A Review Of Steven Wilson’s First Solo Album “Insurgentes” --- By Little Horus

Of all the members of Porcupine Tree who create solo albums, it’s probably fair to say that most fans were waiting for Steven Wilson, the main creative force behind the band, to make one. Now he has done so and it is what you would expect from a musician of his stature. The album opener, “Harmony Korrine”, is melancholy in nature, but builds from a slow starter to a solid rock chorus. In general, the entire album has a melancholy theme to it, but not in a way that makes you want to slit your own throat, for the melodies and songs are very well crafted and too beautiful for such thoughts. Almost every song is different from the last on the album, as Steven Wilson recorded the album all over the world (Japan, Mexico, Israel) and captured each song as snapshot of time. As the opener is a more standard structure rock composition, the song that follows it is more electronic and ambient in nature. The recording itself sounds great and if you listen to the surround sound mix on the bonus DVD, it is even better. Steven Wilson knows how to mix a recording and on some material, pushes the envelope.

On the track “Significant Other”, the song is built around an epic guitar melody that builds into an avalanche of sound in the chorus with a female vocalist singing progressively higher notes with each vocal line and then the main vocals join in. Going on underneath the vocals you have that same guitar melody, though in the chorus it is distorted and louder and the drums are going crazy and some sort of keyboard noise is continually drowning out everything with each second of time. Suddenly, it all stops and you get the melody in the song very quietly on a piano. Basically, an incredible use of dynamics within a song and studio skills in the mixing process. The last few tracks on the album are piano driven and low key, but extremely haunting with the use a few other instruments, especially on the last song “Insurgentes”. There is a Japanese koto being played in the background and sounds as cool as hell in the mix.

Steven Wilson also brings the A-Team of musicians on this album. Porcupine Tree drum wizard Gavin Harrison plays on many tracks along with recognizable names such as Jordan Rudess and Tony Levin. Another great aspect to this album is the documentary of the same name that is being made by Lasse Hoile about Steven Wilson and his journey to find inspiration for making music and the importance of the album experience. Steven Wilson has expressed concern over the technology in today’s music that delivers lower quality sound through MP3s and that listeners are not getting the full experience of the music as artists intend through things such as vinyl and album packaging. Steven Wilson recently said in Billboard magazine that the “album is alive” and there are plenty of fans out there who still want the experience of the best quality sound recordings and album artwork and are willing to pay for it. He would know, since he quickly sold out of the 4,000 limited edition versions of his solo album online at the end of last year, before the retail release of the record.

A true artist in every sense of the word, Steven Wilson’s solo effort is another worthy addition to his prolific output. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes good music, written for the sake of music and not for monetary gain. If you like this album and haven’t heard any of his other work, check out No-Man, Blackfield, and of course, Porcupine Tree. AAA quality!

Great Opening Scenes: ---by Cameron @ Eastern

Great Opening Scenes:

I’ve always hated arriving late for a film. Whether on the big screen, or on the TV, if I miss the beginning, I’d rather not even see the movie. The corollary to this is that if the opening sequence is wasted, ill-conceived, or useless, I know I can pretty much quit watching. The opening scenes are crucial to understanding the language of film. The opening shots establish the theme, mood, look, and overall message of a movie while preparing the viewer for the experience to come. A good beginning signals a well-thought out and worth-while film. That being said, I’d like to list out some of my favorite opening scenes, with youtube links.

Barry Lyndon



All of Kubrick’s films have masterful opening images, but I like this one the best. The use of dramatic music, the painterly image, the detached narration, and, yes, the humorous timing of the action all combine to prepare us for a period film unlike any other.


Aguirre the Wrath of God



In essence, this is Werner Herzog’s philosophy in filmed form: the vastness of nature and its dominance over humanity. The porters and soldiers struggle up the incredible South American mountain, looking like little more than ants. How puny they are. And how ambivalent are their surroundings to their collective plight.

