Porcupine Tree

僅管通常劃分于Brit-Pop陣營的Radiohead與Mansun等團幾度也讓世人見識了他們張揚的另一面，Porcupine Tree無疑才真是此派的領導者之一。主唱兼吉他手Steven Wilson曾宣稱他簡直是一大票二流Genesis贗品樂隊中，Prog-Rock孤獨的救世者，其使命就是要將70年代的Prog-Rock重新帶回當今流行主力?？跉怆m然狂妄，但回顧整個90年代，出身英倫獨立圈的他們的確成就了英國與歐陸樂迷的狂熱追隨。 93年的“Up the Downstair”被當時的Melody Maker譽為迷幻經典、NME讀者票選年度最佳榜首；而99年的“Stupid Dream”里，來自前Japan 鍵盤手Richard Barbieri的表現，更被形容為‘Pink Floyd與The Orb相遇在月塵里’。混融著太空迷幻與電氣環境、既當代且深遂的聲響風景，的確將他們自復古Prog-Rock運動中脫俗而出，自成一家之言。 by Ned Raggett Though he initially came to wider attention (at least in the U.K.) with No-Man, his long-running collaboration with Tim Bowness, throughout the 1990s singer/guitarist Steven Wilson gained as much of a reputation for Porcupine Tree. Embracing and exploring prog rock inspirations while always keeping an ear out for newer musical connections, thus sidestepping the pointless revivalism of many of the bands peers, Porcupine Tree has created some noteworthy albums and songs over the years, continuing full strength into the new millennium. The group itself was just Wilson at the start; born in London in 1967, he was too young to participate in the first full flush of psychedelic and experimental rock music, but swiftly made up for lost time, turning out to be a talented musical prodigy. Having learned guitar and keyboards at a young age, he contributed to work by underground prog outfits of the early 80s such as Altamont and Karma while continuing his own musical growth and exploration. 1987 saw the founding of both No-Man and Porcupine Tree, the latter actually starting as a joke between Wilson and a friend about a legendary lost 70s group. Elaborate discographies and other material were created à la Spinal Tap, while Wilson himself created a slew of music meant to be the bands lost recordings. In a humorous twist of fate, two tapes of this material ended up in the hands of other folks interested in hearing more from Wilson, who ended up collating the best tracks for Porcupine Trees real debut album on Delerium Records, On the Sunday of Life, in 1992. Those songs having been something of a nostalgia exercise, Wilson aimed for a more contemporary approach on his follow-up release — the extended single Voyage 34, with a clear debt to ambient techno jokesters the Orb.