I feel silly for pointing this out but pop is actually a legitimate genre and one which is often times frowned upon in the modern prog and metal community. For example, one quick glimpse at Tool's YouTube comment sections and you'll see a whole swarm of pretentious circlejerky comments that state how the LA quartet are not only the greatest thing since sliced bread but also consistently undermine pop artists, mostly the ultra mainstream ones like Taylor Swift or the genre as a whole. Ironically what most of those tools *ba dum ts* don't know, apart from King Crimson, Genesis, Gentle Giant and seemingly every prog band from the 70's, is that there is much more to music than just generic odd-metered noodling and seemingly deep lyrics. I say this because these two aspects seem to be the main arguments for the band's assumed superiority.
Granted, I was in that mindset years ago which is why I find this type of behavior extremely obnoxious today and unfortunately, this "discussion" resurfaces each time Steven Wilson throws a new curveball which is, as it turns out, quite often but never to an extent as on his latest solo record The Future Bites. Or so the people would like you think.
You see, in its essence, Wilson's approach was always rooted in pop and he never shied away from expressing deep admiration for artists such as Talk Talk, Prince or Tears For Fears among many others. This knack he has has developed over the years and is one of the main reasons why so many of his songs are memorable, regardless if they're solo, with Porcupine Tree or Blackfield which makes the outrage behind this record even more ironic and misplaced. Take the great To The Bone for example and how much Wilson openly flirted with pop on it and to great success might I add. And even though the overall package is a bit messy, tracks like "Permanating", "Song Of I" and "Detonation" stand out because they showcase what I believe is his biggest strength - his ability to meld genres and retain the elements that define them.
Accordingly, I found the notion of Steven Wilson making a fully fledged pop record extremely exciting, even more so after seeing what aesthetic and theme he went for.
Unfortunately, The Future Bites ended up disappointing me and achieved the same effect as Leprous' Pitfalls did but for all the different reasons. Allow me to elaborate.
All the fanbase "drama" aside, Pitfalls is without a doubt a unique record but one which, in my opinion, did not capitalize upon its trip hop and pop influences enough and relied too much on Einar's monochromatic vocal approach. Interestingly, The Future Bites also shares a similarly limited approach to vocals but where Einar "AaAaaAaaA"-d Wilson utilized back up singers who went "AAaaAAa"... hm. Anyhow, along with those, Steven's vocals on The Future Bites are mostly falsetto-based and in the higher register just like Eina... huh, interesting.
OK, what's definitely different is the approach and here is where the record gets it right. Like on his remixes, Steven Wilson has a deep understanding of what sound effect, instrument or layer should be in the limelight and at what time and when combined with his songwriting skills, you get a REALLY good sounding record. Take "King Ghost" for example and how its focus shifts between the bass and synths. The former dominates the introductory verses while the synths act as a main source of melody during the chorus and bridge. Nothing that special so far but that changes as soon as you pay attention to HOW the synths sound. Their cascading-like nature immediately reminded me of Purity Ring's "Peacefall" and later-era Radiohead, with whom this song in particular has a few things in common and just hits all the good spots.
The following track "12 Things I Forgot" is another wonderful slab of melancholy and one that will feel more familiar to some due to its emphasis on acoustic guitar. It's pretty standard fare but nonetheless effective in conveying its message which couldn't be said about the whole record and its concept.
On paper, creating a brand with a sterile, modernistic aesthetic and basing off your record upon it sounds good, especially when you criticize and satirize it but there is this record called Fear Of A Blank Planet and as much as I adore that record, the lyrics were never its strong point, something that can be also said for The Future Bites to put it lightly. "Emminent Sleaze" and "Follower" are the biggest offenders with some truly strange lines that feel boome... clumsy just like on Porcupine Tree's masterpiece.
Still, there is some nice social commentary like on "Self" but unfortunately the song itself is very repetitive and extremely reliant on female background vocals AND it has a child choir section which is always a risky idea and it very rarely works.
And it's a shame too, because I see what he was trying to point out but one thing I do not get and I would even dare calling it hypocritical.
When "Personal Shopper" was unveiled, I was so happy hearing Elton John dictating products but my smile faded as soon as I saw the pre-orders and their prices. If you're gonna criticize the gaping maw of consumerism, why would you help further it, ESPECIALLY after postponing the record for half a year which gave scalpers an opportunity to sell these pre-orders at even higher prices if they were quick enough, limit the availability of them and increase the hype?
It makes you look like you think your fans are stupid which wasn't the intended effect and if the critique was more subtle and nuanced (which this absolutely isn't), I wouldn't have minded this.
And that brings me to the next issue, the record's lack of cohesion and length. If we look at the Deluxe edition or B-sides, because of course there would be, you'll find some really good tracks. Stuff like "Ha Bloody Ha" would fit in greatly and it contains one of Wilson's best and most diverse vocal performance to date. The extended version of "Unself" would also be a much better introduction then its album counterpart which I find myself skipping every now and then. "King Ghost" also has a superior extended version on said bonus disc which I absolutely recommend and I would argue that it's, in some aspects, the better version of the album and a better representation of Wilson's vision for it which makes the decision to do all this even more confusing.
Anyways, regarding length, the OG The Future Bites clocks in just under 42 minutes which is the ideal run-time for most records yet I feel like more time passes each time I visit it which comes down to "Personal Shopper" and "Count Of Unease" which are both repetitive tracks that drag on, mainly the latter one.
All these things I mentioned are frustrating but even with them, The Future Bites is far from a bad album, sure it retreads the 80's a bit too much, loves clapping and is generally a confused blob of great ideas but underneath it all, you can clearly hear Steven Wilson. And not just him but each of his musical phases which is extremely cool.
I seriously doubt he'll revert to prog and I am completely fine with that, I just hope both him and Leprous do more with pop on their next efforts.
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