Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Occam's Razor
2. Blind House, The
3. Great Expectations
4. Kneel And Disconnect
5. Drawing The Line
6. Incident, The
7. Your Unpleasant Family
8. Yellow Windows Of The Evening Train, The
9. Time Flies
10. Degree Zero Of Liberty
11. Octane Twisted
12. Seance, The
13. Circle Of Manias
14. I Drive The Hearse

Disc 2:

1. Flicker
2. Bonnie The Cat
3. Black Dahlia
4. Remember Me Lover

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #658 in Music
• Released on: 2009-09-14
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: .25 pounds

CD Description
Porcupine Tree, have found a way to incorporate both prog rock's '70s, with its 10-minute-plus suites and bombast, and its more refined, rock heavy '80s, into their 2009 effort, THE INCIDENT. Set up similarly to Rush's 1978 classic, HEMISPHERES, THE INCIDENT is comprised of a single long song -- the title track -- that features many different movements, followed by a handful of shorter compositions to close the album. Unlike early proggers who favored meandering instrumentaldoodling over succinct songwriting, Porcupine Tree always favor the importance of memorable songs over flashy solos, which certainly makes the group one of the top modern-day progrock bands.

Customer Reviews

A step (back) in the right direction...
As a long-time fan of Porcupine Tree (and other Steven Wilson side projects) I was becoming increasingly frustrated with the Tree's more recent 'progression' (most notably the heavier sound that became more prevalent from Lightbulb Sun onward). Porcupine Tree fans tend to fall into two broad camps: those that prefer the older, more Floydian and trippy vibe of their early-to-mid period or those who welcomed and have enjoyed their move into heavier rock territory. I fall squarely into the former category and - I am delighted to report - it looks like my patience has paid off (at least in part, which I will come to shortly).

Don't get me wrong; PT never fully 'lost the musical plot' with their last few albums: there are fantastic and transcendent cuts of elegiac power to be found on their more recent offerings ('Arriving Somewhere But Not Here' & 'My Ashes' for example) but sometimes these gems were marooned in a sea of more harsh material and I found they suffered as a result. Hence I have long been waiting (well 'hoping' actually) for an album that would go back to their old 'formula' of perhaps more simplistic yet ultimately more rewarding longer musical excursions. Which finally brings me to my specific thoughts on this album (phew!):


Let me firstly start with the negative by saying that the song-cycle 'The Incident' (which constitutes all of CD1) didn't work for me as a concept. Although it does contain a musical refrain that is revisited and that anchors the piece together it is not strong enough to link the different passages thematically; in fact some of these tracks would not sound out of place if placed in an entirely different context (as they do not rely on each other to 'work' in my opinion). In other words this seemed to me a bit of a hotchpotch of songs that may - I'm guessing here - have been massaged into a concept album retrospectively as it were (i.e. merge the songs, add the musical motif here and there etc). The songs are of variable quality and, yes, they do feature a hard rock/metal sensibility at times but there are nevertheless two quite outstanding tracks among the 'concept' that demand particular attention. The first is the track 'Time Flies' which on first listen actually made me laugh out loud! Why? Well, it is such a shameless and affectionate homage to Pink Floyd that I could scarcely believe PT's brass neck. As soon as the first couple of bars were underway I thought 'mmm...this sounds like Gilmour's urgent, staccato riff in 'Dogs'. Later we are treated to the deep reverberating guitar sound as heard in 'Time' from Dark Side Of The Moon. And to top it off Wilson then uses the almost exact sound (possibly even some of the same chords) that Gilmour employs in the sublime coda/outro at the end of 'Sheep'. What stops all this from being a very clever pastiche is the fact that 'Time Flies' is a superb song that stands up on its own merits and - for me - is possibly 'the' stand-out track of the album: a fully-realised mini-concept within a beautifully executed song. The other notable song of CD1 is the final track 'I Drive The Hearse'. Again this may not please those that like PT at their heaviest but for those that Love Wilson's bleak-yet-tuneful Blackfield work you'll feel right at home here: lyrically and emotionally this is very moving stuff indeed.


