Needle Time

  Steven Wilson - The Harmony Codex [SW7V3 UK&EU 2023 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Here is an album which came out in a multitude of formats back in September, I have not seen too many vinyl rips out there as digital sources have been circulated instead. Wilson is a key exponent of the ATMOS medium so you could believe this album was recorded with that format in mind. The regular two channel digital formats come in at a reasonable dynamic response of DR10, this vinyl edition clocks in at a more comfortable DR12. This edition was mastered by Matt Colton who also cut the vinyl editions of Peter Gabriel's recent I/O album. I am pleased to hear less compression was applied to The Harmony Codex .  Since Wilson's To The Bone album in 2017, he has sought to widen his audience by combining pop & modern electronics into his work. This has in turn 'upset' his core fan base who continually expect fifteen minutes per track of progressive rock pyrotechnics. His 2020 album The Fut...

  Steven Wilson - Last Day Of June [MOVATM335 UK 2021 24-Bit FLAC] On the subject of all things SWilson, Last Day Of June snuck out in 2017 as a download only as the soundtrack of a PS4 game of the same title. The game itself revolves around the life of animated characters developed by Jess Cope for Wilson's Drive Home video, the music is an assemblage of Wilson's work between 2004 and 2016, focusing on sections from his more melodic compositions with Porcupine Tree, his solo work and the drone alter-ego, Bass Communion - all mixed, edited and sequenced into new pieces. This is a gorgeous piece of work, revealing the man's talent as a composer of almost classical music, broken up by occasional uptempo melodic rock. The purists will turn their noses up at the lack of a long Guthrie Govan guitar solo on Driving Home , everybody else will find something to love. This could also be the ideal introduction to those not so familiar with the man's work. Surprisingly, this rel...

  Steven Wilson - The Future Bites [CAROL 021LP UK 2021 24-Bit FLAC] Love him ...or hate him, SWilson hit us with The Future Bites earlier this year to some acclaim and despite the disapproval of proghead trolls on social media, I consider this to be his best work . His sixth solo album is a thorough examination of our modern commercial world, the place where browsing & buying habits are analysed & stored in cookies and online shopping baskets. This album examines & exploits our compulsive behaviors towards shopping, like my vinyl purchases, you don't really need it ...you just want it. This is the regular black vinyl version, I also own a copy of the rather plush & expansive deluxe edition boxset. The record and subsequent tour were delayed by lockdown (the tour is now cancelled as Wilson has decided to work on his next two albums instead), consequently a few of the tracks were released either as vinyl singles or as digital downloads. However this record is best ...

  Steven Wilson - The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories) [KSCOPE 835 UK 24-Bit FLAC] The accolade of likely my best rip, so far, goes to  The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories) , the third proper solo (well, not completely solo) album from Steven Wilson. This is my third attempt at a rip and after all my studies into attenuation, capacitance and impedance, I think it now deserved an airing.  This is very much a progressive rock album with occasional jazz and avant-garde elements. Before anybody gets worried, I haven't turned into a balding man, growing what's left of his hair long around the backs & sides, in a well worn Spock's Beard, Fish or Steve Hackett t-shirt - I just appreciate good music, and this album is possibly the best 'rock' album of the last twenty years, even if Alan Parsons was involved. Wilson has subsequently broadened and modernised his direction since 2013, in-turn upsetting the afore mention sub-culture who are now v...

  Steven Wilson - Unreleased Electronic Music [TF22 NLD 2014 24-Bit FLAC] Better known for his modern day progressive musings, Steven Wilson, when a struggling poor musician recorded a number of compositions for TV commercials and radio ads in the early nineties. Expanding his personal appreciation for electronic music, these were developed further in full length works of heavy distorted electronic beats, techno, drum & bass, ambient experiments & IDM etc... These works were originally made available on a very rare self-released CDR in 2004 each with an individual Polaroid snap by Danish creative Lasse Hoile. Dutch label Tonefloat made these works available in a limited pressing of 1000 double vinyl albums in 2004, this rip is from the 2014 repress. If Meat Beat Manifesto and their like had recorded these, we would all be raving about these tracks, in fact I can think of one or two eighties EBM bands who could only have dreamed of writing something as good as Nailbomb...

