PORCUPINE TREE
SIGNIFY (1996)
Porcupine tree was founded in 1987 by vocalist/ multi instrumentalist Steven Wilson.
It was his own made up project to explore psychedelic and progressive music.
After gaining more success, Steven Wilson decided to replace the drumcomputer by a real drummer, and that he would give the bassguitar out of hand and most of the synthesizer and keyboard parts to the ex-Japan keyboardist.
So was Porcupine Tree founded, a great band who pushes as far as they can, in their wild journey of great prog rock!
Bornlivedie 1:46
This is a true intro, it starts with a man telling you about this trip you are going to take.
After that it sounds if you get connected.
And the vague music starts.
There isn’t much to say about this track.
There is a woman’s voice saying:
Born, live, die, signify.
This is a real intro
3,5/5
Signify 3:26
The title track.
Starts of with a sound of a machine turning on.
After a few seconds guitar comes in, with a nice fast sound.
After a short period, the rest of the band kicks in.
Playing the same sound as the guitar opening this song
But there is keyboard added now.
The bassline is great on this track (almost every PT song has a great bassline)
A short guitarsolo spot, nothing too great , but it sounds good, and in it’s place.
Keyboard and rolling bass are the elements of this track.
4/5
Sleep of no dreaming 5:24
Awesome track, one of my favourites on this album, and overall for PT.
Starts off with organ.
After a few seconds again a wonderful bassline, and quiet drumming.
Very dreamy vocals by Steven Wilson.
At 1:10 the singing becomes very intense, accompanied by the rest of the band of course
Nice poetic and intense lyrics.
A a few points the song gets a bit louder, but after a while always falls back to just the great bassline.
5/5
Pagan 1:34
Basically a filler track that goes over into the next track very smooth.
Weird and eerie effects make up this song.
Nothing too special.
2/5
Waiting (phase one) 4:24
Starts of with some unusual percussion and an acoustic guitar.
After a few secs an electric guitar appears.
The acoustic guitar plays throughout the entire song, as is the weird percussion.
Nice and dreamy instrumental parts.
Very spacey guitar solo in the middle of the song.
And this solo lasts till the song ends,.
Great song
4/5
Waiting (phase two) 6:16
Starts of with even more African like percussion.
And some weird effects and sounds in the background.
Lots of spots for the synthesizer, while this track’s backbone, the bassguitar, and the percussion, play the same thing over and over.
Half way through, the drumming becomes more intense, and suddenly there is a guitar solo spot.
This song is very much a continuation of the previous song.
Maybe that’s why it’s part two :p
4/5
Sever 5:30
Slow song, sung a bit slow, and unusual.
The synthesizer adds great to the overall tone of the song.
Steven Wilson does his great sleepy vocals on this track again.
Half way trough you hear some sort of recording.
And the song revolves around Steven Wilson singing: ‘laaaalaaaalaalaah’
After a while the recording comes back in, and ends the song with the words:
‘That’s the only way to survive, that’s on your knees.’
4/5
Idiot prayer 7:37
We’re now getting to the more vague and truly progressive part of the album.
After a minute there is still no real music.
Just some weird percussion and some keys.
At just over a minute the guitar comes in, and something sounding like a flute.
(SW used the flute quite a lot on earlier recordings)
The percussion is very African once more
And all of the sudden from the tranquillity there breaks a loose a beat that you could dance to very well.
More recordings on the background.
They are the only spoken parts of the song, no singing from mr. Wilson.
After a short break, the dance beat comes back in, and some great guitaring going on underneath that beat.
Not the best on the album but a good song
3,5/5
Every home is wired 5:09
Together with the sleep of no dreaming my favourite tracks of the album.
Starts of with acoustic guitar and bassguitar, and Steven Wilson singing.
Great lyrics, really deep.
This song has the greatest vocal harmonies and arrangements of the album.
So great, Steven has going on 4 or more vocal parts, very dreamy and soothing.
Half way through some sampled sounds going on, and the song becomes rather vague, adds to the dreamy level of the song.
5/5
Intermediate Jesus 7:29
Starts of with a recording.
And than some very eastern sounding part, accompanied with the great bass sound
Great bass line with some acoustic guitar.
And weird effects from the key department.
No sung parts in this song.
4/5
Light mass prayer 4:28
Well this is a weird but breathtaking song.
This song is intense, yet you could fall asleep to it too.
Imagine dreaming again after a year of no dreaming, that is how intense this song is.
The song ends before you know what’s going on.
Time flies when you’re having fun
5/5
Dark matter 8:59
Introduction by synth and some weird effects.
Not long after bass and drums come in.
And after a while a simple guitar.
Very melancholic sound to this song.
Nice lyrics.
This is truly dark matter, just a great song.
It has everything you’d want to find in a PT song
And there is the greatest guitaring going on, on this song.
The song ends with a man telling you, you’ve reached the end of the journey
And you feel more relaxed than you have been in weeks.
And it’s true, just an awesome cd, one that’s up their with all the other PT records.
PT actually never fails to make a good recording.
5/5
Overall:
This album is really great, it contains every side of PT
From groovy sounding, and easy accessible songs, too dark and melancholic songs, to great guitar solo’s, and great vocal arrangements, and great synth parts. All accompanied by the great lyrics of Steven Wilson.
If you’re looking for a way to get in to the wonderful world of Porcupine Tree, this is for you :thumb:
Overall rating:
4,5/5
Porcupine tree on this record is:
Steven Wilson: vocals, (banshee)guitar, piano, samples.
Richard Barbieri: analogue synthesizers, mellotron, Hammond organ.
Collin Edwin : bassguitar, doublebass.
Chris Maitland: drums, percussion, vocal harmonies.
Let’s hear some comment, cause this is my first review.
I highly recommend it.
