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Studio:Kscope

Amazon.co.uk Review

However tempting it might be to dismiss any album whose opening lines are, "The sun is a lightbulb, the candle's a tree", this lot are well-worth persevering with, especially for anyone who worships at the shrine of the big electric guitar solo. Porcupine Tree's axeman, Steven Wilson, must have been born with more than the standard number of fingers on each hand in order to be able to do the things he does, but he also never forgets that a strong melody is more important than any rapid-fire cluster of randomly accessed notes. The band is also eclectic enough to include a delicate acoustic piano waltz, "How Is Your Life Today?", overlaid with gorgeously soaring vocal harmony and counterpoint; or to interrupt a CSNY-style ballad with a cosmic instrumental interlude featuring swirly harps and floaty. Ultimately, though, the greatest strength of Porcupine Tree is that they seem to exist in a bubble, doing exactly what they want to do with no concern for the musical mainstream. On Lightbulb Sun, they do it superbly. -- Johnny Black

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