Nosound - Sol29

Artist: Nosound

Album: Sol29

Release 2005

“I remember you, watching through the window”

We’ve all had at one point in our lives where emotions have gotten the better of us. A time where we threw caution to the wind and raced blindly after our desires. Sometimes that gamble pays off and we gain what we so desperately wanted. And sometimes, we don’t. I think of the latter when I listen Nosound’s debut record, Sol29. It’s a somber, the-morning-after affair that speaks right to the emotional core of us all. Playing like if Pink Floyd collaborated with Brain Eno, Sol29 is a rather low-key record. Spacey guitars intermixed with mellow keys create an atmosphere that allows the listener to forget the troubles of their lives. Add in mainman Giancarlo Erra’s sobering, straight-from-the-diary style lyrics about lost loves and forlorn relationships and we have a record that is liable to make its listener cry. There seems to be an overarching theme lyrically relation to the idea of loss. It’s as if a person wakes up to find the person they thought would be beside them isn’t. It’s this kind of crushing brutality is portrayed in each song on this record. An empty bed. A missed encounter. A lost love. What image can better represent this kind of record then an abandoned bench. The cover(s) of both the original 2005 out of print release and the recent reissue both show an empty bench surrounded by a stark and lonely looking environment. These images could almost be the core of what we regard as being human. We sit at out park bench waiting for that much fabled chance encounter that may never come. Nosound manages to capture this sad fact of life on Sol29. And while the original cover has a much happier looking image, it still shows an empty place waiting to be filled. Personally, I prefer the reissue’s cover to the originals. In a way, it’s a bit more honest than the original and I for one appreciate that. This was a very hard record for me to listen to. It brought up a lot of memories from my younger, more ignorant years. Some of these memories I’ve never really gotten over. But with this album I was able to revisit these memories with a more mature perspective and accept the fact that everyone has done foolhardy things in the name of passion. Sol29 is easily the most honest album I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing. And its not one I’ll soon forget.

Coma Divine: The Music of Porcupine Tree - Part VIII

Deadwing-2005

“Did you ever imagine the last thing you'd hear as you're fading out was a song?”

Deadwing was the very first Porcupine Tree album I owned. And to my primitive 15 year old brain, this album was beyond my comprehension. I was really into Opeth at the time and I couldn’t see what the big deal was over this band. But over the next year, this album would grow on me in ways I never thought a piece of music could. This is Porcupine Trees heaviest record to date. Deadwing continues down the path they started on with In Absentia and once again, Mr. Wilson weaves a lovely tapestry of acoustics and metal into a truly beautiful album. It also marks yet another entry into the bands collection of concept albums. Deadwing is a ghost story. One gets a sense of loss and a longing to live again. Although it’s a VERY loose concept, the music still manages to convey a very evil sound. Steven seems to have an affection of this darker kind of music – something I appreciate. But Deadwing isn’t all dark and brooding. The albums third track “Lazarus” has, much like “Trains”, become a mainstay in the bands live sets. It’s a mellow and calming acoustic track in that sounds like it could have been a b-side from Stupid Dream. This is also another record where keyboards are more prevalent. Richards soundscapes once again lull us into a dream land only to be shattered by Stevens crushing guitar solos, (Opeth’s Mikael Akerfeldt also provides a very Opeth-esk solo on “Arriving Somewhere… But Not Here”.) But this album doesn’t quite hit that same place their other albums do for me. If I had to rank all of Porcupine Tree’s records, Deadwing would probably be near the bottom. It’s not that the music is sub-par. Actually its quite the contrary, some songs on this album are some of the best compositions I’ve ever heard. The complexity Porcupine Tree is known for is ever present and never lets the listener feel overwhelmed. But Deadwing occupies the same waters that On The Sunday Of Life – the bands first release – does. It’s taking a bit too much influence from the music of today as opposed to forging and re-inventing modern music. I’m sad to say that I don’t listen to Deadwing as much as I should. But it’s still a damn good record and helped propel Porcupine Tree up to the pedestal they are on today. In a way, I rediscovered Deadwing because of this blog and I’m glad I did. This is the album that introduced me to progressive music and for that it will always hold a special place in my collection.