STEVEN WILSON – Hand. Cannot. Erase. (2015)

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STEVEN WILSON is becoming some kind of a legend. The mastermind behind progressive rock stalwarts Porcupine Tree, he has also recently forged himself a stellar career as a solo artist, writing three albums that are all hailed more or less as masterpieces. His new opus “Hand. Cannot. Erase.” to be released at the end of the month might be his most challenging yet.

“Hand. Cannot. Erase.” is musically more reflective to all of the different material in Wilson’s back catalogue, featuring electronic music elements and straightforward pop songs alongside long progressive-oriented tracks.
It’s a combination of shorter, art pop-type songs mixed with longer, despondent progressive rock pieces, there is almost an air of absence to this collection of songs, which is perhaps appropriate to the theme of the record.
A true concept album, it is based on the story of Joyce Vincent who was found after being dead in her apartment for 3 years. The story it’s about a woman growing up, who goes to live in the city, very isolated, and she disappears one day and no one notices. There’s more to it than that.
Now, what’s really interesting about this is that your initial reaction when you hear a story like that is, ‘Ah, little old bag lady that no one notices, no one cares about.’ Joyce Vincent wasn’t like that. She was young, she was popular, she was attractive, she had many friends, she had family, but for whatever reason, nobody missed her for 3 years.

This can make for some dark musical moments but Wilson finds a way of encapsulating the entire story of the young woman’s life, providing moments of endearment, love, remembrance, loss and intensity all within the flow of the album.
Musically, the album covers a lot of territory from parts sounding like Porcupine Tree and Opeth to Rock&pop and classic rock. Wilson has always ventured into other areas, but seems to be shying away from staying in one lane even more with this one.

For any fans of Porcupine Tree, the 2 opening tracks will feel like a return to form. “First Regret” builds on a simple piano refrain and then moves to a string arrangement. The guitar intro for “3 Years Older” seems to be central instrument but quickly the syncopated drum and bass from Marco Minnemann and Nick Beggs draw you into the building excitement. The harmonies and background vocals are sublime and the explosion when the band kicks back in with force is captivating.

Title track “Hand.Cannot.Erase” is non-traditional for a Steven Wilson album as it is a simple 4 minute uptempo Rock&pop song and perhaps one of the most radio friendly songs he has ever produced, certainly from his solo albums.
“Perfect Life” follows and this is where the album begins to shift. Mostly over an electronic rhythm, Wilson starts to sing ‘we have got the perfect life’ towards the end of the song, making for one of the most interesting and beautiful moments on the album.
The centerpiece of the album is “Routine” introducing singer Ninet Tayeb as the lead character. The song is as much a musical theater track as it is a progressive rock track. It is an epic track that incorporates a boys choir which adds a particular depth to the track.

“Regret #9”, meanwhile, is a wandering proggy piece that has a much warmer feeling than other songs. Keyboardist Adam Holzman gives us a fantastic keyboard solo, topped by an utterly jaw-dropping guitar solo courtesy of Guthrie Govan. This should be a great live song.
The short “Transciense” provide some calm, but soon appears “Ancestral”, the big epic track on the album is also the heaviest track. It is similar to how Wilson used to write in the early days of PT where the first half of the song is subdued and dark before kicking into a metal riff explosion that continues until the song reaches is climax.
The closing linked tracks “Happy Returns / Ascendant Here On” are soft and in a ballad mould and a great way to end the album. Wilson chooses to try and leave the listener on a message of hope, even though we know the outcome is not good. Musically, this one is grand and builds before ending softly with some piano and strings.

“Hand. Cannot. Erase.” perhaps stands out among Steven Wilson’s work as having the most unique identity. It is an amalgamation of all his various styles from various points in his career condensed into a lovely haunting package that features excellent backing musicians.
It is layered and complex and once again Steven Wilson proves he is just in a different playing field when it comes to Prog and Rock music. He has created his own niche in both genres.
“Hand. Cannot. Erase.” ‘t’s an immensely challenging listen – one that takes many listens to even get an inkling of what exactly Steven is trying to do – but gods above is it rewarding when it finally starts to click.
Steven Wilson has done it again. This will definitely be one of the top Prog / Rock albums of 2015.

01 – First Regret
02 – 3 Years Older
03 – Hand Cannot Erase
04 – Perfect Life
05 – Routine
06 – Home Invasion
07 – Regret #9
08 – Transience
09 – Ancestral
10 – Happy Returns
11 – Ascendant Here On…

Steven Wilson – vocals, mellotron, keyboards, guitars, bass
Guthrie Govan – guitar
Nick Beggs – bass, Chapman Stick
Adam Holzman – keyboards, piano
Marco Minnemann – drums, percussion
Theo Travis – flute, sax
Ninet Tayeb – vocals

PRE-ORDER:
www.amazon.com/Hand-Cannot-Erase-Steven-Wilson/dp/B00QW4QWYQ
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