PORCUPINE TREE

The Sky Moves Sideways TRANSMISSION The sound of Steven Wilson’s solo project flowering into a band.

Having released de facto solo albums On The Sunday Of Life… and Up The Downstair as Porcupine Tree at the dawn of the 90s, Steven Wilson began to see that the experimental rock project he’d started as a lark might actually have legs. In ’93 he recruited Chris Maitland (occasional drummer for No-Man), ex-Japan keyboardist Richard Barbieri and bassist Colin Edwin, both of whom had made some contributions to Up The Downstair. Porcupine Tree set to work en groupe, releasing an EP of Moonloop and Stars Die in late ’94, with first album, The Sky Moves Sideways, following in February ’95.

Presented in a gatefold sleeve, this double-disc vinyl set includes a segued version of Moonloop and Stars Die – shimmering, beautiful pieces that point to the gentler side of the sublime work to come in the band’s catalogue. The titular LP itself has been cut from the remasters Wilson made for the 2007 Delerium Years box set, and while formative in some ways it’s still a pretty magnificent, cosmic listen.

Before flipping into some slightly dated big beat/techno rock, 18-minute opener The Sky Moves Sideways Phase 1 gives ambient textures hinting at the Tangs, Aphex Twin and Pink Floyd. Barbieri’s hard at work, Wilson’s psych rock guitars are woozy and languorous, then jagged and urgent (his future bandmate Theo Travis adds flute).

Phase 2 of the title track features vocalisations from Suzanne J Barbieri, and while not quite The Great Gig In The Sky it’s another tick in the Floyd box. Two tunes were made by Wilson alone: Dislocated Day’s visceral riffs have stood the test of time, and the ethereal The Moon Touches Your Shoulder comes with expressive, Gilmour-like tones, as Wilson’s trademark melancholy voice begins to find its full form.

By 1996’s follow-up, Signify, the psychedelic sonics had been refined and Wilson’s songwriting emboldened by the full, impressive band now around him. Formative and Floydy it may be, but Porcupine Tree’s first work as a group remains one engrossing trip.