Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Blackest Eyes
2. Trains
3. Lips Of Ashes
4. The Sound OF Muzak
5. Gravity Eyelids
6. Wedding Nails
7. Prodigal
8. The Creator Has A Mastertape
9. Heartattack In A Lay by
10. Strip The Soul
11. Collapse The Light Into Earth

Disc 2:

1. Drown With Me
2. Chloroform
3. Strip The Soul (alternative edit)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2232 in Music
• Released on: 2003-01-13
• Number of discs: 2
• Formats: Enhanced, Box set

Amazon.co.uk Review
In Absentia, their Lava Records debut, is the latest fruit of Porcupine Tree mainstay Steven Wilson's obsession with progressive rock, a mania that dates to the late-1980s when the "band" was little more than a fantasy, though one with a remarkably imaginative--if entirely fictional--history and bio. But that pipedream eventually became a real "alt prog" cult fave, with these dozen ambitious songs finding a focus that occasionally eluded the band on half-hour soundscapes such as "Voyage 34". Tracks such as "Gravity Eyelids" have a retro-psychedelic feel that would have done the XTC alter ego Dukes of Stratosphear proud, with Wilson's pure melodic tenor pushing it beyond the merely baroque.

In Absentia is also a strong statement of another crucial Wilson/Porcupine retro-sensibility: the album has a unified musical statement. "Lips of Ashes" and "Prodigal" serve up the sort of impressionistic, harmony-rich musings that Pink Floyd have rarely managed since Wish You Were Here, while "The Creator Has a Master Tape" punctuates the rich harmonies of tracks such as "Heart Attack in a Layby" with King Crimson-esque metallic thrash and processed vocals. While the band's instrumental prowess sometimes slums its way into the free-form jazz noodling of past efforts, the album remains one of Porcupine Tree's fullest achievements. --Jerry McCulley

Album Description
Now one of the most powerful albums of the last five years comes alive as DTS Entertainment presents a DVD-Audio version of 'In Absentia', including 5.1 surround tracks for DVD-Video players. Also included are three bonus tracks not found on the conventional CD version as well as two music videos, also mixed in 5.1 surround.

Customer Reviews

Porcupine Tree's fullest achievement
Steven Wilson's fantasy joke band, complete with fictional history and bio have achieved far more than most real bands have. The retro-psych "new Pink Floyd" melodic prog stuff is as polished and epic as ever, but perhaps as a result of listening to Swedish black metallers Opeth (who Steve went on to produce) he has brought a much bigger and brutal guitar sound into the mix and some killer riffs to boot (the opener for example).

I would however like to single out Trains as the best track on the album. Train images and sounds puntuate steve's recordings (he grew up in Hemel near a track and they provided the soundtrack to his youth). This record is a perfect piece of prog and a great track in any genre. It has an acoustic/electric quiet/loud dynamic, some amazingly yearning lyrics, and an unexpected banjo passage. i feel clumsy trying to explain the awesome beauty of this record so am gonna stop. just buy it and listen.


This is Porcupine Tree's fullest achievement.

Music of the highest calibre
What a joy to discover a band of this quality (thanks to Bob Harris on Radio 2). I can't believe I haven't come across them previously. What is particularly great though is that they have a whole back catalogue spanning about 16 years for me to peruse.
The DVD-A version is tremendous and the 5.1 mix even improves on the high quality stereo version (this is well recorded/engineered music in addition to the fact that they're fantastic songs.
Imagine a mix of the following artists at their best - Rush/Floyd/Beach Boys/King Crimson/Todd Rundgren/Crosby, Stills, Nash/NIN all thrown into a melting pot with PT's originality added for good measure. It's a long time since I've been this impressed. WOW!

Brilliant in parts, if a bit inconsistent...
I have to admit, 'In absentia' is my first exposure to the work of Porcupine Tree.....and, overall, I am really impressed.

One of the reasons for trying out this band is that I wanted something which combined the best bits of prog-rock (great arrangement / musical ability / sense of melody / experimentation) with a modern twist. Porcupine Tree definitely delivers on that score. Imagine, if you will, The Moody Blues shaking hands with Metallica; 90125-era Yes rubbing shoulders with 'Moving Pictures'-period Rush. Add a little Radiohead and you're fairly close to the sound and vibe of this great little album.

On the down side, I feel that the album opens with its two best tracks and never really quite recaptures that form. 'Blackest eyes' and 'Trains' are great songs, combining melody, light and shade and some inspired arrangements (the banjo / handclap section towards the end of 'Trains' is absolute genius!).

Some of the songs that follow are good without really grabbing me to the same extent and some of the rest descends too easily into rather morose, atmospheric noodling. A futher slight down-side is that, in places, some of the lyrics are just a bit tacky and pretentious.

....so all in all, a bit of a mixed bag, but based on the best bits of 'In Absentia' I'm definitely going to try out some of their other stuff. At its best this album is a breath of fresh air and the best material on here is as good as anything I've heard in a long while.

Recommended.