Porcupine Tree Album: “Lightbulb Sun”

This is a Re-issue/Re-master of Porcupine Tree's ~ Lightbulb Sun, which was originally released in 2000. Most of the songs are unchanged. The bass and kick drum are more present in the 2008 mix than the 2000 mix and "Rest will flow" is slowed down just a bit, that is it.

The album delivers a wide variety of music, from the harder riffs in "Hatesong" and "Russia on Ice" to a softer edge with "Last Chance...." and "Rest Will Flow". This album is very diverse and well rounded. While I personally do not consider it to be one of Porcupine Tree's strongest works, it is by no means weak. Any fan of PT should purchase this album, it is fantastic!

The re-master also comes with a 5.1 DVD-A mix of the album. Which also contains 5.1 mixes of the original 2000 recording. As well as several bonus tracks only in 5.1

The double CD set comes housed in a very nice and durable Super Jewel Case with a cardboard sleeve and booklet.

Lightbulb Sun has long been one of the most elusive CDs in the Porcupine Tree catalogue, a fact which I always found strange since it is also one of those most sought. I was able to obtain a copy here on amazon several years ago from one of the partners. The packaging said it was recorded in the UK, but it was shipped to me from Russia, so I always wondered whether or not it was bootleg. But now that Snapper Music has issued this excellent CD/DVDA package, Porcupine Tree fans will no longer have to pay premium prices for an inferior recording.

To me, albums like Lightbulb Sun and Stupid Dream are the heart and soul of what PT is all about. I like the entire album, but I do have favorites. Those are the eerie title cut, the pounding Four Chords That Made A Million, the soaring Shesmovedon, the futuristic Last Chance To Evacuate Planet Earth Before It Is Recycled; the driving Hatesong, and the spacy Russia On Ice. The DVDA is excellent as well, but some buyers may have to alter their settings in order to view and hear it on their sound systems.

The CD is packaged in a stylish and sturdy jewel case and is accompanied by a handsome booklet filled with lyrics, pictures, and all pertinent album information. Reading the lyrics as you listen will enhance your enjoyment of this masterpiece. Currently, it is being sold here at a great price, so if you are one of those missing Lightbulb Sun in your PT collection, now is the time to buy! You will treasure it for life.

It takes courage and conviction for an artist to try new ideas at the risk of losing their initial audience. Such is the case with Porcupine Tree. Starting as a spacey electronic music project and advancing to a band capable of ambient dreamscapes and intense rock, often with a progressive feel Lightbulb Sun has alienated some fans while gaining new ones.

There is a bit of all phases of Porcupine Tree's musical evolution on this CD. The prevailing mixture of sardonic and sad lyrical themes are both personal and mildly abrasive. This makes for an interesting listen.

Songs like Lightbulb Sun and Feel So Low put a electronic/progressive spin on the pop/rock sensibilties they are based in. Four Chords That Made A Million is a great parody on multiple levels, sounding almost close enough to be the kind of cookie cutter "product" that the song sneers at. In a similar vein Last Chance To Evacuate Earth... continues a long line of instrumental tracks borrowning from the electronic music side of Porcupine Tree, in this case using the eerie samples from the goodbye tape from the Heaven's Gate cult.

The longer form songs Hatesong and Russia On Ice are variations on a theme so to speak based all the way back to The Sky Moves Sideways. These songs are more structured but still give the feel of earler, loosely constructed music.

Lightbulb Sun is an excellent album that shows maturity, diversity and progression in a band that sometimes prefers not being considered progressive. It is sad that some listeners get fixated on conventions of certain music genres or specific areas from previous artist's albums expecting them to infinately repeat the past while complaining that more conventional music is horrible because it's the same recycled garbage. These same listeners equate accessability with bad music.

Any Porcupine Tree album has great moments, you really can't go wrong from The Sky Moves Sideways onward to Lightbulb Sun. Even though they sound very different there is an essence of Porcupine Tree on every album no matter how loosely played or tightly constructed. It should also be noted that every album Porcupine Tree has released has presented major changes and leaps in sonic and songwriting quality.

Part with your cash, this album is worth it.

I have been listening to the mass amount of progressive rock bands over the past 6 months, researching them on here, and then giving their cds a try. The quality of music in this genre is just ridiculous, and coming across new artists and albums is very enjoyable to me.

That being said, Porcupine Tree is by far the BEST band that remains unknown to the US market. I hate the radio for that reason. Why these guys arent international superstars just completely blows my mind. If this isnt music for everyone than I dont know what is.

I have all of their CDs now, with the exception of Stupid Dream, which is the last to collect, and Lightbulb Sun is without a doubt my favorite of the collection. There is just simply no songs on the entire CD that arent amazing. If you enjoy this band or good music in general, GET THIS CD! Now!

My awareness of Porcupine Tree dates only from the issue of their masterpiece In Absentia CD. Both it and two subsequent albums were so good that I knew I had to work my way back through PTs older CDs to get the full flavor of what the band is capable of. One thing I have noticed is that so far each PT CD I have heard stands on its own with scant reference to what the band had done previously. I like that, it shows that the band's foundations rest on a bedrock of massive talent.

I bought Lightbulb Sun from this site before the surge of PT reissues that made available some recordings that had been long out of print. When I put it on, I was dazzled by the quality of the music. Some reviewers liken Porcupine Tree to Pink Floyd. Well, yes, there are some superficial similarities but PT is not a Pink Floyd copy. Steve Wilson is far too much of a talent to allow that to happen.

The best cuts on Disc 1 are the hard-driving title cut, the CSNY- evoking How Is Your Life Today, Four Chords That Made A Million, the spacey prog workout on Last Chance to Evacuate..., the rocking Hatesong, and the Floydian Russia On Ice. But my favorite is Shesmovedon. On disc 2, I am partial to the harmonic Pure Narcotic and the progressive Tinto Brass.

Lightbulb Sun is another absolutely essential CD from Porcupine Tree. Whether or not you realize it, your CD collection has a gaping hole in it if you don't have this. I couldn't wait for the reissue and am very happy with the limited edition available here. Its been worth every cent. Indulge yourself now, you won't be sorry!