Simon Rushworth
Porcupine Tree star Steve Wilson finally releases solo debut Insurgentes in the UK in March and if you haven’t heard the buzz about one of 2009’s big hopes then listen up.
The prog rock maestro’s new project first came to light last autumn and was mooted for a release over here in February. That’s been put back a month but by all accounts an eclectic mix of prog, rock, slow burners and industrial power will be well worth the wait.
Opening track Harmony Korine has been knocking about for a while and the quality is what we’ve come to expect from the bare-footed fret burner. But don’t expect more of the same throughout Insurgentes as we’re promised more twists and turns than Spaghetti Junction.
Released via Kscope on March 9, Wilson’s first foray into the realms of solo work should shake up the opposition in what promises to be, at best, an indifferent year for new rock and metal releases after the multitude of mega releases in 2008.
Pulled together from sessions recorded as far afield as Mexico City and Japan, Insurgentes is set to win Wilson a whole new army of rockers and will appeal to more than just the loyal prog crowd. But if you’re still not convinced then watch a trailer set to Harmony Korine at www.insurgentes.org
While Wilson is a member of several bands – including Blackfield, No-Man and Bass Communion – he said: “When I began writing these songs, I quickly realised that they would be best suited to an album under my own name. It was an intuitive, almost unconscious writing process that resulted in a kind of ‘poetry of melancholy’.”
Wilson recruited a stellar cast of guests to work on the album including bassist Tony Levin, drummer Gavin Harrison, and keyboardist Jordan Rudess, alongside Japanese Koto player Michiyo Yagi, British guitarist Sand Snowman, and jazz flautist and saxophonist Theo Travis.
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