Steven WilsonThe Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories)
Reviwed by: Joseph Tingle
The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories) is Steven Wilson’s third solo album, as well as the artist’s most definitive creative statement to date. Though experimental songwriting, meticulous sound production and elaborate packaging have long defined the typical Wilson release, Raven sees these elements uniformly utilized like never before. In interviews, Wilson is candid about his opposition to the digitization of music; Raven, then, is Wilson’s proposed alternative. It stands in diametric opposition to iTunes, Spotify and Pandora, and makes the argument: this is what music could be.
Raven is a homage to 70’s progressive rock, though it is never derivative. Early Yes and Genesis are big influences here. King Crimson is an even greater one. Ambient noise and Jazz continue to be big Wilson inspirations. Despite that, Wilson’s album never sounds rehashed or over-baked. All things considered, Raven is a very inspired and modern album that could only have been produced in modern times.
Of course, the music is part of it. Special editions of Wilson’s new album include full-colored art books, ornate lyric sheets, prose accompaniments to the album’s lyrics (“ghost” stories inspired by Victorian-era gothic literature) and, of course, the music itself– on Vinyl, CD, MP3 and BluRay audio formats.
While all the options for listening to Raven are aesthetically admirable, the BluRay audio is the only way to go from an audio perspective. Wilson’s album sounds great on 5.1 systems, as if the band are performing a personal concert for you right in the same room. There’s just something about Wilson’s music that can’t be captured by earbuds or stereo speakers.
Rating: Iconic
