[floydman]

I've never really go into In Absentia... I really love Deadwing/FOABP, but also the early stuff, Sky is moving sideways, Stupid Dream...

 

[jonhapimp]

can't get into In Absentia also

 

[John2e]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Azathoth /img/forum/go_quote.gif It didn't take me long to get into "In Absentia" (the first album of theirs I listened to), I was playing it heavily within a few days. .

X2

 

[Dusty Chalk]

You should definitely check out Fear of a Blank Planet, Deadwing, and The Incident next -- those four albums are "of a kind", everything before that wasn't as hard.

Unless, of course, you want to hear "not as hard", in which case you should listen to other suggestions in this thread. My personal favorites are Stupid Dream and Sky Moves Sideways.

In answer to the original question -- yes, I loved them on first listen. I still remember it -- I got the Stars Die single, with Moonloop, and was totally blown away when Moonloop just went on and on and on...

 

[salannelson]

yeah. i listen to things like this all the time. it wasn't difficult for me to enjoy them.

 

[acolyte289]

I have had the same experience with my two favorite bands (Opeth and Dream Theater) and Porcupine Tree as well.

Some good music takes time to "get" I think.

 

[auradud3]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Covenant /img/forum/go_quote.gif So, I went hunting for music recommendations here a while back, along the progressive metal lines, and was advised to have a listen to Porcupine Tree's In Absentia, which apparently had a huge following. And on first listen, I really wasn't impressed. I mean, the recording quality was good, and a few of the tracks caught my attention at times, but overall it didn't grab me. And now about 6 months later, after having the album come on randomly every now and then on shuffle, I find I really like the album. Has anyone else found that? Oh, and now that I've acquired a taste for them, which album should I get next?

i got some of their stuff on recommendations from people here, still think they suck

 

[Ross Ergga]

I only have their newer stuff from Lightbulb Sun and onward, which is great. Their older stuff is near the top of my to buy list.

 

[SgtPepper]

Heard Deadwing first, loved it. Just got In Absentia, and I think there are quite a few duds. Recording quality is excellent, as many people have pointed out.

 

[jonhapimp]

Funny thing I like In absentia now

 

[Olias of Sunhillow]

To the original question: yes, I definitely appreciated PT on first listen. That listen was in 1997, and I'd just gotten my much younger hands on a copy of Signify. As a Crimson/Floyd/Tull kind of guy, I loved that album immediately and collected everything they'd done previously -- no small feat, as many were OOP and difficult to find. The Sky Moves Sideways, Stupid Dream and Lightbulb Sun remain on heavy rotation, with Signify and In Absentia somewhat less frequently listened to.

The newer albums (say, from Deadwing on) have yet to resonate with me. I don't think Wilson does metal guitar particularly well -- his metal-style riffs strike me as repetitive and derivative. I do, however, like his contemporary non-metal playing on albums such as Blackfield II and his solo album, Insurgentes. The Incident has yet to fully grow on me, but I suspect it will, as it strikes me as something of a return to the more progressive, melodic style of PT that I was initially attracted to.

 

[baka1969]

I only have three of their albums; The Sky Moves Sideways, In Absentia, and The Incident. TSMS is my favorite and feel having those three sort of represents all phases of the band. I'd like to give the band Opeth a try though.

 

[Drosera]

Yes, on first listen, second, even third listen. And then I grew very bored with them.

 

[BABankert]

Porcupine Tree has been a very phasic band for me. I first got into them around 2003 when I heard The Sound of Muzak on the internet. I was instantly hooked and proceed to buy as much PTree as I could. I enjoy their newer works (Stupid Dream forward) more than their older, psychedelia-influenced efforts.

There was a time (about a year ago until about a month ago) where certain things had happened in my life that had caused an extreme hatred for PTree (not worth explaining on the internet). During this time, for reasons I could not truly explain, I hated PTree and all Steven Wilson-related music.

Recently, I have gotten back into Porcupine Tree and I'm glad I did. All the albums from IA forward have wonderful production and as a drummer, Gavin Harrison is one of my drum heroes.

 

[catscratch]

The first PT album I ever heard was Lightbulb Sun, when it was still fairly new. 10 minutes later I ordered the rest of their back catalog. It's really hard to describe just how much of a "this is it!" moment that was, and PT really struck a chord that I felt was missing, musically, with me at the time.

I tried to get into In Absentia and the newer stuff for a while, but no luck. It's not the change to a heavier sound - it just sounds uninspired and creatively inert to me. They found a formula and are sticking to it, which is a pretty big turnaround for a band that made a career out of not being formulaic. I don't want to use the term "sell-out" but modern-day PT does feel more dumbed-down and commercial.

I've stopped caring since Deadwing, but the older stuff is a permanent part of my collection.