  Steven Wilson - Limited Edition Coloured Vinyl Seven-Inch Single By Steven Wilson [ESS773 UK 2021 24-Bit FLAC] The year long campaign of marketing and subtle hype is over, The Future Bites was released a week ago, we can all now go back to our regular lives. Wilson's blatant attempt to get a number one album in the UK has been in our faces and on our billboards & TV since January. I hope he gets it but it's likely that some teen starlet will trump him (can I say that these days) with some formulaic Spotify stream.  I really like the album, it is very different to anything previously from Wilson and it should win him a wider audience. This single features with this month's Electronic Sound magazine in a limited pressing on red vinyl. The first playback sounded like a flexi-disc as the pressing is fairly rough & dirty - I've cleaned up my copy as best I can. It was worth it just to hear more of that Chapman-funk bassline on Eminent Sleaze . A1 King Ghost (E...

  Steven Wilson - 12 Things I Forgot [CAROL 021S2 UK 2020 24-Bit FLAC] The next in the series of 12"s, released in advance of the new album in January 2021, is SWilson in full-on popstar mode with the catchy 12 Things I Forgot . Lovers of electronica will need to head for the other two tracks, which are evidence that SWilson is beginning to excel in the genre. A1 12 Things I Forgot A2 Move Like A Fever B1 King Ghost (Tangerine Dream Remix)

  Steven Wilson – Eminent Sleaze [CAROL 021S1 UK 2020 24-Bit FLAC] Released as part of the October 2020 third RSD drop, here is the limited pressing of Steven Wilson’s Eminent Sleaze . The a-side is a funky preview to Wilson’s forthcoming The Future Bites long player and reveals a dramatic shift in style powered by Nick Beggs’ powerful chapman stick bassline, the Moroderesque non-album b-side, Eyewitness continues in that vein, whereas Wilson covers Lonely Robot’s In Floral Green to great aplomb. A1  Eminent Sleaze B1  Eyewitness B2  In Floral Green

  Steven Wilson - How Big The Space [CAROL 016 RSD UK 2018 24-Bit FLAC] If you've heard the recent tracks previewed from Steven Wilson's new album scheduled for January 2021, you will know that much to the annoyance of a few of his more blinkered followers, that he is trying his very best to abandon his prog tag. Prior to this, his last release was this dreamy space-rock piece for RSD2018, laden with Pink Floyd references, How Big The Space was an out-take from the sessions for his most commercial album (to date), To The Bone . If jagged Fender riffs are your thing - check out the wonderful Ninet Tayeb vocal version of  People Who Eat Darkness  adorning the flipside. A1 How Big The Space A2 How Big The Space (Instrumental Variation) B1 People Who Eat Darkness (Ninet Version)

Steven Wilson - Transience [KSCOPE 904 UK 2015 24-Bit FLAC] A man in transition.... Steven Wilson has regularly questioned his lack of mainstream recognition, I for one would say he needs to look a little more inwards at how his music is perceived. The prog tag is always going to turn away a huge percentage of the music buying population and Wilson did little to hide these influences. Just as Porcupine Tree were beginning to attract a younger audience, he terminated the project and went solo. Playing smaller venues again, he tried to rebuild his audience however the prog tag remained stuck to him, not helped by the heavily King Crimson influenced complex avant-prog tracks which adorned his first two solo albums, fans in their late fifties lapped it up, many others did not. Releasing a sequence of concept albums with some very talented musicians helped the audience grow peaking with  The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories) which although was a concept album o...

Steven Wilson & Oceansize - Stoneage Dinosaurs / Fear [LOTSCOPE 001 UK 2011 24-Bit FLAC] Lead Cardiac Tim Smith suffered a combined stroke and heart attack in 2008. Most of The Cardiacs output has been unavailable since, but the very wonderful Genepool label brought together a plethora of respectful artists on a now deleted Cardiacs tribute album to raise funds for Tim. This single was a 2011 RSD seven inch released on very limited crackly white vinyl, featuring cover versions of two Cardiacs tracks by Steven Wilson and Mancunian pronk disciples Oceansize. A1  Steven Wilson - Stoneage Dinosaurs B1  Oceansize - Fear