Steven Wilson- 4 ½ (2016)

Steven Wilson- 4 ½ (2016)

By: Ghost Writer

Although I'm surely not the biggest fan of Steven Wilson's music, I must admit that he is a man that really delivers himself openly to his fans, hardworking, always coming up with new music, no cult of the laziness, Wilson deserves totally the star status his fans give to him, and his musical is usually beyond excellence.

4 1/2 is Wilson's newest recording, a recording that brings us some new surprises, one that tries to keep in a way the progressive line of his previous recordings but adding those stronger touches of melody while hitting really heavy his instruments, a fact that definitely sets him apart from other contemporary prog rockers, with Wilson is either tuneful psychedelia or rabid biting guitars that keep things moving in a really intense dynamic.

In the case of 4 1/2 you can obviously consider it something close to a pop album, it has that certain degree of accessibility, while Wilson has proven record after record that he is a master at creating pop gems by adding tons of interesting passages and arrangements in order to give the songs a truly dramatic nature, taking the listener thru truly engaging, majestic and nostalgic trips, reminding me of a musical Haruki Murakami, the giant Japanese writer, building complex pieces that play heavy on our feelings and memories from the past, like in My Book of Regrets, full of beautiful placid vocals and earth shattering guitars.

The fact that 4 1/2 is not exactly a record is even more surprising, as it is made up some leftovers from other albums that amazingly manage to mix well together, making it impossible to think that these piece don’t belong together, the beautifully and detailed Happiness III is another stunning number, delicate, yet explosive at the same time, displaying what might be Wilson's most accessible side, and although Vermillioncore sounds exactly like a left over, the power injected on the instrumental performance is not something that could be easily ignored or passed out, it is stronger than many other contemporary act´s material.

For the hardcore prog purists, Wilson has a little surprise here, there's Don't Hate Me, the album's closing tune, a perfect example of the prog structures Wilson has studied and learned to craft so well in order to apply them with stunning intelligence and decision, 4 1/2 might be an small record, a compendium of leftovers, but the high quality of the recordings by Wilson can’t be ignored or minimalized, and in this case, they are truly worthy to listen to, with certain songs close to rank among the musician’s best.