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Steven Wilson – Hand. Cannot. Erase.
First Regret
3 Years Older
Hand Cannot Erase
Perfect Life
Routine
Home Invasion
Regret #9
Transience
Ancestral
Happy Returns
Ascendant Here On…
Steven Wilson was “completely spellbound” by Dreams Of A Life, the 2011 drama-documentary about the tragic death of Joyce Vincent – an attractive, popular and ostensibly successful 38-year-old woman who died alone, and whose decomposing body was discovered, in January 2006, beside the flickering light of a still-functioning television in a North London bedsit, having lain there for more than two years.
Inspired by Vincent’s story, Hand. Cannot. Erase. takes the listener on a journey, and it’s often a bumpy ride. The album is bookended by two two-minute instrumentals, heightening the impression of Hand. Cannot. Erase. as a concept: First Regret, a ballad, opens with the sound of children’s laughter, the sort of banal hubbub that would have been heard outside Vincent’s flat; Ascendent Here On… is the elegiacal closer, featuring plangent piano chords and a boy choir. In between there’s music both mournful and majestic.
Sonically, it’s perhaps his finest solo sweet spot between pop precision, ambient atmosphere and progressive wizardry, from the cool pallor of Perfect Life to the emotional sucker punch of Routine (a duet with Israeli star Ninet Tayeb, now a familiar face in the Wilson sphere).
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Other albums released in February 2015
- Bob Dylan – Shadows in the NightFebruary
- The Neal Morse Band – The Grand Experiment
- Carl Barât and the Jackals – Let It Reign
- Imagine Dragons – Smoke + Mirrors
- A Place to Bury Strangers – Transfixiation
- Ensiferum – One Man Army
- Scorpions – Return to Forever
- Public Service Broadcasting – The Race for Space
- UFO – A Conspiracy of Stars
- Falling in Reverse – Just Like You
- Gang of Four – What Happens Next
- Kid Rock – First Kiss
- Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Chasing Yesterday
- Moon Duo – Shadow of the Sun
What they said…
“Although there is a cohesive and strong narrative to the album, there are enough musical twists throughout the 11 tracks to keep you on the journey right to the very end. It’s easy to let yourself be distracted by tweets, texts, and other demands on your attention that can detract from the overall album listening experience. Hand. Cannot. Erase. grabs your full attention from the beginning to the very final note, and that’s the sign of a great album.” (FDRMX)
“After the unsettling nature of the inner monologue throughout the album, these closing moments offer the impression that the often intense internal suffering expressed is over, and it makes Hand. Cannot. Erase. all the more eerie. This troubling but deeply moving record is a metaphorical treatise on societal alienation, loneliness, and urban dislocation, offered without pretension. It is aesthetically attractive while being emotionally and intellectually resonant; pop music cannot hope to accomplish more.” (AllMusic)
“Wilson’s refined skill as a songwriter and studio guru combine to fashion songs that deserve a much wider audience than one that views his work as a modern equivalent of Pink Floyd and Genesis. For them, Guthrie Govan’s sky-scorching guitar solos will seal the deal; for everyone else, this is a smart, soulful and immersive work of art. (The Guardian)”
What you said…
Greg Schwepe: So, as often happens after each week’s album is selected, I’ll make a quick (uninformed) mental note about my potential review: “Hmmm… don’t know much about that band/artist, review might be two to three paragraphs, tops.” And then when I listen, I start making notes out the yin-yang about the album. My “don’t know much about them” thinking becomes obsolete because the music I’m probably listening to for the first time is causing thought after thought to pop into my head. And isn’t that what music is supposed to do? Illicit a reaction? My two paragraph review turns into, well, you can see below.
We reviewed a Porcupine Tree album a few years ago, of which Steven Wilson is a member. I also know him as The Guy That Has Remixed Every Album Known To Man. Yeah, that guy who takes an already great album by an artist and makes it sound better than when you first heard it 20 to 30 years ago. So, he’s real good at the sound thing, evidently.
For me, Hand. Cannot. Erase. is kind of hard to describe. And maybe I shouldn’t, since I wrote in a review a short while ago how we always feel the need to label and categorise music. But damn, if it isn’t easier to throw out another band’s name so you can go “Oh, yeah…like them!”
And on this album I heard a myriad of other influences and snippets where you could hear where it sounded like someone else, but not in a copying sort of way. Across Hand. Cannot. Erase. I heard some 80s King Crimson, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Moody Blues, post-Waters Pink Floyd, and maybe some early Roxy Music.
