Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Wilson, Steven
Label: Caroline International S&D
Release: 2017
Duration: 59:46
Rating: 4.5/5
Modern progressive rock’s leading patron Steven Wilson is back with his latest studio album, »To the Bone«, and he’s got a somewhat different sound this time. Once it became known that some of the musicians he’d worked with on his previous solo outings 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 melancholy-and-gloom style with the influences of the old seventies progrock school. Instead, his newest creation sits mostly closer to art rock, new wave and eighties pop rock, or progressive pop, which means it’s a pretty drastic change, and one that clearly shows Steven, like plenty 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, like 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).
The fear among some fans that Steven would make an overly commercial album was of course completely unfounded, because this is yet another thoroughly eclectic and ambient-deep outing that fans of experimental rock will mostly embrace with enthusiasm. Plenty of people worried that the eternal musical rebel Steven would ‘sell out’ to capital once word got out that he was making a more pop-rock-leaning album than usual. Truth be told, the sound of »To the Bone« sits closest to art pop and art rock, inspired by the aforementioned musical icons, which means Steven almost never strays into pure pop rock. Maybe some were worried by the fact that this time he teamed up 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 seriously good investment.
Steven trusted Stacey with the excellent production, which he normally always handles himself, while Paul’s brother Jeremy, the newest member of the legendary King Crimson, took the drum stool on a few tracks. Steven also worked more closely than ever with the Israeli singer Ninet Tayeb, who once again shines in building the vocal harmonies. From the ‘old acquaintances’ of Steven’s regular studio and live crew, the cult bassist Nick Beggs, drummer Craig Blundell and keyboardist Adam Holzman are back again, while prog rock fans will be thrilled that the unforgettable Canterbury scene keyboardist Dave Stewart and the outstanding guitarist and singer Dave Kilminster are on the album too. The latter, mind you, contributed ‘only’ backing vocals.
The title track, which is also the opener, and where the influence of Talk Talk’s ambient aesthetic is impossible to miss, already signals that in many ways this is a quite different album from its predecessor. A lovely chorus is backed by rich vocal support, while the melancholy guitar solo in the middle section is every bit the Mr. Wilson trademark. »Nowhere Now« is a bit reminiscent of Steven’s days with Porcupine Tree, somewhere around the albums »Stupid Dream« (1999) and »Lightbulb Sun« (2000), 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« features a melancholy Pink Floyd-style guitar riff, while Steven uses falsetto in his singing, making for an interesting and welcome touch. You can’t praise the superb vocal harmonies enough, while Steven’s signature guitar passages are once again balm for the soul. The epic »Refuge« is one of those ambient, shattering Steven pieces that leave a deep impression on any empathetic listener, while the bluesy solo, which is gradually joined by gorgeous harmonies, makes it clear 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-rock track on the album, where Steven nicely demonstrates how much his singing has developed over the last few years by using falsetto again. An excellent chorus takes center stage here too, while alongside the influence of new wave classics you can also hear traces of Bowie and Electric Light Orchestra. The somewhat pastoral »Blank Tapes«, with its flute and piano arrangements, is a short melancholy-nostalgic moment, while Steven’s Israeli collaborator comes almost exactly into the vocal timbre of Kate Bush. »People Who Eat Darkness« is Steven’s hardest-hitting and most ‘lively’ piece on this album, with plenty of fun alternative rock and progressive metal elements. On the next experimental outing, »Song of I«, with vocal help from his Israeli friend, he ventures into unusual trip-hop territory, while the shatteringly dark and melancholy »Detonation«, with its many mighty and complex transitions, sounds like a forgotten »Hand. Cannot. Erase« (2015) track.
The closing piece, »Song of Unborn«, sounds like a funeral requiem, but without any morbid ambient shading. In its ambient nature it’s more like the deceased is being greeted by 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 in the lyrics with heavy, serious life themes, and, despite his secretiveness and careful guarding of his own privacy, he lets some of his pivotal life experiences in too.
On his latest studio outing, »To the Bone«, Steven Wilson once again proves his incredible eclecticism as a composer and arranger, hopping across genre borders with ease while still staying true to himself. Compared to most of his output so far, »To the Bone« is a somewhat lighter achievement in atmosphere and arrangement, which is 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, which Steven simply needed at this stage of his career.
Lineup
Steven Wilson – vocals, guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, production
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Ninet Tayeb – lead vocals (3,7) and backing vocals (1,6,8)
Sophie Hunger – vocals (9)
David Kollar – guitar
Adam Holzman – keyboards
Mark Feltham- harmonica (1,5)
Nick Beggs – bass guitar, Chapman stick
Craig Blundell – drums
Jeremy Stacey – drums
Jasmine Walkes – spoken word (1)
Robin Mullarkey – bass guitar (4 and 10)
David Kilminster – backing vocals (1,2 and 4)
Dave Stewart – orchestral arrangements (2,4,9 and 10)
Pete Eckford – percussion
The London Session Orchestra – orchestral arrangements
Production
Steven Wilson and Paul Stacey
Track list
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)
