REVIEW: Porcupine Tree, Stupid Dream (k scope)
- Jon Steltenpohl
There used to be a '70s craze called art rock that generated a whole host of bands trying to create otherworldly music which touched you somewhere that just rock or just classical music never could reach. Most of them, despite having a rabid core of fans, never were very popular, and have faded into the background. If they're lucky, classic rock radio has picked up a song or two for us to remember them by. (Quick, name any other song by Jethro Tull other than "Aqualung.") Others, such as Genesis, quickly outgrew the "art rock" tag or split up into various other projects that ultimately proved much more compelling.
Porcupine Tree tries their hardest to paint themselves into an art rock genre (see the Jethro Tull-esque flute in "Tinto Brass"), but fortunately, they mostly pull out a decent melody rather than mire in self-important muck. Still, it's a thin line when you first pick up the CD. The blue metallic liner notes with anonymous pictures of a clean room used for processing CD's and an olivine fish fossil on the back get you to wondering just what the heck is going on. The illegible white lyrics spaced cleanly in columns 4 letters wide upon a sleek silver background almost stop you from putting the CD in the player. But, put it in the player you do, and remarkably, find yourself relaxing to Stupid Dream for an hour. You'll forget about the self importance and just get into the flowing, head swirling music.
Like a cross between Pink Floyd and The Church, Porcupine Tree manages to be both larger than life, personally involved, and melody friendly. ("Tinto Brass" even has a Pink Floyd-esque phone beep sampled for the beat.) On song like "Don't Hate Me," not only are you treated to an atmospheric feast that ranges from Sting-inspired alto sax to melancholy guitar to satellite echoes, but you can get emotionally involved with the lyrics. "A Smart Kid" has echoes of David Bowie's "Major Tom," but, due to its mellowness, is closer to "Major Tom on Prozac." Other songs such as "Baby Dream in Cellophane" do go a little over the "art rock" edge with effects like echoed acid trip voices.
Still, if you aren't turned off by a band who's trying to craft a sound environment, Porcupine Tree might be right for you. Their bio seems to imply that they've tried just about every style available and settled on this one. Which, all told, isn't that bad. The melodies manage to make their ways past the atmosphere, and the orchestration, although a bit contrived, is lush and fairly complex. And fortunately, unlike those gawd awful '70s art rock bands, Porcupine Tree rarely ruins a song just to sound avante garde or complex. At the worst, the sound effects and studio production merely sound a little over done. While never completely mellow, Stupid Dream is a nice attempt at ambient rock that will absolutely engage some listeners and completely bore the rest.
