Search - Porcupine Tree :: Stupid Dream

Turning point for PTree

Garance A. Drosehn | Troy, NY United States | 08/18/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This was first released back in 1999, and at the time I considered Porcupine Tree to be a pretty good progressive-rock band. Not necessarily great, but pretty good. I had even skipped over getting their "Coma Divine: Live in Rome" album (thinking that I didn't really need a live album from them), and "Metanoia" (which was described as some extra music they had left over from previous recording sessions, and that didn't sound too interesting...). But after listening to "Stupid Dream", I went back and bought "Coma Divine". And with those two albums, I considered them the best new band of the 1990's.



"Stupid Dream" is a little slower-paced than previous albums, with more intricate, varied and interesting instrumental work on it. Not that their previous music had been bad, but the music here is even better. The music has more of an edge to it, and distances the band a bit more from the "Pink Floyd Sound" that they had on "The Sky Moves Sideways". But the more notable improvement is in the lyrics. Steve Wilson managed to come up with songs that were more about people and personal emotions, instead of "spacy vague trippy topics". Lyrically, the songs here are more of a rock album, instead of the psychedelic lyrics from earlier albums. Mind you, I also liked those psychedelic lyrics, but I can only take so many of those before they seem trite. The songs on "Stupid Dream" are certainly not trite.



You can check out all the lyrics at PTree's web site, so I won't bother typing in all the ones I like. But I personally like "Piano Lessons". It could be a theme song for anyone who is young, talented, and eager to come up with "something new", even though the people around them are very cynical. ``She said there's too much out there. Too much already said. You'd better give up hoping, you're better off in bed. -- You don't need much to speak out. No class, no wit, no soul. Forget you own agenda, get ready to be sold''.



The lyrics are still sparse, so different listeners can fill in the details of the song from their own experiences. "Even Less" is a song about a friend dying, and the feeling that maybe you could have helped him out in some way. "Pure Narcotic" is a song were one person is hopelessly infatuated with someone, but the other person doesn't seem to care all that much. "This Is No Rehearsal" is a parent who has their only child abducted. Note that it isn't a long song about the details of the *abduction*, but just a few sentences which express the feeling of loss. The album ends with "Stop Swimming", about someone who is just too tired of struggling and wants to stop, even if that means they will die. Obviously a number of sad themes there.



"A Smart Kid" is a bit of a throwback to earlier PTree songs like "Radioactive Toy", in that it's more like an excerpt from some science-fiction story. ``Winter lasted five long years. No sun will come again I fear. Chemical harvest was sown. -- And I will wait for you, until the sky is blue. And I will wait for you, what else can I do? -- A spaceship from another star. They ask me where all the people are. What can I tell them? -- I tell them I'm the only one. There was a war but I must have won.''



Okay, so that's the album. If you don't have it, then this is a great album to pick up and listen to. For those who already have the original album, the question is whether this remastered version is worth buying. I think it is. It's obviously worth it if you have a good 5.1-capable DVD-audio system (I don't, but this album might get me to buy one!), due to the second disk with the new 5.1 audio mix. But even the regular stereo CD is a little clearer-sounding in spots. The music isn't much different, in that there's no new solos or anything, and all the songs have basically the same playing time as the original. But some of the details seem a little sharper (IMO), and there were a few spots in the original version where I couldn't quite make out the lyrics, and those spots seem more understandable in this version.



I really think this is one of the best albums of the past ten years, especially for anyone who likes a variety of solid substantial music surrounding short, memorable lyrics. After this album, I switched to pre-ordering any new release from the group. I was confident that these guys really knew what they were doing, and their "Lightbulb Sun", "In Absentia" and "Deadwing" albums released after this one have certainly continued to prove that."

If you like PT at all, BUY THIS IMMEDIATELY

Timothy H. Tobish | Venice, CA USA | 10/18/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First of all, the #1 rule of PT collecting is that if something's available, buy it, because it may not be around forever...so this applies in general to all things Porcupine Tree/Steve Wilson. However, this album isn't just a great PT album, or a great PT album, but a desert-island-top-ten album.



I first saw Porcupine Tree on the first leg of the Deadwing Tour, in June '05. I had heard In Absentia and the excellent Stars Die compilation of their early work and had extremely high expectations. But nothing prepared me for my reaction to the show. By the end of it I was ripping my PT t-shirt off to check and see if I could catch another date...alas, it was not to be. I remember asking the lovely blonde lady next to me what was that AMAZING song that they did right before they broke for their encore and she said "Even Less. Wow, you were so into the show and you've never heard anything off of Stupid Dream?"



I called a friend the next day that had been a longtime "Tree Hugger," and the first thing he asked me was "How did you like that song right before the encore? That's from Stupid Dream, the album that blew my doors off a few years back." The song was, of course, Even Less.



In the month or so thereafter, I went from owning 3 Porcupine Tree albums to nearly 50 Porcupine Tree and Steve Wilson-related discs (and seeing 4 shows on the second Deadwing leg), and while it's all a pretty amazing body of work, Stupid Dream is at the apex. It's that good. It shares the "poppy, song oriented era" of Porcupine Tree with Lightbulb Sun, but is far more consistent, and perfectly bridges the psychedelic earlier PT music with the heavier, metal-tinged era of In Absentia, Deadwing, and from the sound of the new material at their LA and San Francisco shows last week, continuing through the next effort. It's more structured than the early material, yet still mostly melodic rather than metallic, with powerful, spare lyrics coupled with complex, yet catchy arrangements and song structure. It gives up more and more with each listen, and while it holds together as a body of work, it also contains a huge variety of sounds and approaches.



