Yeah, but where's Kenny G?

For that matter, where's Kenny G's Assistant?

Patience, guys, I still haven't unveiled my mvp selection yet ;&)

I'm really thrilled to see Porcupine Tree and Blackfield receiving so much attention here this year. It seems Wilson has finally broken through after years of "Porcupine what?" I'm seeing this kind of recognition all over the place.

TJ, I have you to thank for directing my attention toward Blackfield II. You made an excellent recommendation that I'm merely passing along to others.

"[Porcupine Tree]...always seemed to write better material, play with more precision, and avoid many of the excesses and quirkiness that often brings down other acts of this genre."

Why is it that just enough people on this board use such broad strokes when reviewing a piece of work? Honestly, Pico, I do like your article but I don't think you have listened to enough of the post 70's prog genre to make such a remark. I mean Mr.Johnson had to bring Blackfield to your attention but have you ever listened to O.S.I.? Imo, Free is a far superior,original & creative release than Blackfield II.
Spock's Beard is rather brilliant as well as Magellan. How about Sieges Even with their amazing release entitled Paramount. That album could easily rival PT's latest work & believe me I have listened to Fear... quite a bit.
I think that maybe you love the radio friendly accessiblity of PT that led you to such a statement and that that same sentiment & reaction to their latest release has lead many people to say that PT is drawing away from their "prog" roots.

But, this is just my opinion & Again, I did like most of your article...

Thanks for your comments, Brian, both the props and the parts where you disagree. It's all part of a good discussion, as far as I'm concerned.

Let me address your points one at a time:

Why is it that just enough people on this board use such broad strokes when reviewing a piece of work?

This article is not really a review, it's just a list of my favorites from this year with brief comments of why I like them. For most of them I've gotten into further detail in the links I provided at the end of each paragraph.

Honestly, Pico, I do like your article but I don't think you have listened to enough of the post 70's prog genre to make such a remark.

I've listened to more neo-prog than you might think; at least enough to know that there are some things about it I don't like, but I do like it in general. I think it's certainly possible that someone could be an absolute expert on the genre (of which I certainly never claimed to be) and still consider PT to be one of the better bands.

I mean Mr.Johnson had to bring Blackfield to your attention but have you ever listened to O.S.I.?

I had Blackfield's first album already, and I didn't think much of it. TJ told me about II shortly after it first came out. I have no problem admitting I almost whiffed on that.

I have O.S.I.'s Free. I like PT much better. Sorry, just my opinion.

Spock's Beard is rather brilliant as well as Magellan. How about Sieges Even with their amazing release entitled Paramount. That album could easily rival PT's latest work & believe me I have listened to Fear... quite a bit.

Spock's Beard? You don't say... ;&)

Magellan...agreed, also a nice choice. These aren't the bands I necessarily think of when I talk about "excesses and quirks." I haven't heard of Sieges Even, but since you are recommending it , I'll be sure to try it out.

I think that maybe you love the radio friendly accessiblity of PT that led you to such a statement and that that same sentiment & reaction to their latest release has lead many people to say that PT is drawing away from their "prog" roots.

You think I might like PT for "radio friendly accessibility"? Man, that's cold. It's also inaccurate. I didn't like Fear much at all at first, it took several listens to sink in. And I still like some of their early albums like Signify better, actually. But as far as this year goes Fear was one of the better crafted rock albums I've heard this year, whether you want to call it "prog" or something else.

I'll show you radio friendly accessibility, Mr. Guppusmaximus. Stayed tuned for my MVP choice ;&)

"You think I might like PT for "radio friendly accessibility"? Man, that's cold. It's also inaccurate."

Oh..Come on now! In Absentia put PT on the map because it had such melody & quirkiness at the same time but the songs were only 5-7 minutes apiece so they could've been easily edited for air play. Along with the contrusive lyrics...You get my point.


"I think it's certainly possible that someone could be an absolute expert on the genre (of which I certainly never claimed to be) and still consider PT to be one of the better bands."


Granted, I too don't feel that I am some sort of expert but you even said it yourself that Fear was a great Rock album...and it is,I agree 100%. Again, there are quite a few PT fans that would suggest that they are moving away from the prog genre and I don't think bands like A Triggering Myth should get over-shadowed because someone feels that the prominent features in a certain style of music is what brings it down.
The "excesses" & "quirks" is what Prog is all about. It's what you don't find in the run of the mill rock or metal bands.
Sure, it is cool when a band can add a catchy element but when the whole album showcases that mentality then it becomes "Un-Prog" for a lack of a better word.


"I have O.S.I.'s Free. I like PT much better. Sorry, just my opinion."


I was comparing OSI to Blackfield... O.S.I.'s first release could rival PT though(yes, Steve was featured on one track).Honestly, I'm not trying to pit one band against another...I guess I just like to shine the light on lesser known Good bands.

