This DVD/CD (also available as Blu-Ray/CD) set brings together a mixture of animated video, live performances and premieres two songs unavailable elsewhere.
Those who have seen the official promo clip for ‘The Raven That Refused To Sing’ (and indeed that for Storm Corrosion’s ‘Drag Ropes’) will be familiar with the stop-motion animation style of Jess Cope. She reprises her role for ‘Drive Home’ with another melancholic, beautiful visualisation of Wilson’s tragic tale of absence and loss. It’s almost impossible to write about this song without mentioning Guthrie Govan’s guitar solo, the poignancy of which brings a lump to the throat. Cope’s imagery complements it wonderfully.
The live performances were recorded in Frankfurt and comprise stellar renditions of ‘The Holy Drinker’, ‘The Watchmaker’, ‘Insurgentes’ and ‘The Raven That Refused To Sing’. Nothing needs to be said about the quality of the playing on show other than to reiterate that Wilson’s band constitutes one of the most jaw-droppingly brilliant ensembles ever to hit a stage. While these tracks whet the appetite for the upcoming second leg of the tour they do leave a worrying pang that these may be the only official documents. A full set will hopefully see the light of day at some point.
‘The Birthday Party’ was recorded during the same sessions as The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories). Given the quality of the track I can only assume its omission was down to not fitting the flow of the album. Also included is an orchestral version of the album’s eponymous song. Both audio tracks are available in 5.1 surround on the DVD/Blu-Ray.
This inexpensive audio-visual set is worth purchasing for the half-an-hour-plus of Frankfurt footage alone and is a timely reminder, if any were needed, that Steven Wilson has created a modern progressive masterpiece that will be topping year-end lists the world over in the coming weeks.
