Performer Notes

Personnel: Dave Stewart (strings).
Recording information: No Man's Land (11/2015-08/2016); Strangeways, London (11/2015-08/2016); Studio Du Flon, Lausanne (11/2015-08/2016); No Man's Land (12/2016-02/2017); Strangeways, London (12/2016-02/2017); Studio Du Flon, Lausanne (12/2016-02/2017).
Photographer: Lasse Hoile.
Restlessness has been a defining characteristic of Steven Wilson's musical career. One need only consider his many projects as evidence: No-Man with Tim Bowness, Blackfield with Aviv Geffen, Porcupine Tree, Bass Communion, and I.E.M., and his four earlier prog/pop solo projects, Raven That Refused to Sing, Hand. Cannot. Erase, Grace for Drowning, and Insurgentes. He even whet punters' appetites for To the Bone by reissuing his cover singles as an album, and 4 1/2 to reveal the more accessible side of his songwriting.
To the Bone's press materials describe it as Wilson's "...hat-tip to the hugely ambitious progressive pop records of his youth...." Sources cited are Peter Gabriel, Tears for Fears, Kate Bush, etc. One can hear their traces, especially David Bowie's.
This is the most "song"-oriented record in Wilson's catalog. Each tune could have been recorded in a vacuum. Wilson includes members of his road band and others, and features Israeli singer Ninet Tayeb -- who nearly steals the show on several tracks. On the stellar title opening cut -- complete with Pink Floyd-esque guitars ( la "Time") Tayeb's and Dave Kilminster's backing vocals buoy the tune's hook, and add operatic support to Wilson's lead. On "Pariah," Tayeb alternates lead vocals with Wilson. The lithe harmonic architecture with lilting synths, restrained guitars, and loops creates a backdrop for his vulnerable delivery, yet her refrain resonates with emotional authority and encouragement for the protagonist's doubt. It echoes the interplay of Gabriel and Bush on "Don't Give Up" and is just as distinctive. "Refuge" takes a couple of minutes to emerge from its (mostly) electronic intro, but when it does, its sultry melody is supported by a trilling string section and thundering tom-toms, squalling harmonica and power chords to become an anthem.
Speaking of which, the utterly infectious "Permanenting" with its hooky melody (again with Tayeb's backing vocals adding heft and sincerity) nods directly at Tears for Fears' glorious harmonies while simultaneously reflecting a love of Northern soul ( la Curtis Mayfield's "Get on Up"), though its urgent guitars and popping drums are pure Wilson. "People Eat Darkness" is a fist-pumping rocker that sounds like Bowie fronting Swervedriver. Wilson nods at the post-trip-hop sounds of No-Man with "Song of I," with its loops and handclaps atop piano and strings. Its vocals are delivered in duet with Sophie Hunger. The nine-minute "Detonation" weds prog to adventurous pop with a glorious result, while closer "Song to Unborn" (featuring only his road band) is majestic; it could easily sit with the songs on either Raven or Hand. While To the Bone sometimes seems inconsistent, it's an illusion; repeated listening reveals that Wilson's brand of progressive pop is so multivalently textured and expertly crafted that its aesthetic and sonic palette refuse to be contained under a single rock umbrella. As such, To the Bone stands with Wilson's best work. ~ Thom Jurek

Professional Reviews

Mojo (Publisher) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "The album has an expansive, punchy sound with Jeff Lynne-like falsetto lines shaping 'Permeating' and an extravagant and at times eerie string arrangement on 'Song Of I'..."

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Album: To The Bone
#	Song Title		Time
1)	To the Bone	More Info...
2)	Nowhere Now	More Info...
3)	Pariah	More Info...
4)	The Same Asylum As Before	More Info...
5)	Refuge	More Info...
6)	Permanating	More Info...
7)	Blank Tapes	More Info...
8)	People Who Eat Darkness	More Info...
9)	Song of I	More Info...
10)	Detonation	More Info...
11)	Song of Unborn	More Info...

Album: To The Bone
#	Song Title		Time
1)	To the Bone	More Info...
2)	Nowhere Now	More Info...
3)	Pariah	More Info...
4)	The Same Asylum As Before	More Info...
5)	Refuge	More Info...
6)	Permanating	More Info...
7)	Blank Tapes	More Info...
8)	People Who Eat Darkness	More Info...
9)	Song of I	More Info...
10)	Detonation	More Info...
11)	Song of Unborn	More Info...