Porcupine Tree

by itemvn  |  October 11, 2011 [Edit]

Porcupine Tree is a progressive rock band formed by Steven Wilson in 1987 in Hemel Hempstead, England. Their music is difficult to categorise, being associated with both psychedelic rock and progressive rock, yet having been influenced by trance, krautrock and ambient due to Steven Wilson and Richard Barbieri's penchant for the Kosmische Musik scene of the early 1970s, led by bands such as Tangerine Dream, Neu! and Can. Since the early 2000s, their music has been leaning towards progressive metal and alternative rock.

The band are noted for their multimedia approach, with their live performances including screens displaying a different film projection to each song. This visual element was introduced during the tour for the In Absentia album, when the band started to work with Danish photographer and filmmaker Lasse Hoile. This involvement created a distinctive image for the band.

Despite being signed to both Roadrunner and Atlantic labels, the band has their own record label, Transmission, which they use to launch some independent releases and special editions of their albums. In 2007 the band was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Surround Sound Album with their album Fear of a Blank Planet and then again in 2010 with The Incident.

Music Radar website placed them amongst "The 30 greatest live acts in the world today" (as of 2010), coming at #4.

Much of the inherent musical background of Porcupine Tree goes back to Wilson's childhood, when his parents gave Christmas presents to each other. His father received Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon whilst his mother got Donna Summer's Love to Love You Baby, which Wilson assures, both played "in a continuous way". These albums would heavily influence his further songwriting (especially the Pink Floyd one). Other known influences are Karlheinz Stockhausen and Abba.

Later in his teens, Wilson briefly became a fan of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, but as soon as he discovered Seventies music and progressive rock, his interest in metal diminished in favour of experimental music. He later (in the 2000s) discovered bands in the likes of Gojira, Sunn O))), Neurosis and Meshuggah, which restored his faith in metal music.

There is also some noticeable influence from krautrock and electronic music since Wilson likes bands such as Can, Neu!, Tangerine Dream, Squarepusher, Aphex Twin and artists like Klaus Schulze and Conrad Schnitzler among others. More contemporary influences cited include: Muse, The Mars Volta, Radiohead and Sigur Rós. Wilson has also mentioned on multiple occasions that he also admires the work of American musician Trent Reznor, the sole official member of Nine Inch Nails.

The music of Porcupine Tree is often described as melancholic by many people, even though it is not necessarily linked to Steven Wilson's personality. He states music is a way for him to channel all his negative feelings, and "an exorcism of those elements within", finding it "easier to write songs about the negative side of the world than it is about the happy side of the world."