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Steven Wilson
Insurgentes (2008, Remastered 2016)

Steven Wilson — Insurgentes (2008, Remastered 2016)

   Steven Wilson — Insurgentes (2008, Remastered 2016)
★  Prolific collaborator and solo artist in addition to his duties as frontman for contemporary prog band Porcupine Tree.
Birth name: Steven John Wilson
Born: November 3, 1967 in Kingston–upon–Thames, London, England
Location:
Album release: 26 November 2008
Recorded: Various studios over the world, December 2007 — August 2008
Record Label: Headphone Dust / Tonefloat / Kscope
Genre: Progressive Rock
Duration:     55:28
Tracks:
Disc 1
01 Harmony Korine     5:09 
02 Abandoner     4:48 
03 Salvaging     8:18 
04 Veneno Para las Hadas     5:58  
05 No Twilight Within the Courts of the Sun     8:37 
06 Significant Other     4:32  
07 Only Child     4:24 
08 Twilight Coda     3:25  
09 Get All You Deserve     6:17  
10 Insurgentes     4:00  
Disc 2
01 Harmony Korine
02 Abandoner
03 Salvaging
04 Veneno Para las Hadas
05 No Twilight Within the Courts of the Sun  
06 Significant Other 
07 Only Child  
08 Twilight Coda  
09 Get All You Deserve
10 Insurgentes
•• All songs written and composed by Steven Wilson.
Awards:
Billboard Albums
•• 2009 Insurgentes Top Heatseekers     #15
•• 2009 Insurgentes Top Independent Albums     #45
Chart performance:
•• Top Heatseekers     #15
•• Top Independent Albums     #45
•• Poland     #22
•• Netherlands     #78
•• France     #114
•• Germany     #81
Guest musicians
•• Gavin Harrison — drums (tracks 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 1[*], 2[*] and 3[*]), cymbals (4)
•• Tony Levin — bass (5, 6 and 3[*])
•• Mike Outram — electric guitar (5 and 8)
•• Dirk Serries — guitar drones (3 and 9)
•• Jordan Rudess — piano (4, 5 and 8)
•• Clodagh Simonds — vocals (6)
•• Sand Snowman – acoustic and processed acoustic guitars (2 and 8), recorders (4)
•• Theo Travis — wah–flute (2), clarinet (4 and 1[*]), saxophone (1[*])
•• Michiyo Yagi — 17–string bass koto (10), 21–string koto (3[*])
^ [*] Bonus disc tracks
Technical personnel:
≡   Produced & Mixed By Steven Wilson
≡   Engineers: Steve Price, Maki Sasaki
≡   Guitars Engineered By Mark Prator & John Wesley
≡   Piano Engineered By Bert Baldwin
≡   Mastering: Andy VanDette (stereo mix); Steven Wilson (5.1 mix)
Credits:
★  Bert Baldwin Piano Engineer
★  Carl Glover Design
★  Gavin Harrison Drums
★  Lasse Hoile Photography
★  Tony Levin Bass
★  The London Session Orchestra Performer
★  Mike Outram Guitar, Guitar (Electric), Soloist
★  Mark Prator Guitar Engineer
★  Steve Price Engineer
★  Jordan Rudess Piano
★  Maki Sasaki Engineer
★  Dirk Serries Drones
★  Clodagh Simonds Vocals
★  Theo Travis Clarinet
★  Andy VanDette Mastering
★  John Wesley Guitar Engineer
★  Steve Wilson Composer
★  Steven Wilson Bass, Celeste, Drum Programming, Glockenspiel, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Guitar Loops, Harmonium, Keyboards, Mellotron, Mixing, Noise, Percussion, Piano, Piano (Electric), Primary Artist, Producer, Soloist, String Arrangements, Synthesizer, Vocals
•• It caused a stir when it was announced: Steven Wilson (of Porcupine Tree and No–Man fame) was to release his first–ever full–length solo album.
•• The first question to pop up was: why? After a couple decades of activity under his belt, and two handfuls of bands and projects past and present (including several solo outfits, like Bass Communion), why would he release an album under his own name, and what would that album be like?
•• Well, as it turned out, Insurgentes is basically a Porcupine Tree album in which Wilson wrote all the songs and made all the decisions, including the one to not include all current members of Porcupine Tree in the project. Is that a problem, fans might ask? Not at all. In fact, Insurgentes is an excellent slab of progressive–tinged alternative rock, and a logical next step from Fear of a Blank Planet, PT’s last album at this point. The songwriting is sharp and punchy in the short tracks, and atmospheric and contrasted in the longer ones (the wall–of–guitar entry in “No Twilight Within the Courts of the Sun”), with maybe a tad bit more input from Wilson’s experimental project Bass Communion filtering through in the textures department. Despite featuring only Wilson and PT drummer Gavin Harrison, the leadoff track, “Harmony Korine,” would have been perfect as a hit single for the next Porcupine Tree record. “Abandoner” is Wilson at his creepy best: stark electronica beat, aerial vocals, and twisted ambience (enhanced in the 5.1 surround mix version by a tricky placement of acoustic guitar attack and backward effect). Theo Travis guests on flute on this track. Other guest musicians include Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess delivering a stunning piano solo in “No Twilight Within the Courts of the Sun,” King Crimson bassist Tony Levin, singer Clodagh Simonds (of Fovea Hex) adding wordless vocals to “Significant Other,” and Michiyo Yagi on koto (a Japanese traditional zither–like instrument) on the title track.
•• Accessible yet boundary–pushing (in a pop/rock format), Insurgentes is one of Wilson’s finer moments.
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Steven Wilson
Insurgentes (2008, Remastered 2016)

ALBUM COVERS XI.