Porcupine Tree: The Incident

[pmckeealaska]

Picked up Porcupine Trees latest effort recently. If any of you have listened to their stuff before, you know how great sounding it is (especially the stuff they've released in DVD-A format....check out Deadwing sometime). The new album is a 2 CD Tour de Force. The entire first disc is the epic 55 minute title track broken up into 14 parts. So far thats all I've listened to but it freakin rocks. Going to pour a drink tonight and listen to disc two. Would love to see these guys live but alas, I doubt they'll ever come up to Alaska.

[F1nut]

Can you tell me more about their type of music?

[concealer404]

It's hard to explain.... the wiki does a pretty good job in my opinion, though.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porcupine_Tree

You can check out their stuff on www.imeem.com

[GV#27]

I'll have to check this one out.I have Deadwing ,Stupid Dream and the Live DVD set.It's hit and miss for me as I love some tracks and hate others.Steve Wilson's production work is excellent and IMO their DVD-A 's are some of the best sounding.

[F1nut]

It's hard to explain.... the wiki does a pretty good job in my opinion, though.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porcupine_Tree

You can check out their stuff on www.imeem.com

Thank you, sir. I will check them out.

[concealer404]

No problem. I have to be in the mood for it, and like GV#27, there's some tracks that i love, and some that i just can't listen to.

Much like The Sound of Animals Fighting for me. :p

[GV#27]

some that i just can't listen to....

much like The Sound of Animals Fighting for me. :pThats how my wife would describe most PT songs:D
This is one of my faves of theirs,it reminds me abit of Rush from their Hemispheres era. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=denmLd00fTo

[speakergeek]

Time Flies actually is quite good IMO.

[Ron Temple]

A friend burned me a copy since I'm waiting for it to be released in DVD A. On his rig it sounded much nicer than on mine. It doesn't seem to play well with the SDA effect. The multiple lead lines create a muddy mess, guitar leads are especially strident...too many reflections on the vocal harmonies as well. The music is top notch, as usual. Not quite as accessible as some earlier work, but it begs for repeated listening to grow on you. One guy suggested that Wilson is using some digital crosstalk cancellation in the recording which mucks up SDA. I've never experienced this with this band. Though I own all their DVD As and a couple of CDs. There's just not enough space between tracks on this one. It needs a multi-channel mix to separate the instruments. I put it on vacation until the DVD A comes out.

[Ron Temple]

A friend burned me a copy since I'm waiting for it to be released in DVD A. On his rig it sounded much nicer than on mine. It doesn't seem to play well with the SDA effect. The multiple lead lines create a muddy mess, guitar leads are especially strident...too many reflections on the vocal harmonies as well. The music is top notch, as usual. Not quite as accessible as some earlier work, but it begs for repeated listening to grow on you. One guy suggested that Wilson is using some digital crosstalk cancellation in the recording which mucks up SDA. I've never experienced this with this band. Though I own all their DVD As and a couple of CDs. There's just not enough space between tracks on this one. It needs a multi-channel mix to separate the instruments. I put it on vacation until the DVD A comes out.Based on a couple of suggestions, I disconnected the SDA cable. What a difference, much better. There is some crosstalk cancellation already imbedded in this recording. SDA makes it unlistenable...either disconnect or wait for the DVD A.

[Graboid]

I don't mean to sound dumb, but what is an SDA cable? I have been enjoying the heck out of The Incident since the day it was released. It just keeps getting better with every listen.

[GV#27]

I don't mean to sound dumb, but what is an SDA cable? The SDA ( Stereo Dimensional Array) speakers have an extra set of drivers the purpose which is to provide cancelation of interaural crosstalk .The cable interconnects the SDA sections of the left and right speakers.

[Ron Temple]

I don't mean to sound dumb, but what is an SDA cable? I have been enjoying the heck out of The Incident since the day it was released. It just keeps getting better with every listen.The cable enables the outer dimensional drivers. You'll have to look up crosstalk for a complete explanation, but simply put, SDA cancels what you right ear hears from the left channel and vice versa, by putting information from the right channel into the left dimensional arrays...and vice versa...make sense?

