Steven Wilson - The Raven That Refused To Sing

As previously announced the forthcoming vinyl compilation LP “Transience" will feature a new recording of Lazarus, originally recorded by Porcupine Tree for the “Deadwing" album in 2004.  

To mark the release of this new version you can listen to my original demo of the song.  This was actually the first of two demos I made of Lazarus, and it features a very different middle 8, subsequently rewritten for the second demo and final album recording.  

Lazarus was one of several songs that were based on a film script that I was working on at the time with my friend Mike Bennion, and the David mentioned in the song is a central character in that script. 

Lazarus (first demo) performed by SW at No Man’s Land, December 2003.

Lazarus (Demo)

Porcupine Tree 
Arriving Somewhere But Not Here (Live)

Porcupine Tree  |  Arriving Somewhere But Not Here (Live)

Dark Matter - Porcupine Tree

Shes moved on - Porcupine Tree

Porcupine Tree Arriving Somewhere But Not Here

Written in 2001 for a planned metal style collaboration with Mikael Åkerfeldt, this song has been revisited several times since, but I could never really make it fit the style of whatever I was doing at the time.  In the meantime the album with Mike finally happened, but in a completely different style to the album we planned 10 years ago (it's coming out in April).  So finally here is the orphan song Cut Ribbon - this is the latest version from the 2010/2011 Grace For Drowning sessions.  Gavin Harrison on drums (recorded in 2008), all other instruments SW.  

Cut Ribbon

In Absentia is the seventh studio album by Porcupine Tree, first released on 24 September 2002. The album marked several changes for the band, with it being the first with new drummer Gavin Harrison and the first to move into a more heavy metal and progressive metal direction, contrary to past albums’ psychedelic and pop rock sounds.

While not a formal concept album, many of the songs still have common themes related to serial killers, youthful innocence gone wrong, and criticisms of the modern world. The album’s title is also tied into this, with the phrase being Latin for “in absence” or “in one’s absence”, often in reference to a person’s rights when mentally unable to be represented in court in legal situations. Wilson said of the title:

“It comes from… It’s related to some of the lyrics. It’s about people on the fringes, on the edges of humanity and society. I have an interest in serial killers, child molesters, and wife beaters… Not in what they did, but in the psychology of why. What caused them to become unhinged and twisted? Why are they unable to empathise? It’s sort of a metaphor – there’s something missing, a black hole, a cancer in their soul. It’s an absence in the soul.”

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Porcupine Tree - Trains (from In Absentia)

The Pineapple Thief - Last Man Standing. Taken from the forthcoming album "All The Wars" out on 3rd September 2012.

The Pineapple Thief - Last Man Standing

These 5 songs were originally included as part of a special 3 disc hardback book edition of Insurgentes released on my own label Headphone Dust a few months prior to KScope issuing the standard version. I had around 25 songs in total from the recording sessions, several of which were dropped because they didn't measure up (some of the other leftover pieces are now released on the Insurgentes film DVD), but I felt these 5 songs were as good as the album material, so it wasn't for lack of quality that I left them off, more to do with context and not wanting the album to be too long as a listening experience.  Instead they were included on a separate CD only available with the special edition (and later on vinyl releases).  The whole idea of the special edition was to experiment with doing something really special with the packaging that took advantage of the multi-media aspect of the project (film, photos, music), and to sell only online.  They were very expensive to make and could only be printed as a one-off edition, so I had to guess at how many to make - even then I became so convinced that I wasn't going to be able to sell them that I priced is such that I basically lost money with every copy sold.  Later on I found myself wondering if the small minority that still complained that they had been "ripped off" in only getting a CD, a CD EP, a DVD, and a ten by ten 128 page clothbound full colour book for their £34 were the same people that later sold their copy on eBay for 10 times what they paid for it.  Anyway, I digress....  Here for those that missed out on the special edition, are the bonus Insurgentes songs in full resolution WAVs, enjoy! Best, S

Collecting Space

These 5 songs were originally included as part of a special 3 disc hardback book edition of Insurgentes released on my own label Headphone Dust a few months prior to KScope issuing the standard version. I had around 25 songs in total from the recording sessions, several of which were dropped because they didn't measure up (some of the other leftover pieces are now released on the Insurgentes film DVD), but I felt these 5 songs were as good as the album material, so it wasn't for lack of quality that I left them off, more to do with context and not wanting the album to be too long as a listening experience.  Instead they were included on a separate CD only available with the special edition (and later on vinyl releases).  The whole idea of the special edition was to experiment with doing something really special with the packaging that took advantage of the multi-media aspect of the project (film, photos, music), and to sell only online.  They were very expensive to make and could only be printed as a one-off edition, so I had to guess at how many to make - even then I became so convinced that I wasn't going to be able to sell them, that I priced is such that I basically lost money with every copy sold! Later on I found myself wondering if the small minority that still complained that they had been "ripped off" in only getting a CD, a CD EP, a DVD, and a ten by ten 128 page clothbound full colour book for their £34 were the same people that later sold their copy on eBay for 10 times what they paid for it.  Anyway, I digress....  Here for those that missed out on the special edition, are the bonus Insurgentes songs in full resolution WAVs, enjoy! Best, S


The 78

This is the official Soundcloud account for UK musician Steven Wilson
