The Sky Moves Sideways

by

Porcupine Tree

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Once upon a time I was hopelessly mired in the 60s and 70s with respect to rock, particularly with respect to progressive rock. Then I discovered that even though progressive rock is not accessible by radio to much of the United States, it is alive and well. In fact, as a listener could tell from this incredible two-disc CD, it is prospering and doing better than ever.

The first Porcupine Tree CD I acquired was "In Absentia," which is a phenomenal album that uses traditional progressive elements as a backdrop to highly creative compositions that often transcend any single appellation. I have yet to review "In Absentia" because it will be difficult to describe that incredible music with mere words. This CD was re-mastered from the original 1995 release and includes extra tracks, including an incredible 34:37 alternate version of "The Sky Moves Sideways." This CD has some of the elements of "In Absentia," but sounds heavily influenced by Pink Floyd (one person overhearing a song said that that song sounded like Pink Floyd though they knew it was not), with tinctures of Yes and possibly the Moody Blues.

Another reviewer said that this music is psychedelic. The first song, "The Sky Moves Sideways," which is 18:39 long, is lightly psychedelic music with sixteen lines of very psychedelic lyrics. As a brief example, here are the opening lyrics:

We lost the skyline

We stepped right off the map

Drifted in to blank space

And let the clocks relapse.

Each line is quietly repeated in an overlay that is barely heard, and then the song elevates the volume to soar on the third stanza, though the soaring is sedate and thick, gliding to the heights before realizing the heights have given way to a plateau and the music is back on earth. The song leaps from the plateau once again for a soaring journey until it reaches ground once more to begin running to percussion and synthesizer beat. A lead guitar kicks in to urge the song along, but to keep up with the long haul the lead guitars let the bass and keyboards take over. At last the instruments, flute, synthesizers, guitars, and drums, possibly more, come together to play with each other and exult in the ability to declare their presence. This song is a wonderful combination of the elements that make middle-of-the-road progressive rock fun.

Porcupine Tree jams on "Dislocated Day." The vocals are the most prominent of any song on this CD, and are also psychedelic and surreal. This song is instrumentally much more powerful as the guitars crunch and churn, the drums keep up a steady beat, and the synthesizers fill in the empty holes. All this is jammed in a telephone call intro, and hanging up at the end.

"The Moon Touches Your Shoulder" is as quiet as the previous song was raucous. The lyrics keep their poetic surrealism, and are harmonious with the instruments. Turn the lights out, lay on a soft, flat surface, and drift away with the soft synthesizers and the acoustic guitars as they take you away into the black of the night sky.

"Prepare Yourself" is a musical interlude between the last song and the nearly seventeen minute long second part of "The Sky Moves Sideways." The last song is a bit of musical noodling that meanders in a vague, yet interesting way. The song is actually multiple parts that could have been defined separately, but were not. There are vocal portions by Suzanne Barbieri, there are whale noises near the end, there are lots of synthesizers and general instrumental fun that brought to my mind Jeff Wayne's "War of the Worlds," the soundtrack to "Zardoz," and Pink Floyd in general.

Under the category of those television commercials that exhort you to wait because there is more, this CD features a second disc that contains an early, alternate version of "The Sky Moves Sideways," when the concept was to create a single track for the release. This track has significant differences from the released version, including a portion that contains elements that recall "Timesteps," composed by Wendy (then Walter) Carlos for the movie "A Clockwork Orange." I am happy to see that someone else discovered the elements of this wonderfully bizarre work of art.

The next extra is the mellow, beautiful and still psychedelic "Stars Die." Once again the feel is surrealistic and fantastic, with splotches of imagery that may lead you to believe there is a basis in reality for this song, but the glimpses of reality are fleeting at best. I got the impression from this song that the group was making a statement about the intrusion of man into space destroying the dreams and visions that we had populated space with.

"Stars Die" folds into the sixteen plus minute "Moonloop (improvisation)." This instrumental is relatively free-form, as the title suggests, and reminds me of a much more polished style that King Crimson tried with "Moonchild" from "In the Court of the Crimson King." The music does meander and drift in and out of formality, but the tapestry the music weaves seems to strive for a purpose that makes this instrumental a joy for those who like this style. Near the end of this composition is a voice overlay from the first landing on the moon, at least, it sounds authentic.

This CD ends with "Moonloop (coda)," an energetic wrap up of the previous instrumental with a finish that reminds me a little of the finish to Jeff Wayne's "War of the Worlds," except the end of the song has a phone ring that is a throw back to an earlier track.

Where did progressive rock go? It is all around if we could but perceive. Porcupine Tree is one of the numerous groups that carry on the tradition. If you like Pink Floyd, Yes and the Moody Blues, I believe you will like this.