Porcupine Tree - Recordings

Artist: Porcupine Tree

Album: Recordings

Release: 2000

“Here’s a hymn to those that disappear”

Kscope have been on a roll this year. With the recent reissues of Nosound’s Sol29 and No-Man’s Wild Opera back in May – not to mention the upcoming Lunatic Soul’s second record and a new album from Engineers – the young label has become somewhat of a musical mecca for me. I don’t think any label has held as many artists that interest me except maybe Century Media circa 2004. And as if to place the cherry on top of this musical sundae, they have been reissuing Porcupine Tree’s back catalogue. So when I heard the long-out-of-print Recordings was being rereleased, I was positively giddy with glee. This is the one release from the band that I don’t know a whole lot about just because how obscure the songs are. It’s near impossible to find good quality samples of the songs online, (in my earlier years, I was what you may call a “pirate”), and it was sent out in a very limited quantity, and honestly I’m not paying two hundred dollars American just to complete my collection. I had given up obtaining this record. So was finally able to fulfill that dream when this lost gem arrived at my doorstep. Recordings is a collection of b-sides from the bands second, more radio-friendly phase. But you wouldn’t know it from listening to this record. Those songs that fall into the three-to-five-minute of most singles sound far too abstract for radio-play and everything else is vast and would be quite overwhelming to hear on the radio. Most of the songs featured here sound like they belong in film scores – something I would never thought I would say about the bands music. We have songs that range from simple piano melodies to long atmospheric stretches of sound reminiscent of Porcupine Tree’s earlier works. What surprises me is how well those two styles blend and flow into one another here. Returning to my film score reference earlier, I could see these songs playing in some kind of modern space documentary. Like one that you would find at a science museum of some sort. The spacey, ephemeral, style also translates to the albums cover. While it may seem like an ordinary grounded cover, there is something otherworldly about it. It’s almost as if the man is trying so hard to seem normal that it comes off as abnormal. I think this is a fitting choice that accurately reflects this phase of Porcupine Tree’s music. This is band that continues to redefine what it means to play thought provoking and complex music – even when they chose not to. Recordings might be their most interesting release and is a thoroughly enjoyable listen. Now if I can only find a copy of Transmission IV, I’ll be set!