Transience features a generous slice of Steven Wilson on a double vinyl LP set. Named after a song from Wilson’s 2015 album Hand. Cannot. Erase., the three sides of this limited edition release collects some of the brightest and quirkiest tunes from Wilson’s solo career, along with a new recording of Porcupine Tree’s “Lazarus.” The fourth side features an etching of the original handwritten lyric sketches for “Happy Returns.”
From the singer’s 2009 debut solo album, Insurgentes, there’s “Harmony Korine,” “Significant Other” and “Insurgentes” ; “Deform To Form A Star,” “Postcard” and “Index” are from 2011’s Grace For Drowning; “The Pin Drop” and “Drive Home” appear on 2013’s The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories); a cover of Alanis Morrisette’s “Thank You” from 2014’s Covers album; and “Transience,” “Happy Returns” and “Hand Cannot Erase” from Hand. Cannot. Erase.. This is more of a random sampler than a ‘Greatest Hits’ or ‘Best Of’ that conveys a cohesive stamp on the singer, multi-instrumentalist, producer and highly sought sound shaper’s multi-dimensional solo career.
If you’re new to Steven Wilson, keep in mind that this isn’t your garden-variety prog with leaping time signatures and space-age lyrics. Wilson gravitates somewhere between Pink Floyd and Radiohead in his delivery; the intensity and dynamics are more akin to Peter Gabriel. In the middle of the obvious influences is where Wilson’s own identity rises up. “Postcard” and “Lazarus” evoke pastoral images of calm and resolution, and may be the most accessible, pop-friendly songs here. The raw, bare arrangement of “Thank You” is arguably stronger than Morrisette’s original take. For all his presumed progressive disposition, Wilson is just as effective with a minimal piano line and sparse lyrics. Hearing Transience play on your turntable is bound to make you yearn for the old days and embrace the past with a nod toward a more modern spin on progressive rock.
~ Shawn Perry
