Steven Wilson- The Future Bites

[Sean]

Yeah, that's on his billboards too....

[Kcrimso]

"An OK Computer for the Amazon age", says Prog (Magazine?)!!

neil

Amazon age bites.

[Frumious B]

Amazon was founded in 1994. OK Computer came out in 1997. So really OK Computer was OK Computer for the Amazon age.

[pianomankd]

I did a drum cover attempt this afternoon to 12 Things I Forgot. Thought some of you might enjoy it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKyqGdBVExA

[gpeccary]

I noted recently he did a cover of a Taylor Swift song on his social media. Seems like he's trying too hard to be "hip" or "relevant".

I don't agree with this. I saw the first Blackfield "tour," where 3/4 of the band couldn't get visas, so Wilson basically performed mostly a solo show, he had Jordan Rudess backing him on keys. At that time, he had an album coming out of cover tunes, (I don't know maybe it was actually out at the time but I don't think so) he covered the Morrisette song Thank You and an ABBA song. The ABBA song was beautiful, The Morrisette not so much. He's not the kind of vocalist that can cover that, I'm not too sure there are many out there that could do it or her justice. He's always admired pop and is way more current than I am or wish to be!

He said at the "Blackfield" show:
"If you want to write good pop songs, you need to study three bands, obviously the Beatles, then Brian Wilson and I know you're going to think Im mad with this next band, but it's ABBA." And the crowd laughed. I didn't. I knew somehow he would say them. He asked why they were laughing and stated his position on ABAA, then played one of their songs. It was truly beautiful.

The issue I'm having with his new "direction" is that I can't find him in it! The PT and the previous solo efforts I felt him in it. Take Time Flies for instance....one of my friends wife said "He should be paying Pink Floyd royalties for that song." I truthfully never heard it. I think it's one of the best songs he ever wrote, I absolutely adore that song. Even if it was influenced by Floyd, he made it his. This new stuff...I don't find him in it. He spends an unusual amount of time name dropping bands, and TALKING about pop music.

I just don't find him to be a good pop writer. He "lectures" the audience on what's what and I just don't know who he's trying to convince, him or us. He certainly doesn't fall in line with the Beatles, Wilson, ABBA, TalkTalk/Hollis, Tears for Fears, Morisette...I absolutely respect his affection and breadth of musical taste and influences, its one of the reasons I was so attracted to his work in the first place.. It feels like he's trying to be those artists and is losing himself in the process, though I believe the process is actually in finding himself, if that makes any sense.
As an aside, Im not too sure remastering all this other music is doing him any favors relative to his own work, though for us consumers it is! He's ended up feeling directionless to me.

Sidebar: I was at a Rundgren show and the soloist that opened for him played a Neil Sedaka cover. He said he wasn't sure he should, but did anyway. I wept. Sedaka was an amazing pop writer. And speaking of Rundgren, the guy is all OVER the place musically, and Ive never heard him try and justify any of it. My favorite album of his is With A Twist, his standards in a Bossa Nova Style. He wasn't trying to sound like Jobim or Mendez, it was his.

To be perfectly clear, I don't wish success upon anyone as much as I do for him. He's worked his ass off, I think he's an amazing artist and NO one deserves it more than him. Not for nothing, you don't get Elton Johns' or Nile Rogers attention and collaboration if you're creating irrelevant work.

[Paulrus]

I just don't find him to be a good pop writer. He "lectures" the audience on what's what and I just don't know who he's trying to convince, him or us. He certainly doesn't fall in line with the Beatles, Wilson, ABBA, TalkTalk/Hollis, Tears for Fears, Morisette...I absolutely respect his affection and breadth of musical taste and influences, its one of the reasons I was so attracted to his work in the first place.. It feels like he's trying to be those artists and is losing himself in the process, though I believe the process is actually in finding himself, if that makes any sense.

I'm not sure he's a great pop writer, although I do think he's a very talented songwriter, or at least he used to be ("Pure Narcotic", "Trains", etc.) I get the sense with his recent albums he's willing to embrace more of the ingredients of successful modern pop music, although he's determined to have creative control and put his own stamp on it. He could just hire a successful producer and hand everything over to them, but I get the sense he feels there needs to be some kind of art to it all in order for him to be creatively satisfied, even though he knows it will limit commercial success. Still, #2 in the charts isn't bad.

But I also understand how you say you can't find *him* in the new music, and I've felt that way for a while. So much of his solo career has been a parade of homages. That's why I've gone to projects like Blackfield to enjoy SW as a songwriter again. I hope he makes his "Nick Drake" album some day, just an acoustic guitar and a microphone.

[Steve983]

As others may have said I really wish this had been a double album or at least a full single cd. Together with the tracks from the special edition and a couple of b sides I have an hours worth of new music that I really like.

Sent from my SM-T290 using Tapatalk

[jkelman]

Since it is now officially out, here's a thread just about it in particular.....

