Two experiments from Steven Wilson. That is what The Overview can advertise itself as. The Porcupine Tree frontman has returned to his progressive rock past, but the comfort of a concept album is not present as Wilson’s Herculean effort challenges the very fundamentals of being. He is not attempting to redefine progressive rock in a modern context, but seeks its place in an ever-changing world. Where the classics remain in place, Wilson uses The Overview as a way to wonder if we are lost in translation with the popular music of now. Like any great progressive rock creation worth its weight, Wilson uses a grand and maddening spectacle, the overview effect this time, to construct a throughline for the project. Is it fear we should feel when given a glimpse of the world, or hope? The Overview is an enchanting piece of modern progressive rock with a tough message at its core.
What comes of The Overview is a genuine and gorgeous double bill, two songs which can be broken into fragments and shared out like a musical orange. Each piece is as juicy, as satisfying as the last, and what few pips and pith come are drowned out by the liquid gold Wilson is offering. The Overview is offered in two forms. Listen to it properly, or listen to it in segments in between breaks for Instagram reels and chasing squirrels away from the recycling bin. The Overview is, as is the case for many progressive-rock albums, best experienced with headphones or a solid speaker system. It is not to gatekeep Wilson’s music, but it does make a difference to the well-layered instrumental breaks, the structure of which is remarkable. Prog-rock may have an image as crusty dad music, and there is no problem with that, but The Overview shakes off the bad taste left in the mouths of those who experienced the latter-day Yes line-up and re-energises a genre which had been crying out for a new punch.
Wilson provides just that. Objects Outlive Us details those hopes of being more than the sum of our breaking, changing parts. Space-age horrors debilitate us, but do not stop the humdrum cycle. There should be more defiance from us, from listeners, as they hear of those imploding black holes and the indifference a bank job or teenage fit will have. Fierce guitar work on Objects Outlive Us are tremendous, and it works not just because Wilson is a thrilling instrumentalist but because the emotive story developing before it gives it a defiant edge. Every note feels thoroughly thought out. There is no room for flippant additions, no suggestion of excess, which is a rarity in modern prog, when the artist in question can pull themselves from the crusty nostalgia which affects most long-running groups. Not Wilson, his creative range is to advance the genre; the musical pursuit for him is pure.
The Overview has Wilson pull in those effective influences, from the entry-level perfection of Pink Floyd to the darker notations, the horror-tinged instrumental intensity of Comus. Truly one of the best modern-day progressive-rock releases. He has not departed from the electronic interests of his previous releases but incorporates them well with soundscape-like momentum on the title track. Wilson pulls on some longstanding influences and brings them into play with a sci-fi adjacent, slightly horror-tinged work which will no doubt satisfy progressive-rock heads. The Overview holds firm with its hopes of transcendent experiences. Wilson gets there by asking us to question the value system we hold ourselves to, to express at least some desire to change with the world around us, with the music that inspires us.