Now to CD2 i.e. the CD that is NOT part of the song-cycle. Although only four tracks in length I actually found this to be the better of the two discs and - ironically - I felt all these tracks stood together in a way that the first CD doesn't. The first track `Flicker' has a slow and sinuous feel that put me in mind of 'Spirit Of Eden'period Talk Talk (high praise indeed). Somewhat formless and with no real progression (and all the better for it) it successfully evokes that indistinct PT 'mood' that they do so well. 'Bonnie the Cat' is heavier fare which sets the tone superbly for possibly the highlight of the album namely 'Black Dahlia' which then segues beautifully into the final track 'Remember Me Lover'. These two tracks typify a lot of what I look for in Porcupine Tree's music: powerful yet melancholic (sometimes desperately sad) music that stirs an indefinable sense of loss and wonder in the listener (perhaps best examples of this might be 'Fadeaway' or 'Dark Matter). Now THIS is what I'm talkin' about!


In conclusion, this is not the rumoured return to their previous sound that many might have hoped for. Uneven though it maybe it nonetheless has brilliance in parts that harkens back to former glories. Older fans may as well get used to it: the 'Sky Moves Sideways' days are gone - and what's more most fans seem to prefer the newer PT incarnation anyway. This album has pulled off the trick of managing to straddle the two styles with grace though and, although I'll always prefer their dreamier, psychedelic side, I now find myself more amenable to their increasingly contemporary sound. Hell, I may even learn to love it one day! 'Three stars' for now then (due to the unconvincing 'concept' and a few below-par tracks) but this has potential to be upgraded to four in time. Here's looking forward to the next chapter in Steven Wilson's (and PT's) intriguing musical odyssey...

Experiencing The Incident
Porcupine Tree have always had a loyal fan base, and thus every fan feels passionately about a certain point in PT's career; usually depending on which era they discovered the band. This is where The Incident is bound to divide some of the fans. It never reaches the blistering barrage of the heaviest parts of FOABP's 'Anesthetize', nor does it reach the blatant Floydian influences of songs such as 'Don't Hate Me' on Stupid Dream. What on offer here is quite simply a unique collaboration of each musical style PT have attempted in the past 15 years, condensed into an album with a haunting concept but delivered with all the majestic talent that made me fall in love with the band in the first place.

Although the first CD should be listened to as one long journey through love, life and death it is split up into 14 tracks each telling a story about a certain 'Incident' that inspired the concept of the album. Each sub-section to the 55 min title track is linked lyrically and in theme, if not directly connected by the song transitions. The entire song itself goes through many changes, from the powerful down-tuned rock of 'Blind House' to the beautifully melodic climax of 'I Drive the Hearse'(Which contains a sublime guitar solo reminiscent of 'A Smart Kid' from Stupid Dream). The Incident touches on many emotions and absolutely nails the balance between earlier PT and more recent PT.

However, what a lot of the reviewers on here have seem to have forgotten about is the second CD. Just when i thought the whole album could not get any better i was treated to some of the best individual songs the band have released in years. 'Bonnie the Cat' for example provides the progressive metal complexity of FOABP whilst 'Black Dahlia' (personal favourite) and 'Remember Me Lover' really pull on the heart strings to complete an outstanding second CD.

Overall The Incident is bound to divide audiences, but it shouldn't really because it contains almost everything that have made Porcupine Tree one of the most impressive and important British rock bands around today. It may be a lot for a first timer to digest, but for many die hard Porcupine Tree fans like myself this really is heaven.

The Masterpiece
I've been a Porcupine Tree fan for a long time and I have every LP, EP and rarity that's ever surfaced to do with them. Having said that, I was not a fan of this album's predecessor: Fear Of A Blank Planet, I was disappointed with it to say the least. The Incident, however, is so good that I am inclined to think that in years to come it will be regarded as Porcupine Tree's masterpiece.

It's basically got everything that's great about Porcupine Tree on it, it's got the harmonies, the long meandering instrumentals, the big riffs, the serene ambient textures, the interweaving vocal lines, the wandering time signatures, but most important of all, it has plain fantastic vocal melodies and lyrics. It's just a joy to listen to how well this record is constructed, it's a mature album made by people who have done alot of experimentation and are not afraid to use all of that experience.

There are many different phases to the career of Porcupine Tree, and it's almost like The Incident is comprised of all the very best parts from all those different phases, seamlessly moving through one style to the next.

Finally, I think Steven Wilson has finally accomplished something he has been attempting for some time, which is to bring out an album that you just have to listen to the whole of, rather than the individual tracks on shuffle. It's just so well put together, each track moves so effortlessly and subtly into the next that you want to hear the next bit.

Like most PT albums it is a grower, but my god does this album grow into something magnificent!