The Raven That Refused to Sing by Steven Wilson

The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories), the third album by modern music genius Steven Wilson, released in 2013, is one of my favorite prog albums, an essential album. I follow all of Wilson's projects, and this is one of his absolute best.

I've spoken extensively, albeit indirectly, about Steven Wilson, a modern music genius, in reviews and essays on his many projects. You can find his complete biography in the profile dedicated to him.

The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories) is an album that marks a decisive and splendid return to the sounds of classic '70s prog but with a contemporary audiophile-grade production, which is incredible considering the album was recorded in just one week and then engineered by  Alan Parsons. 

It is a "musical tale" based on six supernatural ghost stories written by Wilson himself, centering on the themes of mortality, regret, loss, and the afterlife.

The album consists of six tracks, three of which are over ten minutes long:
"Luminol" is a complex piece that It blends jazz-rock and bass riffs. A fantastic piece, it's a alternating flow and atmosphere that brings Progressive back to us, with Hammond, tempo changes, choral openings, interplays of fullness and emptiness, explosions, and accents.

"Holy Drinker" is a jazz-fusion jam that then morphs into '70s hard rock with an excellent Mellotron, before transforming again, this time into heavy metal.

"Drive Home" is a melancholy ballad with a stunning guitar solo by Guthrie Govan.
"The Watchmaker," a 12-minute track that begins with acoustic arpeggios and culminates in haunting symphonic explosions, is a great song with an excellent melody.
"The Raven That Refused to Sing," the title track, is a ballad about an elderly man who, on the verge of death, hopes a crow will sing for him, seeing in the bird a manifestation of the sister he lost in childhood. It's truly captivating and moving.

The Others The shorter songs are still top-notch: "Drive Home" has a great guitar solo, and "Pin Drop" is short but intense.

The collaboration with Theo Travis is remarkable. He played in  King Crimson, but also on Until All The Ghosts Are Gone by Anekdoten, Porcupine Tree's The Sky Moves Sideways and Stupid Dream and Steven Wilson's  4 ½. He also played with  Soft Machine and recently with ZOPP, as well as  Dave Stuart, another giant with his extraordinary career in bands from the Canterbury scene.

Wilson's talent is remarkable, producing one of the best progressive rock albums since the '70s.

Simply a masterpiece.

Note: All links to the musicians' works are in the TAGS under the article title or on the "Artists" page.

Tracklist

1. Luminol (12:10)
2. Drive Home (7:37)
3. The Holy Drinker (10:13)
4. The Pin Drop (5:03)
5. The Watchmaker (11:43)
6. The Raven That Refused to Sing (7:57)

Duration 54:43

LineUp

- Steven Wilson - vocals, guitars, keyboards, Mellotron, bass (3), production and mixing

Featuring:

- Guthrie Govan - lead guitar (1-6)

- Alan Parsons - guitar (3), associate producer and engineer

- Niko Tsonev - guitar (2.1, 2.6)

- Adam Holzman - piano, Hammond, Fender Rhodes, Minimoog

- Theo Travis - saxophone, flute, clarinet

- Nick Beggs - bass, Chapman stick (3), backing vocals

- Marco Minnemann - drums, percussion

- London Session Orchestra - strings

- Dave Stewart - string arranger

- Perry Montague-Mason - solo strings

- Jakko Jakszyk - vocals (1, 5)