Porcupine Tree has always been know for being an extremely experimental and psychedelic band that isn't afraid to take some chances, surprise its listeners, and create great and amazing soundscapes. Here's a hint: Stupid Dream is no exception.

The album's starting track, "Even Less," brings out most of Porcupine Tree's finest elements immediately: atmospheric synths, jazzy piano fills, slightly distorted guitars, time signature chances, psychedelic solos, and spacey sounds, but even more important than all this, the moods that are achieved through excellent song structuring. The vocals on the track fit the music perfectly and give the song a great atmosphere, which is further developed by a wide array of effects that come into play during the song's course. And as "Even Less" comes to an end, a distorted background recording starts playing and "Piano Lessons" is soon arrived at, which means listening to a great chord arrangement that quickly brings in the electric guitar to follow suit. The muffled pre-chorus of the track sets the mood perfectly for the chorus' melody and hook, while its middle section consists of an unexpected guitar riff that all of a sudden comes out of the blue and twists the song a bit. Also helping are the all-around solo guitar that works away during the verses and the ironic lyrics concerning the selling of art as a product.

And as "Piano Lessons" approaches its last seconds, it turns into the title track; a short piece with a spacey synth line and some recording feedback that works nicely as a prelude to "Pure Narcotic." The latter is a great acoustic song with an accustomed Porcupine Tree feeling to it, and it's a definite case of the chorus making the song. Its strong melody certainly hits me every time I listen to it, and the depressive mood that it portrays almost makes one step into the shoes of the lyrics' character, who is constantly worrying about pleasing the other person in a relationship.

The next track, "Slave Called Shiver," lays down a great bass groove as the basis from which the song grows, and features a nicely flowing vocal melody during the verses while the guitar and synths fiddle around that main groove. Once again, the special effects are used to great efficiency here, as they contribute to the growth of the track's atmosphere and expand into an enormous sound.

Afterwards comes "Don't Hate Me," yet another depressed song with a relaxed beat. It really surprises me how well Steven Wilson & co. manage to create such a great variety of textures and soundscapes from a simple laid-back groove or chord structure. In this case, it means focusing on experimentation and taking the track to unexpected places while keeping the smooth flow uninterrupted, which leads to an aural landscape exploration trip before "This Is No Rehearsal" starts off.

The aforementioned track picks up the pace with a great acoustic guitar intro, and its chorus begins to show subtle hints of where the song is going through a couple of distorted guitars engaged with a heavy riff, although the listener is thrown back to the acoustic arrangement soon afterwards. It also makes for one of the album's most commercial tracks, a fact accentuated by the following "Baby Dream In Cellophane," which has a quite different intro arrangement that centers on a leading Arabic or Hindu scale, although the song drifts away towards a more friendly and melodious arrangement by the time the chorus comes in, which afterwards means that the track stays basically within the borderlines and keeps surprises to a minimum. "Stranger By the Minute" follows in catchiness, with a hooky guitar melody line that leads the way to the song's verses before the chorus' vocal melody demands the listener's immediate attention. Another one that keeps experimentation on a rather low profile, the track is probably one of the happiest on the album, and its guitar solo enhances it incredibly.

Meanwhile, "Smart Kid" takes the listener back to the "laid-back, depressed, the world sucks" mood. Depression aside, the track is a great song that takes one on a relaxing trip while making a bunch of sounds and effects flow in and out of it before going into "Tinto Brass," definitely the most experimental and "I got high and wrote this stuff" song on the album. It's almost certain that the track is merely a remix of a jam from the band's members, but damn, can these guys jam! Finally, one is led to "Stop Swimming," another amazing melancholic piece with soothing and jazzy piano chords that give the song a relaxed ambience, while its guitar solos create an overall atmospheric mood. Unfortunately, that's the last track on the album…a real shame if you ask me.

Stupid Dream is a must-have for any prog rock fan that's into psychedelic music. Its arrangements, structure, and melodies create such an intense overall mood that no other contemporary band can parallel it, and that's quite a bold statement. It is without a question one of my favorite all-time progressive albums, so do yourself a favor…go get a copy of it…you won't regret it.

-by Javier Elizondo