Sort of amazed to see some of you falling for the "he went pop and left us prog folks" argument. I don't think he ever was really prog PROG, he just got lumped in there and ran with it. Pop has been an underlying thread through most of his work with PT and solo. He was bound to strip away the layers eventually and that is pretty much what this album seems to be. Now, if you miss the more muso bits of his recordings this one isn't going to work for you. Most likely. I just hear more "Steven music" though. I've been hearing Steven music for 20+ years now. He changes the backdrop from time to time, but certain elements remain- his voice and arranging choices. I can't get too worked up over what "box" this new one should be put in. He was never my prog savior, if you will. So I have no feelings of abandonment or whatever you might want to call it. What I find more telling at times are my friends who have heard his work and didn't connect with it, or in some cases even heard it, and are sort of grossed out and/or perplexed about the SW hype/fanboy machine from a distance.

I agree with you. Some of his music has had prog elements (especially Grace for Drowning and The Raven), but there's always been a strong melodic pop sensibility about what he's done. His albums vary based on the specific things that inform them, but as you say (and as I wrote on another thread in different words), every album he releases is distinctly him. And you can't ask for better, I think.

Me, I like the new album just fine. It may not be my favourite, but it's plenty fine, especially the closing tracks which, like The Raven's title track, demonstrate Wilson at his hauntingly lyrical best. At least, IMHO.

[yesman1955]

I downloaded TFB from Amazon's MP3 service. Less than $8 (with a coupon) so not much of a loss if I end up hating it. So far, the only song I can connect with is: 12 Things I Forgot - sort of sounds like a pop song from a Blackfield session. Will keep listening to TFB while I work and see what sticks.

[ScottAM]

Here's a new 55-minute interview of Steven with a lot of questions not found in other recent interviews. Transcript, podcast or streaming audio available:

https://www.sonicperspectives.com/in...wilson-steven/

[Sean]

You're a class act, Scott! Kudos!

[Sean]

"I’ll say “fun” in a kind of dystopian way, which is really my schtick, you know?"

Right! Dystopian pop.

[aith01]

That's funny.

Good interview, Scott! Thanks for posting!

[Kcrimso]

Song "Man Of The People" sounds like eighties Phil Collins. Cutting edge stuff!

[JKL2000]

I found a track listing on discogs, where the box is already selling for a 250% mark up.

It's a Pump & Dump, just like GME (Gamestop)!

[Kcrimso]

It's a Pump & Dump, just like GME (Gamestop)!

Futustonk!

[Firth]

"I’ll say “fun” in a kind of dystopian way, which is really my schtick, you know?"

Right! Dystopian pop.

Whatever you want to call it. But is it Art pop that is interesting? I think it is interesting Art, but it’s not something I enjoy revisiting. However, take Art pop like Liquorice Quartet which is not only interesting, but fun and certainly has a feeling for me which will make me revisit.

[boilk]

Thanks for posting that Scott. Nice interview, covering lots of ground. I love SW's line: "...a lot of gnashing of teeth early on, with some of the early singles that were released online...the prog rock fraternity, particularly, were very negative about it...but I've seen that change gradually, over the course of the album campaign"

I would say that is true, as the majority of Youtube comments, seem quite positive now.

neil

[aith01]

Yesterday a new pair of Sennheiser headphones that I'd ordered arrived in the mail, and so did The Future Bites. So last night I listened to it on the Sennheisers, and it sounded pretty impressive. Definitely better on headphones; "King Ghost" has so much going on with the different layers, and I enjoyed the whole disc a lot more this time than my first listen a week ago on Apple Music.

I doubt it will become my favorite SW album (that's probably either Raven or To The Bone), but it's not bad by any stretch IMO. I certainly never would have expected something like this after first hearing In Absentia all those years ago.

[Spinaltap]

So, I'm listening, and liking it, not loving it, but not hating it like the early released singles.

[Crawford Glissadevil]

Yeah, that's on his billboards too....

On the Billboard Album Top 200... The Future Bites is one slot behind Lady Gaga's album "The Fame!"
in the #193 position.

https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200

[Paulrus]

On the Billboard Album Top 200... The Future Bites is one slot behind Lady Gaga's album "The Fame!"
in the #193 position.

https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200

How the hell is a Billboard chart even calculated these days?

[Geoff O'Donoghue]

I'm really enjoying keeping track of this and the other TFB thread. Lots of thoughtful comments about why posters do and don't like the album/individual songs. It seems to me that TFB is being given a very fair evaluation here. For me I'm finding the the album works perfectly as a complete listening experience - something that TTB failed to do IMO. The recent SW interviews I've read/watched have given me greater insight into SW's aims for the album - which again brings the album as a whole into better focus for me. Listening to the deluxe disc of extra tracks plus the cassette demos (thankyou YouTube) has also got me thinking about why tracks were included/excluded. There are no transcendent listening experience moments for me on TFB - Count of Unease comes the closest - but I'm really enjoying it and I'll be spinning it for a while to come.

[JKL2000]

I did a drum cover attempt this afternoon to 12 Things I Forgot. Thought some of you might enjoy it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKyqGdBVExA

Very nicely done! I love that song.

[Sunlight Caller]

My observation in after a week or so, is that this album has not gained very much traction compared to previous releases. There was far more comment in anticipation than there has been post release. I have played it most days hoping for revelation, but it remains a mid-table disc in his canon for me. I have yet to hear any of the bonus disc material, other then the b-sides.