Usually, when a band has been around for over 15 years, the sheer volume of music they’ve produced can be quite overwhelming.  Of course, Tool are the exception rather than the rule with a meager 4 studio albums since 1992, but thankfully, Porcupine Tree have released enough material to keep fans occupied for ages.  Even better is the fact that I have favorites that span as far back as their first album that came out in 1992.  However, since I hadn’t the slightest clue on what a Porcupine Tree was back in 1992, I’m partial to the more recent stuff.  Also new to this list: links to full songs on Last.fm or YouTube where available. Just click the song name.

10. Lightbulb Sun - LIGHTBULB SUN - 5:33

9. Drown With Me - IN ABSENTIA (BONUS TRACK) - 5:22

8. Radioactive Toy - ON THE SUNDAY OF LIFE/STARS DIE - 10:10

7. Dark Matter - SIGNIFY/STARS DIE - 8:52

6. Arriving Somewhere But Not Here - DEADWING - 12:02

5. Anesthetize - FEAR OF A BLANK PLANET - 17:43

4. Trains - IN ABSENTIA - 5:56

3. Piano Lessons - STUPID DREAM - 4:22

2. The Sound of Muzak - IN ABSENTIA - 4:59

1. Blackest Eyes - IN ABSENTIA - 4:23

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Total Playing Time: 79:22

Honorable Mentions: The Start of Something Beautiful (Deadwing), Even Less, A Smart Kid (Stupid Dream)

This list betrays my affection for In Absentia and Stupid Dream.  While I think those are two of the best albums that PT has put out, Deadwing and FoaBP come pretty damn close.  As opposed to the Tool playlist, this one will actually fit on an 80-minute CD since I chose Lightbulb Sun as #10 over Even Less.  Rest assured, I didn’t do it intentionally.  I only counted up the playing time after I had settled on the top 10.  By some weird coincidence, the four tracks that exceed the 8-minute mark are all bunched together in between the shorter ones.  That leads me to the reason I love PT so damn much - they can do long, proggy tracks and shorter, poppy/radio-friendly tracks with equal ease.  Steven Wilson’s production is the sweet icing on the delicious cake that is the skillful instrumentation.  I feel this list is a diverse mix - you have the more acoustical ones like Trains and Drown With Me but you also get the hard rockers in Blackest Eyes, Anesthetize (middle section), and Arriving Somewhere But Not Here (second half).

This list was at once easy and difficult to compile.  On the one hand, I’m highly attracted to a good bunch of the top ten which made it easy to come up with the first 6-7 tracks on the list.  On the other hand, it was incredibly difficult to complete the list and organize it after #1.  Tracks such as Strip The Soul, Fadeaway, Nine Cats, Sever, Mother and Child Divided, Buying New Soul, Synesthesia, Pure Narcotic, and Way Out Of Here were all very close to making the top 10 (+3).  Anyone looking to expand beyond the “official” list, should try out the songs I just mentioned.

What I’m trying to say here is that DVD-Audio sounds amazing.  I don’t have a 5.1 speaker system but my Audigy 2 ZS can still play back 24-bit stereo.  This is quite a step-up from the 16-bit stereo found on CDs and you can tell the difference.  Why am I suddenly doing a post on DVD-A?  Because I just got the reissued version of Porcupine Tree’s Stupid Dream.  Sure, it came out in 2006, but that doesn’t mean that the DVD-A tracks aren’t awesome.

The recording is of a superior quality and there is a lot of detail I’m hearing.  New sounds even.  Steven Wilson is truly a studio genius.  All these songs sound new and I’m loving it!  Plus, the DVD comes with bonus tracks such as a 15-minute version of Even Less and the video for Piano Lessons.

Countdown to D-Day:  5 days

I’m excited!  This isn’t breaking news but I’m only just getting around to post this information.  PT have announced that they will be going on a short European tour to film material for a new live DVD.  This will be the last time that the FoaBP tour setlist will be performed, and thankfully, it will be preserved in a live DVD for us fans to cherish forever.  PT’s first DVD, Arriving Somewhere… was an excellent DVD.  The sound was top-notch and the band did a great job of recreating their songs live.

