Steven Wilson
The Raven That Refused To Sing

From this 2013, I would have expected anything, even the return of Tool, but not a new Steven Wilson album. Besides, this also means surprising the listener, and not just with music!

“The Raven That Refused To Sing” is an “easy” album as Wilson himself calls it after the spontaneous question “but where the h*** do you find the time?”, and from easy albums derive quick times… perhaps.

The album, it can be said explicitly, is a real dive into the past: bombastic and sudden prog rock that makes us lament living in this third millennium. Yes, I know it’s heresy to compare Steven’s music to the past, but the remake here is so brazen, it’s obvious. He wanted to do it on purpose, otherwise, he’s starving.

Doubts are swept away already by the first minutes of “Luminol”: wild bursts of instrumental interludes capable of killing us in no time if only they were weapons. Body of a thousand whales! Following the album, one can enjoy a couple of (semi)ballads like the moving “Drive Home”, and the ancestral “The Pin Drop”; a couple of “colossal” ones like “The Watchmaker” and the final title track, with a truly monumental underlying melody. I skipped “The Holy Drinker”, the most amusing(in a good way), evident in its virtuosic interludes (I attach a sample) and in the poppy verses (no sample). You won’t tire of discovering them listen after listen!

Six songs might seem few, but the durations are on the high side: a good 55 minutes. Despite his great experience, Wilson always repeats his small mistakes. The songs are very long: they range from 5 to peaks of 11/12 minutes. The price might be compensated by the quality and quantity of execution, but not in our case; the quality is indeed there, but the quantity of ideas is really minimal. The themes (especially the beginnings/endings) are stretched to the limit; at several points, I was even bored. I hope it’s a subjective thing, but I believe this is the most elongated album of recent years and of the porcupine’s career. A little defect.

Otherwise, just mention 3 names: Alan Parsons: one of the greatest mixers of the past (see Pink Floyd and The Beatles); Guthrie Govan: the most eclectic and unique guitarist of these times; Marco Minnemann: an astonishing drummer, varied in style like few others. Not to mention the imposing sound wall made up of flutes, percussion, saxophones, clarinets, bass, and keyboards of every kind. Wilson has really gone all out on this work, and what was a solo project has almost turned into a second (third, fourth) band, obviously everything revolves around his wishes but already discovering that live he is a “do-it-all/do-nothing” makes you think…

In conclusion, “The Raven That Refused To Sing” is a well-made and very refined album; the melodies are exceptional, the solos well thought out, the accompaniments enchanting, and the voice harmonious. As always, Wilson never disappoints, producing albums in industrial quantities yet with artisanal quality. I only find this small gap with the overly prolonged durations, but it weighs relatively little.

Enjoy it and satisfy your thirst for good music. Body of a thousand whales!