It's all part of a good discussion, as far as I'm concerned.
Again, I agree 100%! I mainly stick around for the great conversation with the BC Residents that have opened my eyes to some great bands.

Pico, my boy, I fuckin' love that Plant/Krauss record. I couldn't tell you where it will land on my list, but it will land. It's a wonderful record and I'm probably the only man on the planet glad that a Zep reunion tour is being put off to tour this record. I'm dying to see one of these shows.

As for the rest... do I get points for having heard of Manu Katche?

Oh..Come on now! In Absentia put PT on the map because it had such melody & quirkiness at the same time but the songs were only 5-7 minutes apiece so they could've been easily edited for air play. Along with the contrusive lyrics...You get my point.

I don't know if you were around at the time, but I can recall when Yes songs getting edited down for air play all the time (no, I don't mean "Owner Of A Lonely Heart"). Same for ELP and Pink Floyd. Are you saying they weren't prog?

An honest question, what's "contrusive"?


Granted, I too don't feel that I am some sort of expert but you even said it yourself that Fear was a great Rock album...and it is,I agree 100%. Again, there are quite a few PT fans that would suggest that they are moving away from the prog genre and I don't think bands like A Triggering Myth should get over-shadowed because someone feels that the prominent features in a certain style of music is what brings it down.
The "excesses" & "quirks" is what Prog is all about. It's what you don't find in the run of the mill rock or metal bands.
Sure, it is cool when a band can add a catchy element but when the whole album showcases that mentality then it becomes "Un-Prog" for a lack of a better word.

Every idiom has some undesirable features in it that show up more in some acts than in others. I'm merely putting forth the opinion that PT is one of those bands that tends to do more of the things that are great about prog and less of the things that are not so great than most other acts of the genre. That's not the same as saying all other prog bands suck, or that there aren't even bands that are about as good as PT. If you took my comments as putting down all prog in general, then you misread me. I'll say it again: I like and listen to prog music, and not just Porcupine Tree.

And even though it doesn't mean diddly one way or another, I think PT is still prog; only now, they are more prog on their own terms. I can go on about why I think it is, but it really comes down to some very subjective things, so I'm not going to convince you of anything. And I don't care that "quite a few PT fans" think otherwise. I called it rock because I consider all prog to be a form of rock. The point being, our quibbling over what genre Fear belongs in shouldn't diminish this album in the least.

I was comparing OSI to Blackfield... O.S.I.'s first release could rival PT though(yes, Steve was featured on one track).Honestly, I'm not trying to pit one band against another...I guess I just like to shine the light on lesser known Good bands.

Actually, I had forgotten I've heard OSI's first album too, and yes, it's much better than Free. Free disappointed me.

But I digress. To address your original point, I do listen to a lot more prog than what the body of my work here suggests. For example, in the last few days I listened to The Seventh House by I.Q. (good) and Silence Of Another Kind by Paatos (ehhh). My piece on Spock's Beard even explains why I don't write about it much here. However, I think I know of a guy here who can contribute some informative, well-written reviews on prog and metal to this site, genres which are under represented on BC. Yeah, I'm looking at you, Brian ;&)

Again, I agree 100%! I mainly stick around for the great conversation with the BC Residents that have opened my eyes to some great bands.

Same here. I don't think any writer should come here with the attitude that they are here only to inform, educate and (ugh) lecture people on what they should listen to. IMO, the best writers here tend have the most open minds. I strive to be that way myself, because it makes the experience here much more rewarding.

Pico, my boy, I fuckin' love that Plant/Krauss record. I couldn't tell you where it will land on my list, but it will land. It's a wonderful record and I'm probably the only man on the planet glad that a Zep reunion tour is being put off to tour this record. I'm dying to see one of these shows.

As for the rest... do I get points for having heard of Manu Katche?

I knew you'd dig that Plant/Krauss, brotha Josh. It's got a lot of depth to it. I can't find a bad song on it. This was the pick I was the most surprised that I like, by a mile.

You get points for knowing about Katche but I think you'd get a lot more satisfaction from hearing his music :&)

Can't wait to see your list.

my list is brewing.....

Pico, you have some valid points.
Granted Porcupine Tree is a good band, Mr. Wilson's material could never be compared to earlier YES material. YES covered ground that was unheard of, imo.I personally would think that Dream Theater & other bands like Thought Chamber are more in the same vein.Again, the quirks & excesses.

I wish I had more time today to discuss the topic as I can see that our definitions of Prog differ...

As for "Contrusive", sometimes my grammar isn't up to par...I was thinking the opposite of "intrusive".

That's why I play music because I knew I wouldn't fair well in academics. *Smirk*