To the Bone Steven Wilson Artist

Restlessness has been a defining characteristic of {|Steven Wilson|}'s musical career. One need only consider his many projects as evidence: {|No-Man|} with {|Tim Bowness|}, {|Blackfield|} with {|Aviv Geffen|}, {|Porcupine Tree|}, {|Bass Communion|},... Read more

Restlessness has been a defining characteristic of {|Steven Wilson|}'s musical career. One need only consider his many projects as evidence: {|No-Man|} with {|Tim Bowness|}, {|Blackfield|} with {|Aviv Geffen|}, {|Porcupine Tree|}, {|Bass Communion|}, and {|I.E.M.|}, and his four earlier prog/pop solo projects, {|Raven That Refused to Sing|}, {|Hand. Cannot. Erase|}, {|Grace for Drowning|}, and {|Insurgentes|}. He even whet punters' appetites for {|To the Bone|} by reissuing his cover singles as an album, and {|4 1/2|} to reveal the more accessible side of his songwriting. {|To the Bone|}'s press materials describe it as {|Wilson|}'s ...hat-tip to the hugely ambitious progressive pop records of his youth.... Sources cited are {|Peter Gabriel|}, {|Tears for Fears|}, {|Kate Bush|}, etc. One can hear their traces, especially {|David Bowie|}'s. This is the most song-oriented record in {|Wilson|}'s catalog. Each tune could have been recorded in a vacuum. {|Wilson|} includes members of his road band and others, and features Israeli singer {|Ninet Tayeb|} -- who nearly steals the show on several tracks. On the stellar title opening cut -- complete with {|Pink Floyd|}-esque guitars (a la Time) {|Tayeb|}'s and {|Dave Kilminster|}'s backing vocals buoy the tune's hook, and add operatic support to {|Wilson|}'s lead. On Pariah, {|Tayeb|} alternates lead vocals with {|Wilson|}. The lithe harmonic architecture with lilting synths, restrained guitars, and loops creates a backdrop for his vulnerable delivery, yet her refrain resonates with emotional authority and encouragement for the protagonist's doubt. It echoes the interplay of {|Gabriel|} and {|Bush|} on Don't Give Up and is just as distinctive. Refuge takes a couple of minutes to emerge from its (mostly) electronic intro, but when it does, its sultry melody is supported by a trilling string section and thundering tom-toms, squalling harmonica and power chords to become an anthem. Speaking of which, the utterly infectious Permanenting with its hooky melody (again with {|Tayeb|}'s backing vocals adding heft and sincerity) nods directly at {|Tears for Fears|}' glorious harmonies while simultaneously reflecting a love of Northern soul (a la {|Curtis Mayfield|}'s Get on Up), though its urgent guitars and popping drums are pure {|Wilson|}. People Eat Darkness is a fist-pumping rocker that sounds like {|Bowie|} fronting {|Swervedriver|}. {|Wilson|} nods at the post-trip-hop sounds of {|No-Man|} with Song of I, with its loops and handclaps atop piano and strings. Its vocals are delivered in duet with {|Sophie Hunger|}. The nine-minute Detonation weds prog to adventurous pop with a glorious result, while closer Song to Unborn (featuring only his road band) is majestic; it could easily sit with the songs on either {|Raven|} or {|Hand|}. While {|To the Bone|} sometimes seems inconsistent, it's an illusion; repeated listening reveals that {|Wilson|}'s brand of progressive pop is so multivalently textured and expertly crafted that its aesthetic and sonic palette refuse to be contained under a single rock umbrella. As such, {|To the Bone|} stands with {|Wilson|}'s best work. ~ Thom Jurek Less