Steven Wilson - 4 1/2
Wilson's ear for the hook and ability to pen a great chorus have always set him apart from his steadfastly anti-mainstream contemporaries, this latest EP makes one a bit hopeful that they could witness the second coming of commercially viable progressive acts since Rush and Pink Floyd. Musically it's somewhat of a companion piece to Hand. Cannot. Erase but leaner and with more of a pop bent, but the palette cleansers recall Wilson's more obtuse roots with Luminol, particularly the excellent "Vermillioncore".
Beacon - The Ways We Separate
Tautly restrained beats provide the darkly pulsing current that drives these electronic R&B sketches. The sparse architecture of the songs are just a scaffolding for the prime mover of Thomas Mullarney's smoky voice which curls and weaves through a mix of uptempo foot-tappers and somber ballads. Relationships can suck, but songs like "Headlights" go a long way.
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