Porcupine Tree

What a unique and trippy name for a band…

I first heard a track of theirs ("Always Never") on an ambient compilation album from 1995. I was intrigued from that moment on, by the sound of the vocals, the timbre of their instruments, and their sonic textures.

They are not an ambient band at all in the pure electronic sense, but they do create sonic landscapes, much in the vein of Pink Floyd.

In fact, I would describe their music as a cross between the guitar work of Martin Barre from Jethro Tull, (plus a little bit of Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi), mixed with the keyboards of Pink Floyd, and the lyrical style of The Kinks.

(The leader/founder of Porcupine Tree, Steven Wilson, despises the reference to sounding a bit like Pink Floyd, as to him, that infers that they are living in the shadows of another band.)

They are certainly a melodic, progressive rock band, and are also categorized as "psychedelic rock."

This is one of the few modern rock bands of which I can actually listen to an entire album, without skipping past a few tracks. It is a great listening experience from beginning to end. (Another of my recent favorites, although in a different musical style, is Tool. More on them at a later date.)

Having seen them in concert several times in the last seven years, their projected visuals are mesmerizing. The Danish artist and filmmaker (Lasse Hoile), who designs their album covers and packages, creates their concert projections.

They will be playing in Los Angeles on September 19 at Club Nokia.

Check out the band's official website:
http://www.porcupinetree.com/