The Raven That Refused to Sing and other stories (Kscope Music 242, 2013)
It’s going to be extremely difficult to beat this recording as best progressive rock album of 2013. Steven Wilson has become a leading figure in the progressive rock scene of the past years. His solo work is outstanding as demonstrated in The Raven That Refused to Sing and other stories and, furthermore, Wilson has also gained a tremendous reputation as a remixer of progressive rock classic albums.
The Raven That Refused to Sing and other stories is Wilson’s latest solo effort. The 6 pieces on the album are based on stories of the supernatural. The Raven That Refused to Sing opens with the longest track on the album, ‘Luminol’ (see video below). This a piece where Wilson lets loose his current band, presenting a scorching mix of state of the art jazz-rock and beautiful progressive symphonic rock. This well-crafted composition is what true progressive rock is about, featuring high energy skilled instrumental work, delicate vocals and delightful guitar, piano, flute and mellotron melodies and passages.
Steven Wilson’s current band includes Guthrie Govan on lead guitar, Nick Beggs on bass guitar, Marco Minnemann on drums, Adam Holzman on keyboards, and Theo Travis on saxophone and flute. Adam Holzman is a formidable addition to the band, providing outstanding keyboard solos and atmospheres, with a stunning jazz fusion feel.
From the intensity of ‘Luminol,’ Wilson takes the listener into a slower tempo with an introspective piece titled Drive Home. This track reminds me of early Porcupine Tree, with its mesmerizing psychedelic space rock feel (Porcupine Tree later headed into a less palatable hard rock direction). It has a truly memorable wailing guitar solo that combines beauty and creativity, destined to create a strong emotional reaction in the listener.
Track 3, ‘The Holy Drinker’ is another lengthy cut. This one brings more of the cutting edge jazz-rock fusion, opening with a spectacular interaction of synthesizer and saxophone, wrapped with mellotron. Truly explosive. Later, the piece into a harder-edged song, mixing intense guitars with mellotron. Adam Holzman showcases his talent as a keyboardist by playing a mix of jazz fusion and progressive rock-style organ. As the track progresses it leads the listener into a moment of dreamy calm with Wilson’s soft vocals and eerie atmospheres. The least favorite part of the album is the final section of ‘The Holy Drinker’ with its quasi heavy-metal feel. I truly dislike the heavy metal intrusion into progressive rock. Thankfully, Wilson keeps it to a minimum.
‘The Pin Drop’ has an intro with a Pink Floydian vibe that recalls the ‘Animals’ era. It morphs into a wild saxophone solo and a wall of guitar sound. The dynamic communication between the vocals and guitars really stand out.
Spellbinding beauty arrives with ‘The Watchmaker’ with its reflective vocals, acoustic guitars, and mellotron that progress into a series of engaging flute, guitar and saxophone solos and interplay. The second part of ‘The Watchmaker’ has the most elaborate vocal work, with ingenious layers of lead vocals and choruses and instrumental artistry. Although the bass is notable throughout the album, it reveals itself in a more prominent form.
The album concludes with the title track ‘The Raven that Refused to Sing.’ This thoughtful song builds up very slowly. I perceive some influences from post-rock, although Wilson manages to inject more passion and variation than the average minimalist post rockers.
The album The Raven That Refused to Sing and other stories was engineered by celebrated producer and engineer Alan Parsons. As usual in these cases, the album comes in various versions, including a 4 disc deluxe set in the form of a 128 page hardback book containing lyrics and ghost stories illustrated by Hajo Mueller. Other formats include the regular CD, CD/DVDV media book, Blu-Ray and 2LP vinyl editions, with the DVDV and Blu-ray editions featuring a 5.1 mix of the album and other bonus material.
The Raven That Refused to Sing is an instant progressive rock classic that clearly demonstrates that Steven Wilson is a powerhouse in this illustrious genre.
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