AND THEN THERE WERE THREE

Following a 13-year hiatus, Porcupine Tree regroup with one less member and a broader musical palette. Steven Wilson explains why this is a new beginning for the progressive-rock group or maybe the end of the road.

- MARK MCSTEA

"I PLAY BASS LIKE I WOULD PLAY THE GUITAR: I PLAY MELODIC STUFF AND I PLAY A LOT OF CHORDS AS WELL, THE THINGS A 'PROPER' BASS PLAYER PROBABLY WOULDN'T DO"

STEVEN WILSON BRISTLES at the use of the term prog rock to describe his music, both as a member of Porcupine Tree and as a solo artist. But in fact, all that genre's familiar tropes are present: complex time signatures, wide-ranging stylistic shifts within songs, intricate riffing, and a high degree of technical ability. Regardless of categorization, the new Porcupine Tree album, Closure/Continuation (Music for Nations) is as strong a record as you'll hear all year, whether it's considered from the perspective of classic rock, pop, or, indeed, progressive rock.

Thirteen years have passed since Porcupine Tree issued their last album, 2009's The Incident. In the intervening years, Wilson has pursued a highly successful solo career, collaborated with a diverse range of artists, and become the go-to guy when classic rock albums need a remix. Closure/Continuation arrived out of the blue for fans of his work, although Wilson and the band's other two members, keyboardist Richard Barbieri and drummer Gavin Harrison, had been exchanging ideas between themselves for many years. It became clear to Wilson that what they had created was strong enough to compete with the best of his work both inside and outside of the band, and consequently, Porcupine Tree sprang their 11th album on an unsuspecting public in June 2022.