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"With “The Overview”, Steven Wilson signs an ambitious cosmic odyssey, mixing musical research, raw emotion and existential reflection, to deliver his most brilliant album since “Hand.Cannot.Erase”."
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5/5
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Steven Wilson doesn't like to repeat himself. He has often said so, and always proved it in his solo career, even if it left some of his many fans dubious about his musical evolution. If, by trying too hard to intellectualize his music, he disappointed many with “The Harmony Codex”, let's acknowledge that the album marked a turning point after a period initiated by “To The Bone”, and perpetuated with “The Future Bites”, during which he desperately chased public recognition. A recognition he rightly felt he deserved, but which never really arrived. Buoyed by a now-stabilized family life and the wisdom of the passing years, he began to distance himself from this narcissistic ambition with the soothing “The Harmony Codex”, and he seems to have mourned it once and for all with “The Overview”.
With two tracks, no single, and a vertiginous theme about the immensity of the universe and humanity's derisory place within it, this new album is a declaration of love to the concept album, to long epic pieces, and above all to what music can offer when it still dares to take its time. "The Overview" is a cosmic odyssey, heavily influenced by Stanley Kubrick's dizzying vision of space in 2001: A Space Odyssey.
It all started over lunch. A casual conversation with his friend Alex Milas (founder of Space Rocks) about astronomy and music. Steven Wilson was captivated by his discovery of a fascinating phenomenon: “The Overview”. This is the moment of revelation that astronauts experience when contemplating the Earth from space, suddenly realizing the absurdity of human preoccupations in the face of the silent harmony of the universe. But the album doesn't just recount this revelation, it brings it to life, with, against all expectations, deeply organic music and, with the exception of a few brief passages, very little electronics - in any case, much less than what Jet Black Sea did on the same theme with “The Overview Effect”.
“The Overview” is an album conceived as a journey, during which the listener is treated to a succession of musical scenes, perfectly arranged and highly coherent when taken as a whole. The 23-minute opening track, 'Objects Outlive Us', hooks us from the very first seconds with its spectral voice floating in the void, synth strings and weightless strings, before a succession of high-flying, perfectly composed musical passages take us on a totally immersive journey. With chiseled lyrics by Andy Partridge (XTC), Steven Wilson explores the striking contrast between the infinitely great and the infinitely trivial, between the insignificance of the things that obsess us and the cold beauty of the cosmos, illustrated in particular by a magnificent, tension-filled guitar solo by Randy McStine.
The 18-minute track 'The Overview' takes us in a different musical direction. More intimate, more contemplative, it describes the immensity of space, galaxies, black holes and the wonders of the cosmos, enumerated by Rotem Wilson (Steven's wife) in a passage reminiscent of earlier tracks like 'Perfect Life' or 'Staircase'. The few electronic incursions and subtle piano arpeggios lend 'The Overview' a melancholy, hypnotic, almost anxiety-inducing beauty, sublimated by Theo Travis's soaring saxophone, which weaves a soundscape of icy beauty. The listener is then left to drift through space, alone, with no hope of return, listening to the magnificent instrumental coda suspended in the immensity of the void.
With “The Overview”, Steven Wilson refuses to take the easy way out, combining all his musical appetites, from atmospheric rock to metal, post rock and, of course, progressive rock. This magnificent album must be listened to in one sitting. It needs time and quiet to be appreciated, and, as always with the Brit, a good pair of headphones. But it's well worth the effort. Some will hear nods to Pink Floyd, others reminiscences of “The Sky Moves Sideways” or “The Raven That Refused To Sing”. But the real strength of the album is that it sounds like nothing more than Steven Wilson, the kind we'd lost since “To The Bone”, and boy, does it feel good.