This album has a dreamy, drifting, swirly quality about it. Lots of cool keyboard sounds. Lots of instrumental sections you can get lost in.
My three favourite tracks are Perfect Life, Home Invasion/Regret #9, and Ancestral.
As a fan of the early prog pioneers Yes, Genesis, King Crimson and ELP, when I’d see an article about a new prog band, that just struck me as odd. New prog? How can that be? And I kind of found that out when we reviewed that Porcupine Tree album, and now through Steven Wilson’s solo stuff. New prog is a thing.
Hand. Cannot. Erase. just kept pulling me in track by track. 8 out of 10 on this one for me. And will jump into more music made by Steven Wilson.
Watch On
John Davidson: Steven Wilson is an artist whose work I admire more than I enjoy. Frequently melancholy and austere, this is music that rewards active listening rather than offering up easily consumed hooks or sing-alongs.
Hand. Cannot. Erase. is a great example of his style. It’s intricate, thoughtful and melodic, yet peppered with moments of discordant intensity. It is captivating if you give yourself the time to immerse yourself in it, but for all the talent on display, it lacks the charm to draw you in time and again.
Wilson is a capable singer, in that he can hold a tune, but his voice lacks warmth and character. Tonally, he sounds similar to James Dean Bradfield (Manic Street Preachers), but whereas Bradfield throws life and soul into his vocals, Wilson chooses to remain aloof and understated, even when the song would benefit from more emotion.
It’s strange because while I absolutely love this album while I’m listening to it, it’s the first time I’ve listened to it in the ten years since I bought it. It’s not an album you can dip in and out of, so having listened to it twice today on the bounce, it could easily be another 10 years before I hear it again. An easy 8/10, but it lacks the hooks to draw you in time after time.
Russell Harper: My favourite of Steven’s solo albums, and in fact one of my favourite albums by anyone, so definitely a 10/10 for me.
Glenn Gregory: It’s a solid 7 from me. Full of good/very good songs. Nothing great, but no fillers either. Excellent production as you’d expect from Steven Wilson, but it’s a concept album drastically lacking in narrative. A far cry from The Wall.
Watch On
Graham Tarry: A tremendous album, with so much light and shade, and some seriously heavy prog.
Pavel Ljubicic: My favourite. 11/10.
Ingemar Ritseson: Brilliant album! The best he’s ever made.
Pascal Heijlands: Yee, this is a masterpiece. Still, I can’t really get into this one (strange, considering I’m a huge Steven Wilson fan). 7/10.
Mickel Knight: Adult contemporary prog-rock. That is not meant as a slight. It’s complex and interesting but still accessible and catchy.
Martin Cross: I remember back in the day listening to a couple of tracks by Porcupine Tree from the CDs that came free with Classic Rock magazine, and they weren’t too bad, so about a couple of years ago, I listened to one of Steven’s albums and I wasn’t impressed.
Since this came up on the forum, I gave it a quick play. It’s ok. I would probably have to be 14 years old to really enjoy it, or not have heard Rush or Pink Floyd, but I’m now 60, so it’s 6/10 from me.
Philip Qvist: Neither Steven Wilson nor his band Porcupine Tree features much on my playlist, but I have never been left disappointed whenever any of his songs do appear on said playlist. Hand. Cannot. Erase. is no exception, but I think I need to give this one a few spins before I get to fully appreciate this album.
That all said, my first impressions of Hand. Cannot. Erase. is quite positive, and one cannot fault the musicianship on show from either Steven Wilson or his supporting band. However, I can understand why some people will be turned off by this album, especially with the longer tracks.
It was the latter tracks such as Home Invasion / Regret #9, Ancestral and Happy Returns, that impressed me the most, and I can see why this album has been so well received by so many. It might get a higher mark from me in the future, but for the moment it will be an 8 from me.
Peter Göransson: He is an awesome producer, sound engineer and musician, but a very average songwriter. Signify was promising back in the day, but everything he has released since then sounds the same. Not bad, enjoyable at times, but very forgettable.
Mark Herrington: I have Transience by Steven Wilson, which is a collection of his more memorable tracks, which works better for me than this, having tried with a lot of his other stuff.
This is musically impressive and imaginative in parts, but vocally a bit forgettable. A prog vocalist like Jan-Henrik Ohme of Gazpacho has more range and expression that draws me in.
Parts of this are really good, when it gets going or darkens, but other portions seem a bit indulgent and lose my attention. An average score.
Final score: 7.41 (49 votes cast, total score 363)
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