Anyway, the effect is a widening of the soundstage...to the walls and beyond. Adding digital cancellation to SDA just mucks up the presentation, so I'd recommend disconnecting the cable for this CD.

[Graboid]

Thanks, I was unaware of the cables and what they do. I really do love the new Porcupine Tree though.

[Montoya]

Just picked this album up today after a good run through I will post my impressions.

[Ron Temple]

On Halloween I got to spend some leisure time listening to this album all the way through without thinking things sounded wrong. It's probably the 4th or 5th time, but the first serious listen. This time it grabbed me. It's an excellent, old timey, concept piece. 14 songs with no pauses between them, some with shared melodies, some choruses inverted and played later on, some wicked percussion, dreamy harmonies, astounding vocals, intermixed with some pretty hard edged rock. It reminded me, in concept and execution not musically, of Geneisis, Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. Just one big piece of dense music, different, but related. I really liked it. The 4 bonus tracks on the 2nd disc are great too. Each is a stand alone. None disappoint.

Great album. Give it a few listens to sink in...you'll be impressed. Can't wait for the multichannel mix in DVD A. Steve Wilson writes with 5.1 in mind and his mixes really are astounding, not disconcerting. It will really open up.

[GV#27]

Any idea of release date for the DVD-A?

[Ron Temple]

Any idea of release date for the DVD-A?No, I haven't heard anything, but the last one FOABP came out about 6 months after the CD release...so look for it late winter/early spring.

[pmckeealaska]

I have also been listening to this more seriously in the last week and I really love it. Long concept type songs can be boring to listen to sometimes, but the first disc of this album really keeps me interested. Plus, the albums they put out just sound so damn good! I dont understand why every band cant put out albums of this kind of sonic quality...

[AsSiMiLaTeD]

It didn't take long to grow on me, I like it alot. I wouldn't recommend this as a first PT album, as it's a bit less accessible than something like In Absentia, but it's an awesome album

[pmckeealaska]

Deadwing is probably more accessible as well and I think a tad more melodic, but I still like the new album. Wish I could see them in concert but, alas, I live in Alaska :(

[Billm57]

dont care for the new release at all..i loved all their stuff up to Deadwing only

[Ron Temple]

I have also been listening to this more seriously in the last week and I really love it. Long concept type songs can be boring to listen to sometimes, but the first disc of this album really keeps me interested. Yeah, during the 70s, if a song wasn't at least 9 minutes, I didn't think there was enough content ;):D. This one is 55 minutes broken into 14 songs with tons of variety. Time Flies is the only one that goes over 7.

[Ron Temple]

Since my last post, I haven't listened to this disk. Tonight I thought I'd check it out on my upgraded player. Wow, wow, wowie, wowiewow, wowiewowwowwow. If you're a fan or want to try something different, keep giving this one a listen. The more I hear it, the better and I mean much better it gets. I wish I could afford the lights to go along with that sound...hell, I wish the band could afford the lights that my mind says should go along with this music. The stuff Steven Wilson did with his voice is utterly amazing.

[Ron Temple]

Pre-orders through Burning Shed...5.1 DVD A, DTS, uncompressed 2 channel.

[Ron Temple]

I seem to be the onlyh one posting in this thread :o....

Got the DVD A yesterday and gave it a spin today. As I expected, this disk was intended for MCH. The additional space really opens up the detail that had been crammed into 2 channels. It's quite an experience.

[muncybob]

I'll be getting the DVD A soon. I always listen to PT in multi-ch...like 'em all! Since the Mrs. does not care for them I wait until she leaves for work(9:30pm) and crank it up...even my puppy likes them in multi channel.

[pmckeealaska]

I read in Rolling Stone yesterday that Mr. Wilson from PT has been remastering a number of King Crimson albums with Robert Fripp for release in DVD-A format. If anyone is into KC, I'd be willing to bet these albums will sound fresh as the day they were released! I'll be picking up "Red" in DVD-A first.

[Radridd]

I love this band. Just ordered FOABP, Stupid Dream, and The Incident from burning shed. I already have Absentia and Deadwing. The sound quality on Deadwing is amazing.