Metanoia

by

Porcupine Tree

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I've read some of the displeased comments of fans regarding Metanoia in parts because it isn't as song based as "Stupid Dream" or "Lightbulb Sun" and this is correct, there's not much structure as in the previously mentioned albums.

That is to be expected if put into perspective. On Metanoia we hear Porcupine Tree improvising and fleshing out material. To a great extent we get an inside look to the creative process that went into "Signify" as much of this music is from the recording sessions.

Fans of earlier Porcupine Tree albums, in particular "The Sky Moves Sideway" will be more interested in this album. Many of the moments from that album, it's ambience particularly on the last couple of tracks would fit well on this CD.

As a listener I have taken two approaches to Metanoia. I've listened to it as background music and unlike ambient or insipid "easy listening" these tracks melt into the background. Sometimes you stop what you are doing and the music catches you. It's easy to continue with what you did but you know there is something behind the ambience you hear. The second approach is sitting down, concentrating and listening. To some degree this is nearly impossible. Personally, I drift off when listening to Metanoia. The music is somewhat repetitive at times but there are details within the grooves and ambiences that are there for the discovering. This is an album that rewards listeners with small moments within larger amorphous structures.

For people who enjoy song based music it's probably a good idea to pass on Metanoia. For people that like improvisation this is appealing although mostly subdued. In part this is why I haven't reviewed individual songs. The music simply flows and undulates. There are dynamics in these songs but they are more about atmosphere and sonic textural explorations.

Metanoia achives the bridge between ambient and groove Eno has been trying for the last few years and does a better job of integrating the two. Great sound quality, interesting interactions between the rhythm section and the keyboard and guitar textures. My parting thought; think Pink Floyd meets ambient electronica, or what they call dark ambient this week :) Or consider this NEU! meets Pink Floyd at top form.

During the last 15 month or so, Porcupine Tree's record labels decided to release a string of albums and EP singles, including two compilation, limited editions, and some obscure material, so it has become increasingly difficult even for dedicated fans to follow the band's course. I'm not quite sure if Steve Wilson is happy about the cash-in strategy of his former record labels (he has recently signed to Atlantic Records), but I certainly appreciate the fact that so many PT records are now made available for a wider public. The sticker on the front cover of „Metanoia" tells us that the improvisations on this disc, which vary in length from 4 ½ to more than 14 minutes, were recorded live during the „Signify" studio sessions, so my expectations were quite high; firstly, „Signify" was a magical album from start to finish and features some of the band's best work, secondly, I've always been a fan of the band's live sound, and thirdly, I find it interesting to listen to a work in progress. Great conditions, so what went wrong? Although PT are certainly no strangers to the idea of jamming along in concert and studio - with excellent results as documented on the „Coma Divine" live album and the b-sides collection „Recordings" - the approach on „Metanoia" often feels very monotonous, with minimal variation in arrangements, tempos, and moods throughout the 65-minute disc. Sure, the musicianship on „Metanoia" is excellent as always since Barbieri's warm electronic undercurrents mesh effortlessly with Maitland's crisp drumming, Edwin's slap bass, and Wilson's sonic excursions, but it's the lack of recognizable tunes and the high level of repetition that sabotages many of the tracks here; in contrast to other PT improvisations, like „Cure for optimism" and „Untitled", much of „Metanoia" is entirely unmemorable and comes across as a series of rather pointless ambient interludes and meandering noodlings. In my opinion, the three-part suite „Mesmer" is the most engaging material on this disc, alternating between tightly constructed, rhythm-oriented parts and wonderfully atmospheric sections which primarily derive from laid-back guitar textures and spacey synth sounds. The 13-minute „Mesmer III/Coma Divine" is a little more experimental than its companion pieces and works particularly well as it moves from a somewhat chaotic and harrowing collage of vocal samples to disturbing guitar atmospherics (not a million miles away from the solo work of Robert Fripp) and finally to beautifully evolving synth/guitar textures with some de-facto melodies. It's not quite in the same league as PT's best material, but respectable `chill-out music' nontheless. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the 14-minute „Metanoia I/Intermediate Jesus", which grows stale very quickly because there's no dynamic movement in the instrumentation. The shorter piece „Door to the river" also repeat the formula of ponderous anti-rhythms and directionless guitar/bass snippets without noticeable changes, while the 11-minute „Metanoia II" and „Insignificance" manage to introduce a few nice guitar effects and faster rhythms towards the end. However, there simply isn't enough going on here to make this album (unlike many other PT releases) a regular in my CD player: Too much filler exists, and although the sound quality is remarkably mature for a bunch of half-finished recordings, there's very little here which displays Wilson's songwriting capabilities and his flair for dramatic compositions and deeply delivered lyrics. Thus, „Metanoia" is probably left best for converted PT fans who favor the band's early, spaced-out phase to the more song-oriented format that would dominate their recent records. My advice: Make sure that you own every other commercially available PT album before buying „Metanoia".