Take Five: Porcupine Tree Classics

Guitarist, producer, singer and songwriter Steven Wilson is a progressive rock hero for the 21st century. As a remix master extraordinaire, he has overseen new mixes of classic albums by King Crimson, Genesis, Jethro Tull, Caravan and many others in and beyond the prog subgenre. He has released a critically-acclaimed string of albums under his own name, plus many more as part of bands No-Man, Bass Communion, Storm Corrosion, I.E.M. and Blackfield. But it was with Porcupine Tree that Wilson first came on the scene.

Originally a pseudonym for his solo music endeavors, by the mid 1990s Porcupine Tree had evolved into a proper band. The first release featuring the band lineup was 1995’s The Sky Moves Sideways. Like Porcupine Tree releases before and after it, that album was a critical success, and it set the stage for the group’s eventual superstar status. Porcupine Tree’s on-and-off history continued (and may have ended) with 2022’s Closure/Continuation, but the group’s back catalog – 11 studio albums plus many more EPs, live releases and limited-edition packages — is filled with gems. In celebration of the 30th anniversary of The Sky Moves Sideways’ release, here are five must-hear tracks from Porcupine Tree.

“Radioactive Toy” from On the Sunday of Life… (1992)
In the early 1990s, Steven Wilson self-released a pair of cassette-only albums, crafting a fictitious back story for a nonexistent band he called Porcupine Tree. Wilson played nearly all the instruments, sang all the songs, and composed all of the music on those releases. The lyrics for some of the songs were written by Wilson’s friend Alan Duffy, but Wilson wrote lyrics for the remainder of the tunes, including a standout track, the epic-length “Radioactive Toy.” That song was a highlight of the first official Porcupine Tree album, compiled from those cassette releases.

“The Sky Moves Sideways Phase 1” from The Sky Moves Sideways (1995)
Halfway through sessions for the third Porcupine Tree album, Wilson formed an actual group. Bassist Colin Edwin and keyboardist Richard Barbieri (the latter formerly of art rock group Japan) joined him along with drummer Chris Maitland. The new group recorded the majestic 32-minute title track for the album, splitting it into two parts a la Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here centerpiece “Shine On You Crazy Diamond.”

“Even Less” from Stupid Dream (1999)
The fifth studio album from Porcupine Tree found Steven Wilson moving away from the atmospheric space rock that characterized earlier albums. For Stupid Dream, Wilson employed a more melodic, song-based approach; the result was a successful balance of progressive and mainstream styles, and the album expanded Porcupine Tree’s audience. The extended coda of “Even Less” features an authentic recording of a broadcast by a mysterious government-run numbers station.

“Arriving Somewhere But Not Here” from Deadwing (2005)
Perhaps the most representative track in all of Porcupine Tree’s catalog, “Arriving Somewhere But Not Here” is a remarkable synthesis of all of the textures and styles that informed the group’s sound. There’s metal, strong melody and harmony, compelling lyrics, a great arrangement and searing guitar solos. Even more remarkably, the track is merely one of several outstanding songs on Porcupine Tree’s eighth studio release, a concept album. On its release, Deadwing was also the band’s most commercially successful outing to date, and marked the group’s second record to feature drummer Gavin Harrison.

“Time Flies” from The Incident (2009)
The last album to be released before Porcupine Tree went on extended hiatus (and the last to feature bassist Colin Edwin), The Incident was a concept album; it’s essentially a song cycle. Among the most accessible sections of the acclaimed work is “Time Flies,” a fan favorite and centerpiece of the album.