Steven Wilson – The Harmony Codex (2xLP)

Multi-instrumentalist Steven Wilson is probably the most prolific musician of our time. He has dozens of albums with Porcupine Tree, No-Man, Blackfield and solo to his name; he also has a stack of remixes – from ABC to Black Sabbath – and he is at home in prog rock, metal, pop, psychedelia, ambient and electronica. Two years ago he surprised friend and foe with the poppy, electronic The Future Bites, so we were very curious to see what his seventh solo album would be like. On The Harmony Codex, all the genres Wilson has ever explored seem to come together in one long, cinematic trip. In addition to percussive electronica (Inclination, Beautiful Scarecrow), we hear beautiful pop songs (What Life Brings, Time Is Running Out and Rock Bottom sung by Ninet Tayeb), the heavy proggy Impossible Tightrope, drawn-out ambient (the title track) and finally the masterful Staircase . But mentioning individual songs does not fully do justice to the power of this record, which - according to Wilson, because that's how he used to like to listen - is best listened to as a whole in the dark. What is also striking is the great production, he has been concerned about that - even more than usual. It's too early to call it his masterpiece. Steven Wilson has too many strings to his bow for that – and he has surprised us more than once.