The other tracks are more or less on the same way of "Even Less." Steven Wilson has written almost all the songs (only "Tinto Brass" is composed by Porcupine Tree as a whole) and there is his personal and bright sign on this album. Therefore I think this is music for everyone, also thanks to Wilson's quiet voice. I adore it!

As I am a progressive rock fan I judge as the best moments of the disc, "Don't Hate Me," which has a wonderful central part where there are some interesting solos (flute and sax), and the instrumental "Tinto Brass," a meltin' pot of many genres.

Tracklisting:
Even Less (7:11) / Piano Lessons ( 4:21) / Stupid Dream (0:28) / Pure Narcotic (5:02) / Slave Narcotic (4:41) / Don't Hate Me (8:30) / This Is No Rehearsal (3:27) / Baby Dream Cellophane (3:15) / Stranger By The Minute (4:31) / A Smart Kid (5:22) / Tinto Brass (6:17) / Stop Swimming (6:53)

Musicians:
Richard Barbieri - analogue synthesizers, hammond organ, mellotron
Colin Edwin - bass guitar
Chris Maitland - drums, percussion
Steven Wilson - vocals, guitars, piano, samples

Discography:
On The Sunday Of Life... (1991)
Voyage 34 (1992)
Up The Downstair (1993)
Voyage 34: Remixes (1993)
Staircase Infinities (1994)
Moonloop E.P. (1994)
The Sky Moves Sideways (1995)
Signify (1996)
Coma Divine - Recorded Live In Rome (1997)
Stupid Dream (1999)
Voyage 34 - The Complete Trip (2000/2004/2005
'4 Chords That Made A Million' (2000)
Lightbulb Sun (2000/2008)
'Shesmovedon' (2000)
Lightbulb Sun - Special Edition (2001)
Recordings (2001)
Stars Die: The Delerium Years 1991 - 1997(2002/2005)
Metanoia (2002)
In Absentia (2002)
In Absentia (European version) (2003)
Warszawa (2005)
Deadwing (2005)
Porcupine Tree (2006)
Fear Of A Blank Planet (2007)
Nil Recurring (2008)
The Incident (2009)

Arriving Somewhere... (DVD) (2006)

Genre: Progressive Rock

Origin UK

Added: February 11th 2003
Reviewer: Davide Guidone

Artist website: www.porcupinetree.com
Hits: 2391
Language: english