SOUND CHASER
“When I looked at my schedule and saw Total Guitar, I thought, ‘Oh god, what are we going to talk about?!’” laughs Steven Wilson as he notes that his latest album, The Future Bites, is one of the least guitar-driven records he’s put his name to. “There are guitars on there,” he says, “but they’re being used in more of a sound design kind of way. And that goes for even the solos! They’re not conventional muso leads, they’re quite abstract and dissonant in places... More about the way the guitar sound integrates within the overall texture of the song and the rest of the musical palette.”
Though he clearly distances himself from being seen as any kind of guitar hero, the ever-evolving English singer-songwriter has become one of the biggest names in progressive pop music, in many ways a modern equivalent to David Bowie in the 70s or Prince the decade after. As well as fronting Porcupine Tree for over 20 years, and working with other musicians in projects such as Blackfield, Storm Corrosion and No-Man, he’s also been highly lauded for producing bands including Opeth and Anathema, and remixing famous works by King Crimson, Jethro Tull and Yes.
But it’s his solo endeavours that have led to him playing multiple nights
