Steven Wilson: To The Bone

Label: K-Scope
Year of release: 2017
Production: Steven Wilson & Paul Stacey
Album length: 59.46
Genre: Progressive Rock / Art Rock

Steven Wilson, the leading patron of modern progressive rock, returns with his latest studio album, “To the Bone”, and a somewhat different sound. Once it became known that some of the musicians he worked with on his past solo records wouldn’t be on it, it was clear he had a few sonic surprises up his sleeve to freshen up his thrilling solo career. This time he hasn’t made a prog rock album in his trademark melancholic-gloomy style with the influence of the old seventies prog school. His latest effort sits mostly closer to art rock, new wave and eighties pop rock, or progressive pop, which is a fairly drastic change. It clearly shows that Steven, like many of us, has never come to terms with the recent deaths of two of his musical idols: David Bowie and Prince. By his own account, with “To the Bone” he wanted to pay tribute to some of his favorite artists and their eighties albums, such as Peter Gabriel and “So” (1986), Kate Bush and “Hounds of Love” (1985), Tears For Fears and “The Seeds of Love” (1989), and Talk Talk and “The Colours of Spring” (1986).

Some fans feared Steven would make an album that was too commercial, and that worry was of course completely unfounded. This is yet another thoroughly eclectic and atmospherically deep record that experimental rock fans will mostly embrace with enthusiasm. Plenty of people were afraid that the eternal musical rebel Steven would “sell out” to capital once word got out that he was making a more pop-rock-oriented album than usual. To be honest, the sound of “To the Bone” is closest to art pop and art rock, inspired by the musical icons mentioned above, which means Steven almost never drifts into pure pop rock. Maybe some people were bothered by the fact that he joined forces this time with Paul Stacey, known for his work with Oasis and the Black Crowes, on production and guitar, but the partnership turned out to be a top-quality investment.

Steven trusted Stacey with the excellent production, something he usually takes care of himself, while Paul’s brother Jeremy, the newest member of the legendary King Crimson, took the drum stool on some of the tracks. Steven also worked more closely than ever with Israeli singer Ninet Tayeb, who once again shines when it comes to building vocal harmonies. From the “old acquaintances”, Steven’s regular studio and live crew, the cult bassist Nick Beggs, drummer Craig Blundell and keyboardist Adam Holzman are back. Prog rock fans will also be thrilled that the unforgettable Canterbury scene keyboardist Dave Stewart and the outstanding guitarist and singer Dave Kilminster appear on the album. The latter “only” contributed backing vocals, though.

The title track, which is also the opener, with the ambient aesthetics of the unforgettable Talk Talk impossible to miss, makes it clear right away that in many ways this is a very different album from its predecessor. A lovely chorus comes with rich vocal backing, while the melancholic guitar solo in the middle section is totally typical of Mr. Wilson. “Nowhere Now” is a bit reminiscent of Steven’s days with Porcupine Tree, somewhere around the “Stupid Dream” (1999) and “Lightbulb Sun” (2000) era, while the ballad “Pariah”, sung as a duet with Ninet Tayeb, is one of the most beautiful pieces on “To the Bone”. “The Same Asylum As Before” has a melancholic Pink Floyd-style guitar riff, and Steven uses falsetto in the singing, which is an interesting and welcome move. The superb vocal harmonies can’t be praised enough, and Steven’s signature guitar passages are once again pure balm for the soul. The epic “Refuge” is one of those atmospherically shattering Steven pieces that leave a deep impression on every empathetic listener. The bluesy solo, joined over time by gorgeous harmonies, makes it plain that on top of his many vocal and production strengths, Steven is still a guitar and instrumental ace.

A very pleasant surprise is the song “Permananting”, the happiest and, let’s call it, pop-rockiest track on the album, where Steven nicely shows off how much his singing has grown in recent years by busting out the falsetto again. A great chorus takes center stage here too, and besides the influence of new wave classics you can hear echoes of Bowie and Electric Light Orchestra. The slightly pastoral “Blank Tapes”, with flute and piano arrangements, is a short melancholic-nostalgic moment, while Steven’s Israeli collaborator gets almost completely to the vocal color Kate Bush has. “People Who Eat Darkness” is Steven’s punchiest and most “lively” piece on this album, with plenty of fun alternative rock and progressive metal elements. On the next experimental venture, “Song of I”, he ventures into unusual trip-hop territory with the vocal help of his Israeli friend, while the shattering, gloomy and melancholic “Detonation”, with its many mighty and complex transitions, sounds like a forgotten track from “Hand. Cannot. Erase” (2015).

The closing piece “Song of Unborn” sounds like a funeral dirge, but without any morbid ambient shades. In its atmosphere it’s more like the departed seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Anyone who thought Steven would make a drastic change with “To the Bone” and turn into a party guy was seriously mistaken. His intellectual yet deeply empathetic soul still wrestles with heavy life themes in the lyrics, and despite his secretive nature and careful guarding of his privacy, he also shares some of his pivotal life experiences.

On his latest studio venture, “To the Bone”, Steven Wilson once again proves his exceptional eclecticism as a composer and arranger, easily crossing genre borders while still staying true to himself. Compared to most of his output so far, “To the Bone” is a somewhat lighter record in atmosphere and arrangement, but that’s far from saying it lacks depth, since it contains some of the most beautiful songs of Steven’s incredibly prolific and varied career. “To the Bone” brought a welcome sonic refresh, and at this stage of his career Steven simply needed it.

author: Peter Podbrežnik
rating: 9.5 / 10

Tracklist:
1. To The Bone (6:41)
2. Nowhere Now (4:03)
3. Pariah (4:46)
4. The Same Asylum As Before (5:14)
5. Refuge (6:43)
6. Permanating (3:34)
7. Blank Tapes (2:08)
8. People Who Eat Darkness (6:02)
9. Song Of I (5:21)
10. Detonation (9:19)
11. Song Of Unborn (5:55)

Lineup:
Steven Wilson – vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, production