Porcupine Tree - Lightbulb Sun
Snapper Music
Progressive Rock
10 songs (56:17)
Release year: 2000
Porcupine Tree
Reviewed by Khelek
Archive review

This is an album that I've enjoyed for several years after discovering Porcupine Tree. It's a very diverse album that shows a lot of progressive elements and a lot of originality. There just isn't a band that sounds like Porcupine Tree, and that's a good thing. This is also an album you can put on and sit back and relax to.

The title track starts the album off with acoustic guitars and a nice melody along with the vocals of Steven Wilson. I really enjoy listening to Wilson's voice, it is unique and I think it fits the music very well. How Is Your Life Today is a strange track that uses a piano and the vocals of Wilson to paint a somewhat strange and lonely atmosphere. Four Chords That Made A Million begins with some weird, distorted guitar sounds and what sounds like bongo drums. This continues until the vocals of Wilson come in and the distorted guitar creates the verse. I really don't think the songs on this album flow together that well (this is coming from someone who has listened to it at least 20 times). The songs are just so different that there are few smooth transitions between them. However I usually overlook this because of the quality of the songs on the album, just thought I would mention it. Shesmovedon is more of your usual rock song with plenty of guitar and vocal harmony. This is a slower song that makes use of a lot of acoustic guitar work. The Rest Will Flow is one of my favorite tracks from the album. It creates an atmosphere of melancholy and serenity with electric and acoustic guitar, the vocals of Wilson fitting the music perfectly. The song is also memorable and catchy, just a great song to listen to. Hatesong keeps a very catchy beat throughout its 8 and a half minute duration, and it never seems to get boring. Where We Would Be is another favorite track of mine because of the way it uses the lyrics and music to create an almost tangible atmosphere. The vocals play an important role here, as they do in most of the album. The guitar is also very distinct and used in a variety of ways, from the soft acoustic to the loud, almost screeching electric.

Lightbulb Sun is an album that comes from what I like to call the golden age of Porcupine Tree. Some of the prog and psychedelic elements are still there, but the main focus is memorable songs that makes it possible for me to just listen to the entire album straight through, even though it's almost an hour long (much like its predecessor, Stupid Dream). The band's ability to write memorable yet complex songs is also shown here in longer tracks such as Hatesong or Russia On Ice. This continues to be a very listened-to album in my collection for these reasons.

Killing Songs :
Lightbulb Sun, The Rest Will Flow, Where We Would Be
Khelek quoted 91 / 100
Other albums by Porcupine Tree that we have reviewed:
Porcupine Tree - Closure/Continuation reviewed by Goat and quoted 85 / 100
Porcupine Tree - Up The Downstair reviewed by Goat and quoted 85 / 100
Porcupine Tree - On The Sunday Of Life reviewed by Goat and quoted 79 / 100
Porcupine Tree - The Incident reviewed by Goat and quoted 79 / 100
Porcupine Tree - Deadwing reviewed by Boris and quoted 89 / 100
To see all 10 reviews click here
1 readers voted
Average:
 95
You did not vote yet.
Vote now

There are 11 replies to this review. Last one on Thu Jun 07, 2012 2:09 pm
View and Post comments