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Death Is Not The End

Brendan Telford

“That idea of there being something after death is something I find interesting, but at the same time intellectually I find it difficult accepting that."

Steven Wilson
Steven Wilson
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Wilson is regarded in many circles to be the progenitor of true modern progressive rock, especially with his connection with UK band Porcupine Tree. Now into his third album, the music played under his own name has allowed him to expand even further, with the meshing of genres more audaciously pronounced.

“I've always been fascinated by the progressive sensibility, the idea of taking sounds and making hybrids,” Wilson explains. “If you look at the original '70s wave of what we now call the archetype of progressive bands – they never called themselves that, of course, they were considered underground bands – were creating hybrids of music that hadn't previously been put together.

“Yet I'm not progressive in that stereotypical sense – my lyrics aren't about outer space or little furry hobbits, they are steeped in personal ideas...I don't necessarily align myself to the label, because when you do you slam the door shut on many potential ideas for exploration.”

The Raven Who Refuses To Sing (And Other Stories), is a further extrapolation of these explorations, taking in ruminations on mortality, loss and love and combining them with Wilson's fascination with ghost stories.

“When I was a kid I was fascinated with photographs of ghosts. I had this book about spirit photography and I was obsessed with it,” Wilson explains. “That idea of there being something after death is something I find interesting, but at the same time intellectually I find it difficult accepting that. Yet I still love the idea of the ghost as a representation or symbol for our obsession with our own mortality and the burden that puts on us to be happy with our lot and deal with things like regret.

“But the real underlying theme, the reason this album came to be, is the passing away of my father a couple years ago. Raven is the first album I've written since, and of course it leads you to thinking of your own mortality.

“There is something beautiful about the futility of our existence. The fact that your life is this apparently random gift of 70, 80, 90 years if you're lucky, and you have to make sense of that gift before it's too late, is a struggle that many people don't come to terms with – never find happiness, never find the person they're supposed to be with… So why do most songs that focus on this search end up so contradictory and uplifting? And I think it's empathy; by hearing these songs, you realise that you are not alone. And that is a beautiful realisation.”