360 records from 2000: 14. Porcupine tree: Lightbulb sun

Country: UK
Artist: Band
Career: recording since 1992
Language: English
Genre: Classic rock


I’d expected something pointy and hermetic, but Porcupine Tree is the return of classic rock. No genre is more popularly loved but critically reviled. I might not be as objective as I could be – finding myself submerged in the music of 2000 for months, no classic rock in sight – but I welcome it with open arms.

Though the reference points are all familiar (topics: waste of human souls, depletion of natural resources, resignation to living in a rainy climate – musical touchtones: DSOTM-Floyd, Quadrophenia-Who, probably some more bands I’ve only ever read about in Mojo like Marillion or Blue Oyster Cult – solos: I can’t tell you how long it’s been since I heard a wah-wah’ed guitar solo!) in the end there’s something uniquely their own in there. It’s so subtle I can’t tell you what it is.

More importantly it’s really good. Slightly doom-laden, but resigned melodies, mid-tempo meandering until they open up magically into thrilling, head-above the clouds, defiant climaxes. Lots of guitar solos, a keyboard player obviously at home in the sort of wall-of-keyboards arena setup so familiar in the ‘70s… Anyway, nothing you didn’t immediately think of when you read those two words ‘classic rock’.

I haven’t been selling this as well as I wanted to. It’s hard to find the right words for something so good, but seemingly so without reason to exist. Do we need more classic rock? So I’ll end with a little hyperbole: these days I probably prefer to play this record than any Floyd or Quadrophenia.

No, forget hyperbole, that much is true.

At its best: Lightbulb sun, Hatesong, Russia on ice, Feel so low