"Closure/Continuation" is the 11th album by UK prog rock gods Porcupine Tree. This is the album many thoughts would never happen due to the band going their separate ways in 2010 following the release of their 10th album "The Incident" in 2009. Steven Wilson has seen his solo career take off, to the point where some thought he would never go back to Porcupine Tree. He has also been involved with his other bands; Blackfield and No Man while remastering many albums by some big-name artists. The two other members of the band to appear on this album were drummer Gavin Harrison, who has a writing credit on most of the tracks and Richard Barbieri on keyboards and synths who also gets writing credits on a few tracks. The bassist Colin Edwin does not appear on this album as Steven Wilson lost contact with him, so Wilson plays bass on the album too as well as vocals, guitar and piano.
Porcupine Tree ended the 2000s as perhaps one of the biggest modern day prog bands on the planet, alongside American prog rock band The Mars Volta. It's interesting they have both reformed in 2022, with Porcupine Tree releasing this album; and at time of writing The Mars Volta have just released a new single and are going on tour, and it's looking like a new album to follow. You do wonder if this will be the catalyst for a resurgence in progressive rock music which feels like it has faded away a bit, despite Wilson holding the flag with some of his solo stuff. As he moved in other directions it has felt like there has been a bit of a void left.
But what about this album "Closure/Continuation", was it worth the wait? as the album title suggests did, they pick up where they left off? When I first heard the first single "Harridan" I was quite excited. I mean it’s 8 minutes long. Exactly what you want from a prog band - a nice long song. But when I heard it, I felt like I needed to adjust to Porcupine Tree again as I haven't really listened to them for such a long time. I have been following Steven Wilson's solo career though and album by album, he seems to be pushing and evolving his sound even more. And with his latest solo album which was released last year "The Future Bites" it feels quite far removed from a Porcupine Tree album. And I loved it. So, moving back to Porcupine Tree has taken a bit of adjustment and once I managed this, I now really appreciate this new album for what it is. And that is Porcupine Tree doing what they do best. It's not trying to be anything else than a PT album and the band are very much staying true to their sound.
That's the thing with their sound though, within the band's universe there is a varied musical landscape to behold. There’re dark heavy moments through the likes of "Harridan" and "Rats Return", then you have "Walk the plank" which is a much lighter track which is quite a unique song as it doesn't actually feature any guitars, instead having synths and effects. "Of the New day" is also soft ballad till about halfway through where the song builds with some amazing guitar work. It seems Wilson has focused quite a bit on how songs finish, making them unique and emphatic. "Herd Calling" is another one like this. The twist with this one is that there is a false finish then everyone really goes for it to end the song on a total high.
When I went to see Porcupine Tree for the first time, back in 1999, having never heard their music before. The thing I will always remember from that night is their ability to go between quiet and loud moments in the blink of an eye. Obviously not all Porcupine Tree tracks do this, but there are a fair few and they create such dramatic and memorable moments when played live. This album also creates these moments and they have created these moments in different ways, so the songs are still fresh and unique. "Herd Calling" is perhaps the best example of this but there are various other songs on this album which create that quiet/loud magic.
There are a lot of bands out there who known for having an epic track on an album. One which stands out because of its length and the way the song is so good and memorable maybe because of a winding guitar solo and how the song builds to a climax. I'm thinking of Led Zeppelin’s "Stairway to Heaven", Alter Bridge's "Blackbird" or Guns N Roses "November Rain" and there are many more. Now I know these bands will have more songs of plus 7 minutes but often these are there are only one or two tracks off an album of that length. On "Closure" you have 4 tracks out of 7 of songs between 7 and 9 minutes of length. This is the sign of a prog album in its truest sense. And I think it's the reason this album has done so well. In a world where song length seems to be decreasing in rock. Even look at The Mars Volta. The latest track they released is an 11-minute song. But they have only released the 3-minute version on Spotify as far. It just shows how bands are thinking about the changing music market. Porcupine Tree seem like they are trying to stay true to themselves though and it seems to have worked.
But out of these 4 longer tracks is there a standout? I would say yes, but at the same time having 4 longer tracks means I wouldn't tag it epic as having 4 tracks of this length on the album. It feels like they have normalised having long songs on the album and something they have done throughout their career. But the song I like the most on this album is track 4 "Dignity". This song is absolutely breath-taking. I reviewed a little-known band called The Fallen State earlier this year and complimented the singer on the variations of singing throughout the song "Mirror". And I must say Wilson's singing hear, totally trumps it. The changes in tempo, the control he has over his voice is mesmerising. The song has such a lush melody and a nice and simple guitar solo which is so wonderful. At the moment it's a contender for song of the year for me.
Overall. "Closure/Continuation" is a total triumph. Not only for the band but for prog music generally. Many bands would take a minute off a song in this album and loop it to make a full song. Such is the creativity in this band, the songs move in all kinds of directions while being so easily accessible for the listener. So yeah, they really have continued where they left off.
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