(8/10)| |
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| Artist | Porcupine Tree |
| Title | Recordings |
| Type | Compilation |
| Released | 01.05.2001 |
| Genre | Prog, ambient |
| Style | Alternative, spacey |
| My rating | (8/10) |
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Tracklist:
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Credits:
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A few years back, when I started my journey with this band, I was thinking of buying some CDs of their albums. I endes up getting this one and "The Sky Moves Sideways". The latter beacause I've heard the amazing title track and immidiately loved it, and the former because I've read on Wikipedia that it was a limited release. Of course nowadays it's pretty easy to get, and I've even spotted in in the wild on CD market, but my 15 year-old brain got too excited when it read the word limited and saw it for a reasonable price on some online store. Anyways, the album turned out pretty different that I expected. Mainly because it's not a usual PT album as much as it's just a compilation of singles from the Stupid Dream/Lightbulb Sun era. Only the first track is a brand new, never before heard piece of music. Speaking of which...
"Buying New Soul" is peak PT right here. It's soulful, melancholic and introspective. What really carries this song for me is Richard's spacey soundscapes that elevate this song to the next level. In 2018, during the hiatus of the band, he released an instrumental, stripped down remake of the song, fittingly called "New Soul 2018". If you enjoy this tune, I really recommend to check out this version, as it really builds upon the ambient/soundscapey nature of this wonderful song. But back to the song... the soaring guitar solo and it's interplay with Chris' angry drum madness is simply the best. Not to mention the lyrics, which are uncharacteristicly remarkable for Steven. What a song! I'm extremely happy I've managed to hear it live during their 2022 reunion tour.
The next track is here to remind the listener that this is not a regular album by any means. I don't like "Access Denied". I've read that Steven was the only one in the band that liked it, so I'm not alone in that. Well, this could even by my least favourite PT song. But I think that it could've been much better if the chord progression was more comfortable to listen to and accessible, much like the "Piano Lessons" one.
Going back to peak, we have "Cure For Optimism", which again, I adore. It's a very important song for me for some very significant personal reason. I like how the piano keys are so drenched in reverb and deleay that they echo endlessly after each note is played.
"Untitled" brings out the improvisational nature of this era od the band. It's probably the last time we heard them do stuff like this. It channels "Moonloop", "Metanoia" stuff and "The Sky Moves Sideways". Steven's shimmery guitar brings to mind visuals of space. I think that this wordless 8-minute improv is better in "being a space themed music" than 2025 "The Overview" record...
I understand why the song like "Disappear" was left out of the band's pop-focused 90s run, but it's still a banger. It's cute and fun and at the end it turns into a classic PT jam section. Nice stuff.
"Ambulance Chasing" and "In Formaldehyde" on the other hand I'm not that big on, they sound very stock to me. The former has this weird, psychdelic drum outro that I don't really enjoy but then it turns pretty ok. I like it but I don't ever think to myself "hmmm let's listen to some Ambulance Chasing" you know. The latter is more and more of stock PT sounds and I always forget it even exists so there's no much commentary from me on that one.
Then we have an extended version of "Stupid Dream" opener "Even Less" which is wonderful. For me it's the definite version of this song. The album version might have objectively cooler outro (with the numbers reciting sample), but this one has a buildup so intense that it doesn't fail to impress me every time I heat it! Steven's guitar just screams after Chris' drums stop their pounding, menacing march. Then they come the lyrics that feature a title drop of the album the song technically belongs to and some rare anger from steven. Epic version of an epic song.
The closing track, "Oceans Have No Memory" is a perfect closer. It's a staple on my playlists ever since I've first heard it. It's sooo calming and relaxing but at the same time introspective and says so much even that it's an instrumental...
Well, I think it's once of my favourite PT releases ever. Even that these are the B-sides and that definitely makes itself apparent, this compilation has a vibe that no other PT stuff has. It's very space-rockish and experimental and at the some time it keeps the fun and cute aspect of their more accessible pop records. I think maybe because It's "B-side comp" nature and the songs' shyness makes them kinda not afraid to be more experimental and uncharacteristic, if you know what I mean. No other PT record has a sound even close to this. It's my go-to autumn album because of this vibe. Even though it has a lot of flaws and tracks that I skip, it's still easily one of their best.