Ever since FoaBP came out and PT went on tour, I’ve been wishing for a good, live recording of Anesthetize.  The band plays it well live and I wanted an official live version.  Now, I’ll get my wish.  I’m guessing that the DVD will come out in early 2009 which is still a long time away.  Who knows, PT might go on tour to support the DVD and they might even start previewing new songs, like they did with Arriving Somewhere…

The songs I’m most excited for are:  Anesthetize, Dark Matter, Way Out of Here, Sleep Together, A Smart Kid, and Fear of a Blank Planet.  I’m not sure if all of these will make the cut - A Smart Kid might get replaced by something else.  It would be great if they’d pick out songs from the first leg of the FoaBP tour like Sever, Drown With Me, Lightbulb Sun, and Gravity Eyelids.  This wait is going to kill me.

Also, I apologize if my writing has been piss-poor today.  I’m tired and sleepy after all the work I had to do this past week.

I don’t really know how to start so I’ll dive right in to the concert review. After a little background!

Porcupine Tree were last here in May and I was fortunate enough to catch them back then. Fear of a Blank Planet had just been released and the band all of it. Non-stop. Now, five months down the line, the band have released a new EP titled Nil Recurring and are back on tour. The setlist for this tour has been changed somewhat to accommodate the new material and also sees the return of some old fan favorites. The setlist for my show is featured at the end of post, annotated to indicate album!

So for a change, the show kicked off with What Happens Now? from the new EP. The mood was set and PT were on their way. Boy, did they rock the house! Steven Wilson was in a good mood throughout the concert and the crowd was fantastic. Hearing Dark Matter live was exhilarating! Anesthetize followed a new song, Cheating the Polygraph and some brief chatter from SW. He said, “Some of these new songs are hard to play you know! But this next one’s easy. It’s only 17 minutes long!” That cracked me up.

Towards the end of the main set, SW said, “We’re now going to play the last two songs” to which the crowd responded with a resounding “NOOOOOO.” With a grin on his face, SW shot back, “What do mean NO? We’re going to play the last two songs off the new record, not the last two for the night!” That was a signal for them to indeed play the last two tracks off FoaBP, Way Out of Here and Sleep Together. Both kicked some major ass and Sleep Together was great as a set closer. But I kept waiting and waiting and Blackest Eyes never came.

When the guys came back for an encore, SW said they would have to learn new songs when they return the next time. And then they kicked off the encore with Blackest Eyes. HELL YEAH!!! PT followed up my favorite with Even Less and Halo! What an encore! Sure, they didn’t play Trains, but I got to hear that last time around. This time, I got three tracks off the new EP, The Sound of Muzak, Even Less, Dark Matter, and A Smart Kid!!!

To sum it up, another great show by one of my favorite bands. The sound was probably better at the show in May but this one wasn’t too far behind in terms of quality and sheer energy. I hope they return soon with new songs and maybe play a larger venue! SW said, “We come here every six months but you guys still show up.” We will continue to show up to hear you guys play live!

Oh yeah, the opening band was Head>>Fake Sound System, a side project by Doug Wimbish and Will Calhoun of Living Color. Nothing special but Doug Wimbish was doing some real crazy shit with his bass. It was just the two of them, one on bass, one on drums, with a laptop providing some extra tunes to help them out. They didn’t play for long and PT came on right around 9pm. They finished a few minutes before 11. Tight performance.

SETLIST:

What Happens Now? Nil Recurring EP
Fear of a Blank Planet Fear of a Blank Planet
The Sound of Muzak In Absentia
Lazarus Deadwing
Cheating the Polygraph Nil Recurring EP
Anesthetize Fear of a Blank Planet
Open Car Deadwing
Dark Matter Signify
Nil Recurring Nil Recurring EP
A Smart Kid Stupid Dream
Way Out of Here Fear of a Blank Planet
Sleep Together Fear of a Blank Planet

Encore:

Blackest Eyes In Absentia
Even Less Stupid Dream
Halo Deadwing