Band:	Steven Wilson
Album:	The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories)
Style:	Progressive rock
Release date:	February 25, 2013
A review by:	Ivor

Disc I
01. Luminol
02. Drive Home
03. The Holy Drinker
04. The Pin Drop
05. The Watchmaker
06. The Raven That Refused To Sing

Disc II [Deluxe Box Set Bonus CD]
01. Luminol [demo]
02. Drive Home [demo]
03. The Holy Drinker [demo]
04. Clock Song [unused idea]
05. The Pin Drop [demo]
06. The Watchmaker [demo]
07. The Raven That Refused To Sing [demo]

Disc III [Deluxe Boxset Bonus DVD]
01. Luminol [5.1 mix]
02. Drive Home [5.1 mix]
03. The Holy Drinker [5.1 mix]
04. The Pin Drop [5.1 mix]
05. The Watchmaker [5.1 mix]
06. The Raven That Refused To Sing [5.1 mix]
+ Art Gallery (Images By Hajo Mueller)
+ Photo Gallery (Photographs By Lasse Hoile)
+ Studio Documentary (Filmed And Edited By Lasse Hoile)

Disc IV [Deluxe Boxset Bonus Blu-Ray]
01. Luminol [5.1 mix]
02. Drive Home [5.1 mix]
03. The Holy Drinker [5.1 mix]
04. The Pin Drop [5.1 mix]
05. The Watchmaker [5.1 mix]
06. The Raven That Refused To Sing [5.1 mix]
07. Luminol [instrumental]
08. Drive Home [instrumental]
09. The Holy Drinker [instrumental]
10. The Pin Drop [instrumental]
11. The Watchmaker [instrumental]
12. The Raven That Refused To Sing [instrumental]
13. Drive Home [lounge version]
+ Art Gallery (Images By Hajo Mueller)
+ Photo Gallery (Photographs By Lasse Hoile)
+ Studio Documentary (Filmed And Edited By Lasse Hoile)

Since there's no point in talking about Porcupine Tree in the foreseeable future, let's just focus on this new Steven Wilson's solo album as it is. I've been wanting to write about it ever since I first heard it and figured it'd be an easy feat. Making up my mind about it turned out to be harder than I thought for, I have to admit, surprising reasons.

The first time I listened to the album, I was in awe. It's not that I generally like Wilson's stuff. That's a baseline for the experience but no reason for being all that impressed. However, there appeared to be some sort of aura about this album. This work felt like Wilson had really nailed something down with this release, something that doesn't happen all that often, a vibe that separates spectacular and great from merely good and average.

Credit where credit is due. Strictly speaking, this album has some ridiculously good stuff on it. "Luminol" - great track. "Holy Drinker" - awesome and probably the best one. "The Watchmaker" - not that far behind. The rest fits nicely between the three, although admittedly they don't get the upper hand on those. In this respect, the album is very sound structurally and very thought out. It feels like a whole and looks like it has a statement to make. The primary feeling that I got from it is that the way it is is the way it is supposed to be, from the first note to the last.

Moreover, while I liked Grace For Drowning, this one seemed miles ahead. First, it's shorter and much concentrated. Secondly, for some reason, it sounded so much different. Although, now listening them back to back, there's not that much of a difference in style or the atmosphere. I think the main reason why The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories) sounds better is simply the first stated reason - it is far more tight.

Now, in respect of all the praise written above, I have to note two things. First, most of it is about my initial impression. Second, if I try to view the album objectively through my repeated listening experiences, I have to conclude that it is still a good release. However, despite my initial awe and conviction that it is impossible that I will not be listening to it over and over again, I found myself rather surprisingly passing it by.

I still can't put my finger on why I'm skipping it. It's as if it's so polished and well done there's virtually nothing to grab it by. So, a conclusion I've reached is that this album is just too good in its own right to be constantly appealing. All the details that usually annoy you and make you try to wrap your mind around them to fully enjoy an album, seem to be missing. "What challenge?" your mind asks and tries to solve a quadratic equation instead. Yes, I love the songs but in all honesty I'm missing a satisfactory fuzzy feeling when I'm through. Weird... It's good but not memorable enough as a whole.