By Victor Mansour
Porcupine Tree’s tenth studio album, The Incident once again has proven to be another powerful performance by this veteran UK based quartet. The first CD, which contains fourteen tracks that are all inter-linked, is a masterpiece and can be compared with some of Porcupine Tree’s first few band-oriented releases. The entire piece gives the feeling of being crafted together as a unity with perfect touches in every aspect. Considering it is an extremely well made album, there are no disappointments here. The second CD is more of an EP with only four Tracks but it is just as breathtaking. I think at the first listen to tracks such as “Flicker”, “Black Dahlia”, and “Remember me lover” that many of the “Porcupine” fans will feel they were padding it a bit prior to the ending of each track. It is heavier at times which turns into an awesome structure from track to track, giving a good feel like classic Pink Floyd at times. “Bonnie the Cat”on the other hand is a typical Porcupine Tree – style track. It seems much more original than it is. I have never been a fan of the artwork of Porcupine Tree albums; it seems like a vast majority of their covers are out of focus They use some blurry pictures at times but it goes with the flow of their other releases. However, we’re not really here for the art work, it’s the music that matters, even if some fans will say the opposite. Now for those who do not know Porcupine Tree, they are a progressive rock band in a Pink Floyd, Eloy, David Gilmour style. In my opinion, this has to be one of the top ten albums of the year and it is a must have. As you may have realized, this is a great winner for 2009.
(Roadrunner)
