Is “prog” a bad word?

Though the word itself, if spoken at church or dinner with the in-laws, may not drop any monocles, in the record industry, the term is nigh-blasphemous…

Which is why Porcupine Tree remains something of an enigma. For over twenty years, this band with the funny name has managed to remain commercially viable while staying true to their progressive roots in a most stubborn way. They sport record deals with two majors (Roadrunner and its parent Atlantic), and somehow convinced these behemoths of the industry to allow them to keep their indie (Transmission).

PT’s latest release, The Incident, continues the epic prog tradition this group has kept at the forefront of their formula since 1987, when vocalist Steven Wilson and friend Malcolm Stocks birthed the band as something of a joke. But, as every joke contains undertones of seriousness, Wilson recognized that the project had serious potential and brought the idea of Porcupine Tree to full fruition by transitioning his personal recordings to a live setting with the inclusion of a few very talented fellow musicians.

Over twenty years and ten albums later, Steven Wilson and his minstrels have brought the evolution of Porcupine Tree to its apex with the release of The Incident, a 55-minute, 14-part remedy to the doldrums of the mainstream.

The album begins with the audio equivalent to a car accident — not the gentle fender-benders resulting in the polite exchanging of insurance information on the side of the road, but more like being t-boned by a garbage truck, coming to a rest finding that you have somehow survived just long enough to realize that you’ve been pushed into oncoming traffic.

As The Incident progresses, you’re treated to sound-scapes that induce visuals of dramatic situations on very personal and global settings. Porcupine Tree dances between elements of complex post-grunge, percussive interludes, ethereal waste and dark euro trance. The title track (which earned the latter adjective) would be right at home setting the mood for a scene in a David Fincher film.

The music is quite effective at inducing the intended visuals. Prior to penning the music for the record, Steven Wilson had already decided on his concept (almost all prog albums have one) — that being the verbal coping mechanisms humans use to downplay the enormity of great tragedies, i.e. euphemisms.

Late (and great) comedian George Carlin once said of euphemisms: “I don’t like words that hide the truth. I don’t like words that conceal reality.” This is the core of the concept behind The Incident. The album carves a path through true events of great magnitude which were downplayed in their significance by the words used to describe them in the media.

Wilson has touched on a point close to my heart in The Incident — the words we use shape our reality. In a way, the music created and performed by Porcupine Tree on this record aid in re-humanizing the events that inspired the birth of album. Perhaps that was not the intention, but the singular fact remains that if we are not careful, the labels which we apply to occurrences large and small can rob them of their essence.

And what is music if not the essence of the human condition translated to something more powerful than words?

Porcupine Tree play Antwerp (photo by Diana Nitschke)

The album can be meandering at points, but then again, so can we as people. Porcupine Tree have never made music for the sole purpose of pleasing the masses. Although they are absolutely capable of such a thing, Wilson has a strict philosophy about music that he described to me in a very brief chat, ultimately cut short by the pitfalls of cellular phone technology. He said of composing music: “You have to be selfish. Otherwise you risk becoming nothing more than an entertainer.”

A clown.

A word to the wise: Porcupine Tree are not easily consumable. But then again, neither is reality. Much like the words we create to dull the significance of existence, Pop music is a distraction. The Incident effectively breathes life and enormity back into music which has been robbed of its substance by dull and popular interpretation.

Reality is best served by those who would speak the truth. Porcupine Tree do just that on their explosive new offering.

Track Listing:

1. “The Incident”
I. “Occam’s Razor”
II. “The Blind House”
III. “Great Expectations”
IV. “Kneel and Disconnect”
V. “Drawing the Line”
VI. “The Incident”
VII. “Your Unpleasant Family”
VIII. “The Yellow Windows of the Evening Train”
IX. “Time Flies”
X. “Degree Zero of Liberty”
XI. “Octane Twisted”
XII. “The Séance”
XIII. “Circle of Manias”
XIV. “I Drive the Hearse”