Silent Light


Opening Sequence in Werckmeister Harmonies
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcDVjCNTVP8

This one takes a while, and the youtube compression doesn’t help matters, but, trust me, the shot is well worth the time. It’s a wonderfully conceived tracking shot that doubles as a time-lapse, almost casually overwhelming us with the beauty of everyday nature. Again, a shot that encapsulates, in a great way, the theme of the film: that everyday occurrences, despite their seeming normalcy, are often miraculous.

The New World

I couldn’t find the complete opening on youtube, so here they are split up a bit.





This is a masterful visual montage. Notice that the narration doesn’t actually detail any events taking place on screen. The narration only clues us in on the interior world of the characters. The visuals deliver all the plot details that are necessary. The sense of discovery that both these cultures share in exploring their respective “new worlds” is remarkably captured in just a few frames.

Werckmeister Harmonies



This one, of course, is a bit of a cheat. The first shot of this film comprises a good chunk of the movie. But, its seeming simplicity as a long take is belied by the complex choreography and the profound elucidation on the order of the solar system.

Of course, there are as many good film openings as there are good films, and not all of them are available on youtube, but I wanted to show off some of my favorites.

----Cameron at Eastern in Las Vegas

Portrait of the Greatest Perv that ever lived or The Young Person’s Guide to R. Kelly --by Ed @ Tempe

Somehow I am grateful for the existence of R. Kelly.

Now, I’m aware that it’s nearly impossible to bring up his name without drawing some strong guttural reaction, whether negative or otherwise. Most of my friends believe his records are shit (completely overlooking the fact that a prerequisite to enjoying his music on any level is a willingness to meet it on its own terms or at least approach it with a sense of humor). Moreover, I’m hard-pressed to find an artist who has encountered more ridicule, condescension, and bad press than the self-proclaimed pied piper of R&B (Well, upon deeper rumination, Britney, Whitney, Mariah, Phil Spector, and the king of pop are certainly in contention for the crown of Looney Tunes Royalty but suffice to say, R. Kelly is easily in the running).


Clearly, a large part of Robert Kelly’s charm/repulsion resides in the fact that he’s a walking freak show. On top of that he’s arguably the most unstable, neurotic, irresponsible, and narcissistic performers to have emerged out of the shadows of R&B since Marvin Gaye. His quirks and inherent bad reputation—which began as a manufactured persona but steadily snowballed into outright dysfunction and derision (never underestimate the damage caused by an artist that believes his own hype)—makes it easy to ignore the fact that he has single-handedly ushered in a new era of R&B and has spawned countless watered-down facsimiles in the process.


R. Kelly is also responsible for recording some of the most unclassifiable idiosyncrasies of our time. Cuz let’s face it, for all his brilliance, John Zorn will never make music as inherently puzzling and wide-reaching as any of the chapters in Trapped in the Closet (nor, for that matter, music as consistently popular). All those experimental gurus on the fringes of the music industry forgot the Number One Rule in blowing people’s minds—and it’s simply this: Do the unexpected. R. Kelly has always had (at least on a subconscious level) a realization of people’s preconceived notions of what he was about and he almost always (at least recently) went ten paces beyond. Moreover, the fact that R. Kelly has eleven albums under his belt and his career spans two entire decades is almost counter-intuitive if not virtually unbelievable, even to me, particularly when you factor in the man’s brand of music and the current shelf-life of mainstream artists in the music industry. I’d almost go so far to say that the man is incapable of creating a flop song even if he tried to. Because nowadays, it’s rare to find an R&B singer whose career lasts more than two albums, much less a string of platinum hits from an aging crooner playing out his senility in 22 chapters of the most ridiculous and over-the-top melodrama ever committed to tape. Be that as it may, Trapped in the Closet provided all the proof I needed to confirm R. Kelly’s status as one of the most interesting and relevant artists working in music today.


