Album Reviews

In Absentia | Porcupine Tree

By Dan ⋅ July 2, 2008 ⋅  Email This Post ⋅  Print This Post ⋅ Post a comment

For some reason Porcupine Tree seems to be only known to the music elitists, and not even all of them. They are one of the few bands out there that have managed to blend superb composition with accessibility and top notch recordings. In Absentia (2002) is widely regarded as Porcupine Tree’s masterpiece and belongs in the library of any self-respecting obnoxious listener.  Still don’t know who they are?  Well, Porcupine Tree has had the privilege of recording with musicians such as Alex Lifeson (Rush), Robert Fripp (King Crimson), and Mikael Åkerfeldt (Opeth). I should hope you know at least one of those three bands, if not all of them.

This album is absolutely incredible. Every track is immaculately arranged, performed, recorded, produced, and over-all executed. If you don’t have this album and you’re not an audiophile, purchase this album immediately online to save the time. However, if you are indeed an audiophile, the extra effort to purchase an actual CD is well worth it. You could even take it a step further and get the version in Dolby Digital 5.1.

The first track, Blackest Eyes, almost speaks for the album in itself. It sets the expectations of the CD in terms of quality and dynamics. You will want to get some sound isolating headphones or crank your stereo loud enough to drown out any ambient noise because this is all you should hear. The first minute or so of the track starts out relatively heavy with seemingly odd metered rhythm and flows seamlessly into, what I’d call, technically articulate pop. Although it is seamless, it happens so quick you need to listen to it again to figure out what the hell just happened to you. Following Blackest Eyes is arguably Porcupine Tree’s greatest arrangement yet recorded. Trains is certainly my favorite Porcupine Tree track and I have plenty of confidence that you’ll agree. Skipping all the gory details and telling you to trust me on this one, I’ll just say that the entire album holds up to its end of the deal with the proposal it set out to you in the first couple tracks. If you were to only purchase one album because of the posts you’ve read at Obnoxious Listeners, I’d full-heartedly suggest In Absentia. It’s so rare to come across the trifecta combination of an amazing band, stunning compositions, and a remarkable recording.

Tags: progressive, rock