Arcadia Son by I.E.M.

Direct from the genius of Steven Wilson, Arcadia Son, by I.E.M. The Incredible Expanding Mindfuck, the 2001 album.

We've already discussed I.E.M. The Incredible Expanding Mindfuck, Steven Wilson's side project, in posts dedicated to two of the albums in the 2010 "The Complete I.E.M." collection: their 1996 self-titled debut and the 1999 EP An Escalator to Christmas.

I recall that the name "Incredible Expanding Mindfuck" is a joke referring to Porcupine Tree's early promotional material, which attributed Porcupine Tree with a completely fictional backstory from the 1970s and mentioned Incredible Expanding Mindfuck as a related project.

Pure experimentation, whose strength lies in the exploration of sounds, undoubtedly stems from a studio where Wilson, the genius, isolated himself and began playing with computers and synths, creating something completely different from his previous work, nothing melodic or structured. On the border between psychedelic rock and space rock, but also with one foot in the world of Kosmische Musik (Krautrock) and the other in electronic music and hints of jazz rock. All with undisputed mastery of fusion.

I'll comment on just a few tracks:

"We Are Not Alone," a song by Kosmische Musik (Krautrock) and cosmic atmospheres. Jazz drums, fretless bass, psychedelic flute. Beautiful atmosphere.

"Cicadian Haze," also in the world of Kosmische Musik (Krautrock), oriental percussion and flutes, a truly spectacular mellotron at the end.

Arcadia Son is full of electronic effects and flutes, beautiful drums with a relentless tempo that makes the song more accessible than others.

Shadow of a Twisted Hand is my favorite, a 20-minute suite that begins with electronic rock and psychedelic saxophone and mellotron solos, then with synthesized choirs and electronic effects, enters the world of space rock, and then transitions to a fully electronic sound with jazz-inspired wind instruments and electronic percussion. A masterpiece.

An album for fans of Wilson's genius, who experimented with a wide range of sounds and genres, without parodying them, but characterizing them with his own undisputed taste and compositional ability.

Strange but beautiful!

Tracklist

1. Wreck (1:25)

2. Beth Krasky (0:26)

3. We Are Not Alone (7:28)

4. Cicadian Haze (6:11)

5. Politician (1:08)

6. Arcadia Son (7:48)

7. Shadow of a Twisted Hand Across My House (8.20pm)

8. Goldilocks Age 4 (1:10)

Line-Up

- Steven Wilson - composer & performer