Whether you love, hate, or are completely indifferent to R. Kelly’s music, you gotta admit he’s reached some pretty bizarre heights. Here’s a quick run down, and keep in mind that this is only the stuff we know about, to wit: allegations of child pornography (which are technically more than allegations since there’s sex tape footage to support these claims), another sex tape involving Gary Sheffield’s wife, hooked up with his long-time publicist’s daughter, hooked up with his wife’s god-daughter, ghost written for Michael Jackson, swindled South African investors out of $130,000 for fraud, was briefly married to Aaliyah (when she was fifteen years old), has been pepper-sprayed by a member of Jay-Z’s entourage, has a penchant for defecating on his lovers (does anyone have any doubt that urine was merely the appetizer before the main course?), tried to convince his younger brother, Carey, to take the rap for the infamous sex scandal (in exchange for $50,000, a record deal, and a house), has collaborated with Celine Dion (which may be the strangest development yet), and as a backlash of bad publicity from his child pornography case, has released a statement in his defense where he said the following: “They can criticize you without even knowing you and hate you when they don't even know you. All of a sudden, you're like the bin Laden of America. Osama bin Laden is the only one who knows exactly what I'm going through.” Sure, Robert, whatever you say. Apparently, R. Kelly has been a public embarrassment for so long that he doesn’t care what he says to the press.


Or, perhaps, R. Kelly has been mauled for so long that he’s immune to the hatchet in his back. One thing is certain, however. R. Kelly is a survivor. Beyond the thrust of controversy and his penchant for lust (and advertising that lust over radio waves, and getting that crap on the mainstream charts) is a man who will trudge onward no matter how many times he gets beaten down and bloodied. Indeed, there are eternal verities in the universe, real talk, and the one that appeals to me is man’s propensity to rise above the ruins and vestiges and still be heard. I think William Faulkner spoke on this subject in his Nobel Prize Speech. Very few people can claim the hardships brought on by one’s own stupidity like R. Kelly can, but at least he has the fortitude and perseverance to carry on—and that detail makes him nothing less than a titan.

Ed @ Tempe

Yeah Yeah Yeahs “It’s Blitz!” ---By Mike C (Indie Buyer)

Yeah Yeah Yeahs “It’s Blitz!”



What I found out upon listening to It’s Blitz! is that on paper, the components that make up much of this album (slick and dancey, more synth and less guitars, the absence of visceral Karen O freak-outs) would have been a deterrent to me when in fact this may well be the most cohesive and affective YYY’s album to date. This realization seemed to render most academic judgment I could offer obsolete so instead I’m just going to spout off about why this album will make you feel good.

The songs on It’s Blitz! essentially fall into two categories. They are either upbeat and fierce dance/rock songs or beautiful and vulnerable ballads-give or take a few BPMs. The songs in the first category are the scariest for people like myself who have a tendency to take their music a touch too seriously and don’t…ahem, dance. But in the hands of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs you can’t help but succumb to the infectious feel-good nature of songs like “Zero” and “Heads Will Roll” that are simply oozing with too much character and vitality to resist. I defy you to stand still and keep a smile off of your face during the quick paced numbers! This feat is in no small part due to the fact that Karen O is still every bit as intriguing a front woman as she was on previous albums. That she’s accompanied by fantastic production and well crafted contributions from band mates Nick Zinner and Brian Chase doesn’t hurt either.

Still, the jewel of the album lies in the softer heartfelt moments where Karen O shows that her vocal range goes beyond the shriek and howl of earlier material. Here she delicately slides in and out of some of the most engaging melodies the group has ever recorded. This is perhaps best exemplified on the acoustic version of album stand out, “Skeletons”, where O’s trembling voice projects subtle and evocative lyrical imagery while harmonizing with the track’s delicate string arrangements. I fully expect this song to become the standard soundtrack to broken hearts and love making sessions for the foreseeable future. Other tracks like “Hysteric” and “Little Shadow” occupy similarly stunning territory.

Put plain and simple, this album will make you joyfully bounce and sing in your car and provide you a comforting shoulder to lean on in moments of trial and introspection.
If you put aside whatever you expect out of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs sonically and simply let It’s Blitz! do its job, I have a hard time believing you’ll be dissatisfied.

I highly recommend you pick up the deluxe version of the album. It features four of the album tracks in acoustic form including the aforementioned “Skeletons”. These songs really lend themselves to an acoustic arrangement and the album as a whole benefits.