The 5.1 mixes are fantastic, and the bonus material is great, but any Tree Hugger should buy this disk solely because it contains the 14 minute "full length" version of Even Less, which appeared on Recordings, a limited edition (read...$300+ on E-bay) of singles, outtakes and b-sides from Stupid Dream/Lightbulb Sun. Whereas the original version has two verses about a suicide, a murder, and horrible childhood memories, and ends with an eerie countown of radio numbers, the "full length" version continues through a long, percussive instrumental build leading to a screaming guitar solo and a DEVASTATING third verse that is a scream of anger at the hopelessness of faith in the face of loss and alienation, a searing indictment of Christianity in particular, and a final coda of giving in and submission to forces beyond our control. It's by far the best "progressive epic" song in years, and will indeed blow your doors off.



If you like any sort of "progressive" music, get this disc immediately, as it's one of the best in the past ten years."

Indie to prog............you too can make the leap with this

S. MCBEATH | uk | 11/01/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Released in 1999, `Stupid Dream' was Porcupine Tree's 5th studio album. Having already established themselves as prog gods within small circles of the prog community through albums such as `Sky moves Sideways' and `Voyage 34'. `Stupid Dream' may have been perceived as a back-step in terms of progression as this was easily their most accessible album to date, at that time. Delivering a mix of upbeat pop with long dark prog songs; this change of direction far from compromised the quality of output. Instead from going to the complex to the relatively more simple style of songs, they make the simple even better without forgetting their progressive roots.



This album is one of those landmark albums in my life; One which I will never forget. It was a Saturday night in April '99 when my Dad spent the afternoon shopping for CD's in `Lost in Music' in the West End of Glasgow. It was one of those moments where he heard something in the shop and had to find out who it was by......it was Porcupine Tree's latest album - `Stupid Dream'. He got chatting to the guy in the shop and found that they were playing in the Cottier Theatre that night which is also in the West End of Glasgow, which really excited him. However he also had a committee night out that night which he was desperate to get out of, but at the same time had no-one to go to the gig with. So he asked me. At first I was reluctant, but eventually he twisted my arm. That gig to this day, is in my top 5 gigs of all time. In turn `Stupid Dream' is still one of my favourite albums. This album not only got me into Porcupine Tree, but also acted as the gateway for getting into more progressive rock music.



Looking back I can see why this album made such a big impact on me. Before I came across Porcupine Tree I was really into my Indie/rock music such as Ocean Colour Scene, Radiohead and The Bluetones. On `Stupid Dream', some of the songs do have an indie sound such as `Pure Narcotic' and `Piano Lessons. While there is also the longer efforts which venture more into prog rock territory. Therefore I feel this album acts as a ferry boat, shipping people from mainland indie/rock over to Prog Rock Island.



The album itself kicks off with `Even Less' which is one of the darker, more progressive songs on the album. Right from the opening vocals, "A body is washed up on a Norfolk beach, he was a friend but I could not reach." It was apparent that this is just the start of what I consider to be the best lyrics to any album I have ever listened to. Another example from this song, which is one of my personal favourites: `Some of us are left to fend for ourselves; others are born to stack shelves." Then there's a killer riff that adds such intensity and passion to the song. As the song is quite mellow until this riff kicks in just after the chorus. It is as if a volcano's erupted every time it comes on.



After this song, the rest of the album is predominantly set on the more mellow side. Some of the songs have such a warm and uplifting feeling to them that every time I listen to these songs I give off a sigh, as it is so relaxing. In particular, `Pure Narcotic', where piano, acoustic guitar and light drumming are used to create a majestic melody. Again Wilson is on fine lyrical form with: `You keep me hating; you keep me listening to the bends'. Now I may be bias because "The Bends" is my favourite Radiohead album, but all the same a genius lyric. I do find this song a bit weird because the lyrics are quite depressing but the joyous melody acts as a kind of counter-balance creating equilibrium. All the same a wonderful song and one which many artists during the 90s were attempting to make but never really achieved the same standard as this attempt.



One of the biggest shocks of the album came when I first listened to `Piano lessons' and to my surprise it was a piano driven song! Seriously though, this is excellent. The core of the song focuses around a fantastic piano riff which creates a magically chirpy atmosphere. Once again Wilson's lyrical display is on fine form with:



I remember piano lessons

The hours in freezing rooms

Cruel ears and tiny hands

Destroying timeless tunes



I like the last line especially as its one of those statements which someone makes and the only real response you can give 99% of the time is "It's so true!" I think what lyric shows along with many others, is that Wilson uses his lyrics to get across his thoughts and ideas on the world. To me he comes across as being not only a gifted songwriter and musician but also an extremely intelligent human being who thinks before he speaks.



Overall this is an incredible album; firmly cementing its place in my top ten albums of all time. Having owned the album for eight years now, there is still not a single track which I am fed up with yet. The song writing is on a different planet, the melodies are refreshingly enriching and Porcupine Tree in my opinion touched greatness with this effort. I have to say, prog still comes second to indie/rock music in terms of preference. But any time I do want to go on a holiday to Prog Island, I always take the `Stupid Dream' ferry boat and I recommend you do the same! Who knows I may end up living there some day....

"