Steven Wilson - Hand. Cannot. Erase.

Steven Wilson delivers another solid album of engaging neo-prog on this latest disc, incorporating more noticeable electronic and pop influences

I have conflicted feelings about Steven Wilson. On one hand, I'm a huge fan of his work as a producer (e.g. Pale Communion) and I generally enjoy his work in Porcupine Tree and other bands. On the other hand, I've never been particularly interested in his solo stuff. Not because its bad (it isn't), it just kind of... floats by without much impact. It isn't quiet enough to be ambient and fade into the background nor is it engaging enough to make me sit up and get into it - so basically its exactly like classic '70s prog. Luckily for us, though, Hand. Cannot. Erase is enough of a blend of the poppy, atmospheric stuff he's known for with the knotty, proggy stuff he's also known for that it actually has a shot at pleasing most people.

Whereas Wilson's previous disc, The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories), was pretty solidly prog-rock leaning, Hand. Cannot. Erase. is much more of a pop album. While some of the songs are certainly long (several clocking in at 10 minutes), they act as bridges between the shorter, punchier songs rather than the other way around, which is a nice change of pace. The electronic influence is plain to hear as well -- HCE trades in the Mellotron and Hammond organs of yesteryear for drum machines and more modern-sounding keyboards, making for an interesting contrast to Wilson's previous albums. The songwriting is mostly up to par for Wilson (which is very high), although the album does drag a bit in the middle - "Routine" probably could've been a few minutes shorter, and the sequence of "Home Invasion" into "Regret #9" into "Transience" might've been a bit punchier had they been combined into a single, edited piece. The longer songs just aren't as effective at demonstrating Wilson's expertise at arranging hooky vocal lines and power-chord-y compositions, a talent that is frankly unmatched in modern progressive music besides, maybe, Leprous.

That said, Hand. Cannot. Erase. is a solidly enjoyable album with most of the strengths and weaknesses of Wilson's past work. Will it sway you if you didn't care for him before? Probably not, but you'll definitely like some of the songs. Will you like it if you already like his stuff? Yeah, you will.