“The Overview” perfectly combines musical research, raw emotion and existential reflection, and avoids the pitfall of pretentious prog that often plagues this kind of exercise. Not only does Steven Wilson sign his most brilliant album since “Hand.Cannot.Erase.”, he also delivers a work that, in a few years' time, will be an indisputable reference in his discography. - Official website
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TRACK LISTING:
01. Objects Outlive Us - 23:00
02. The Overview - 18:30
LINEUP:
Adam Holzman: Claviers
Craig Blundell: Batterie
Nick Beggs: Basse
Randy Mcstine: Guitares
Steven Wilson: Chant / Guitares / Claviers / Percussions
Rotem Wilson: Chant / Invité
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(0) MIND(S) FROM OUR READERS
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(4) COMMENT(S)
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Un disque, finalement, ça s'écoute plusieurs fois avant de ramener sa fraise et pourtant c'est pas connerie que j'ai faite (comme d'autres hein ?). Il m'a fallu trois écoutes et la lecture d'une belle interview de Steven WILSON dans RollingStone pour un peu plus apprécier et comprendre son "Overview". D'abord, bingo, Steven WILSON lui même site "The Dark Side Of The Moon" du Floyd dans cette interview et aussi Genesis. J'aime les musiciens honnêtes et s'en est donc un. C'est déjà beaucoup. Finalement, après trois écoutes attentives, je me dis que c'est presque avec trop de modestie qu'il a abordé son œuvre. Ce disque est beau mais manque u brin d'ambition, comme s'il ne voulait pas abîmer ses prédécesseurs. C'est dommage, c'est tout. Mais son effort est louable et il faut tout de même l'en féliciter.
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D'abord pour qu'il n'y ait aucune ambiguïté, j'aime bien Steven WILSON que j'ai vu sur scène et je n'ai jamais aimé PORCUPINE TREE. A l'écoute de ces deux longues plages qu'on qualifie de Progressive Rock, je reste très déçu. D'abord ce n'est pas du Rock Progressif mais de la Pop Music comme on la qualifiait dans les 70's. Je m'attendais à être transporté dans les hautes sphères de ce type de musique. Et malheureusement j'ai écouté gentiment sans réel déplaisir mais en restant les deux pieds au sol. Le problème avec ce genre d'album c'est que tout a été dit il y a... 52 ans ! Et oui avec "The Dark Side Of The Moon" ! En 1971 à 14 ans j'ai écouté "Meddle" et j'avais la sensation de ne rien avoir entendu de si beau. En 1973, à 16 ans, j'écoutais plusieurs fois par semaine, religieusement et dans le noir total, "Dark Side Of The Moon" et je savais que j'étais en présence d'un chef d'œuvre, En 1975, à 18 ans, j'ai compris, en écoutant "Wish You Were Here", que même si ça n'était pas le chef d'œuvre du précédent opus, plus rien de mieux ne serait fait dans ce type de musique pas même par Pink Floyd. Steven WILSON devrait moins réfléchir à comment se hisser au niveau de ses grandioses ainés mais plutôt se laisser aller à plus de spontanéité. Allez Steven... continue ton chemin, je t'accompagnerai avec mes oreilles sans regret mais avec lucidité.
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Je viens d'écouter le nouvel album de Steven Wilson, The Overview et je suis exactement du même avis que CALGEPO. C'est un album très décevant quand on connait le potentiel de Steven Wilson et la qualité du travail qu'il fait sur la restauration du patrimoine musical Progressif 
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Je ne sais pas encore si "The Overview" sera pour moi le chef d’oeuvre décrit par Newf ou la demi-déception ressentie par Calgepo, mais ça me donne furieusement envie de découvrir cet album.
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READERS
3.1/5 (7 view(s))
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STAFF:
4/5 (3 view(s))
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IN RELATION WITH STEVEN WILSON
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LAST INTERVIEW
STEVEN WILSON (FEBRUARY 11ST, 2025)
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Barely a ½ year after ‘The Harmony Codex’, Steven Wilson is already back with his eighth solo album ‘The Overview’, offering us a magnificent overview...
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OTHER REVIEWS
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OTHER(S) REVIEWS ABOUT STEVEN WILSON
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