I noticed the new Porcupine Tree album (Closure // Continuation) has dropped to number 54 in the UK album charts after just one week at number 2.
It's hardly a surprise. All the fans who had been waiting for Closure // Continuation have likely bought it now (or ripped it off from somewhere).
Some time ago I forwarded 'Time Flies' to @steddyman who told me he got bored. I think some are mentally attuned to the 4 minutes pop song and don't get something with a length of 11 or 12 minutes.
After listening to the new album repeatedly I can honestly say they are back again, and it’s up to the quality of their older stuff.
I found Closure // Continuation lacking filler tracks, which is something I can't say of the older albums.
What is perceived of the metal era, that is ‘In Absentia’, ‘Deadwing’, ‘Fear of a Blank Planet’ and ‘The Incident’ there are songs I skip on all.
Closure // Continuation is consistent. I like them all even if none are killer tracks.
While browsing around YouTube this morning I found the band had gotten around to releasing the FULL version of 'Time Flies', all 11 minutes including the building, brooding, dark section that starts around 4 minutes in and contains a guitar solo that always makes me reach for the air guitar.
Why did I never learn to play this instrument? As well as hurting your fingers I barely got past basic chords.
I have noticed a whole load of these reaction videos uploaded to YouTube. It's where someone shows their reaction to music, presumably on the first listen.
I don't believe for a second it's really their first listen. If I were doing this, I would be harnessing a blank expression as I rarely get it on first listen.
I am quite disappointed that the band has not yet released the full version of 'Fear of a Blank Planet. The live version is full but lacks the intensity of the studio version.
I have heard this song far too many times now, but can't ignore the power it wields. Those heavy riffs, poignant lyrics, and that dominant keyboard from halfway through the song are what make it.
As for the new album, I did ask Steven personally when I met him in April 2022 if they were going to hold any gigs outside London.
The answer was negative and he asked me to visit the capital to see Porcupine Tree. The tickets may well be sold out by now, but I am not discounting it.
Dignity stands out as one of the better and more accessible songs on Closure // Continuation, if not one of the heaviest, and is suitably long at over 8 minutes.
I mentioned to @steeve that the extra songs are fantastic and it’s a crime to have left them off the standard version of the album.
I guess the Japanese version will include them, doesn’t it always happen?
Why leave off 'Population Three'? Could it be that due to it being an instrumental it did not make the cut?
There's a section in the song around 5:10 that contains some crazy screeching guitar that rocks my boat. I am sure @detlev would approve.
When it comes to progressive thoughtful tracks, possibly Chimera's Wreck. It boasts of great possibilities with that brooding start, has lots of potential but falls slightly short of epic-ness. I love the new album but a killer track would have made it a classic.
...and for all the smart-arses out there... yes, I know it's not weekend and this is 'Alternative Weekend' but as it's my community I can write when I like....
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