I.E.M., the debut album from Steven Wilson's side project, Incredible Expanding Mindfuck, released in 1996.
My copy is part of the 2010 “Complete I.E.M” CD box set, which restored the original vinyl track listing.
The name "Incredible Expanding Mindfuck" is a joke referring to Porcupine Tree's early promotional materials, which attributed Porcupine Tree with a completely fictional 1970s history and mentioned Incredible Expanding Mindfuck as a related project.
This is a "Wilsonian" interpretation of Krautrock, an album with a hypnotic sound and, as the band's name suggests, an intention for an "incredibly revolutionary expansion of consciousness," which sounds very similar to the experimental works of Porcupine Tree.
Its characteristics are a repetitive baseline recurring in almost every track, a riff looped continuously, overlaid with a carpet of synths and variations with psychedelic solos, pressing drums, and vocals that appear sporadically, like spoken words.
Some notes on the tracks
"A Gospel According to the IEM," monotonous and galloping
"Deafman," with hints of space rock
"Fie Kesh," a relaxed track influenced by NEU!
"The Last Will and Testament of Emma Peel," a predominantly experimental track with very atmospheric keyboards
This debut is pure modern Krautrock, without any false notes, hypnotic, and captivating.
Great album, but Steven Wilson has never disappointed me.
Tracklist
1. The Gospel According to the I.E.M. (12:56)
2. The Last Will and Testament of Emma Peel (8:08)
3. Fie Kesh (8:23)
4. Deafman (9:01)
Duration 38:28
LineUp
- Steven Wilson - electric and acoustic guitars, bass, organ, Mellotron, piano, sampler, tapes, drums, tabla, shaker, bell tree, tambura, gong, electronics, vocals, composer and producer
Note: All links to the musicians' works are in the TAGS under the article title or on the "Artists" page
