Signify by Porcupine Tree

Signify (1996) is the first Porcupine Tree album made and conceived as a true band project, marking the shift from a solo work by Steven Wilson to a collaborative effort. Before Signify, records such as On the Sunday of Life… (1992), Up the Downstair (1993) and The Sky Moves Sideways (1995) were essentially Wilson’s personal projects, with him playing most of the instruments and only occasionally using outside collaborators. With Signify, instead, Richard Barbieri, Colin Edwin and Chris Maitland took an active part in the studio recordings, also contributing to the writing and arrangements of some tracks.

I believe the band’s official birth coincides with the full-group studio sessions for this album. Future members appear on the two previous albums, but with very different roles compared to Signify.

On “Up the Downstair” (1993), Porcupine Tree were still basically a solo project by Steven Wilson. Richard Barbieri and Colin Edwin were not part of the group, which in fact didn’t really exist yet.  They appear only as guests: Edwin plays bass on just one track, “Always Never”, and Barbieri contributes electronics only on the title track. The drums were computer-programmed by Wilson, and the real drums by Gavin Harrison, which we hear today, were added only twelve years later, on the 2005 reissue.

“The Sky Moves Sideways” (1995) is the transition album. Between late ’93 and ’94, Wilson decides to take the project live and officially recruits Barbieri, Edwin and Chris Maitland. However, the album recordings were already halfway done. Tracks like “Dislocated Day” and “The Moon Touches Your Shoulder” had already been recorded entirely by Wilson. The full band plays together only on the remaining tracks (such as the two parts of the title track) and on the jam “Moonloop”.

The key difference is that Signify is the first album conceived from the start as a band project. The four musicians meet in the studio before they begin writing, rehearsing and arranging the pieces together. For the first time, there are also shared writing credits (as on the instrumental track Signify or Intermediate Jesus), something that had never happened on the previous records.

In short: on Up the Downstair they were guests, on The Sky Moves Sideways they joined halfway through the process, and only on Signify did they become a real studio band.

I’ll sum it all up in a detailed overview of the lineup and guests for each of the three albums, clearly showing the shift from solo project to a full-fledged band.

Up the Downstair (1993)

The album is credited to Porcupine Tree, but in this period the “band” consists solely of Steven Wilson. The other musicians take part only as session players or friends invited into the studio.

Official band members:

·      Steven Wilson (vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, drum programming)

Guests and collaborators:

·      Colin Edwin – Bass (only on the track “Always Never”)

·      Richard Barbieri – Electronics and keyboards (only on the title track “Up the Downstair”)

·      Suzanne J. Barbieri – Vocals (on the title track “Up the Downstair”)

In the early editions the drums are completely electronic and programmed by Wilson. Gavin Harrison recorded the acoustic drum tracks only for the 2005 reissue.

The Sky Moves Sideways (1995)

This is the breakthrough album. During its making the live band is born, and is added to recordings already underway. The CD booklet lists the four musicians for the first time as official members, but the sessions still see Wilson handling most of the work alone on several tracks.

Official band members:

·      Steven Wilson (vocals, guitar, keyboards)

·      Richard Barbieri (keyboards, synthesizers)

·      Colin Edwin (bass)

·      Chris Maitland (drums)

Guests and collaborators:

·      Theo Travis – Flute (on “The Sky Moves Sideways Phase 1” and “Wire prevention”)

·      Suzanne J. Barbieri – Vocals (on “The Sky Moves Sideways Phase 1”)

Signify (1996)

It’s the first album where the four-piece lineup isn’t just on paper, but works as a tight unit in the studio for the whole record. The number of outside guests drops drastically.

Official band members (Stable lineup):

·      Steven Wilson (vocals, guitars, piano, organ)

·      Richard Barbieri (synthesizers, keyboards, electronics)

·      Colin Edwin (bass, double bass)

·      Chris Maitland (drums, percussion, backing vocals)

Guests and collaborators:

·      Kirk Blows – Spoken voice (only on the track “Signify II”, included as a bonus track or on some special editions)

Signify is not a concept album in the classic sense, but it’s tied together by a thematic and sonic thread that makes it a unique experience.  Many lyrics talk about how modern man feels lost and alienated, especially with the advance of technology and the loss of that spiritual or emotional connection that makes you feel alive.  The title itself, Signify, meaning “to signify” or “to give a sign”, together with songs like “Sever” (“the only way to survive is on your knees”), prompts reflection on themes such as control, dogma, and psychological submission.

Musically, Signify is an immersive journey, a listening experience that carries you to dark, nocturnal places.  The tracks fade into one another, creating a continuous atmosphere, alternating structured songs with instrumental interludes and ambient noises that make you feel an integral part of the music.  It’s as if Porcupine Tree created a real mental “trip”, an experience that goes beyond simple music.

A key aspect of Signify is the influence of krautrock and electronics.  Steven Wilson has admitted the album is heavily inspired by krautrock.  Tracks like the title track “Signify” are built on repetitive, obsessive, industrial rhythms that will have you tapping your foot and nodding your head.  Richard Barbieri further enriched the album’s sound.  Thanks to the use of analog synths, sampling, Mellotron and electronics, dark, enveloping and almost cinematic sound textures are created.

Signify is an album that carries the legacy of progressive rock and Floydian psychedelia.  It keeps that spacey psychedelia Porcupine Tree had already explored. The songs unfold calmly, alternating dreamy acoustic moments with bursts of electric guitar that catch you off guard.  And then there are the instrumental tracks, born from group improvisations, like “Intermediate Jesus”, where the band ventures into free-jazz and avant-garde territory.

With this album, Porcupine Tree begin to explore “prog-pop”, adopting a more traditional song structure.  They start writing more accessible, melodic and structured songs.  Steven Wilson’s singing becomes more central and refined, enriched by layered, melancholic vocal harmonies.

The musical style is a dark, hypnotic, avant-garde Art Rock, leaving behind purely cosmic trips to focus on a modern, urban psychological tension.

This album is full of fantastic moments that make it truly special.  

Take “Signify”, the instrumental title track: it’s a powerful piece, with sharp guitar riffs and an obsessive rhythm that recalls krautrock, but with an almost hard-rock energy and electronic samples. 

Then there’s “Waiting (Phase One & Phase Two)”, split into two parts: Phase One is a dreamy acoustic “pop-prog” experiment that had some success in Europe, while Phase Two is a long, hypnotic space-rock digression with synthesizers. 

“The Sleep of No Dreaming” is a slow, heavy track with a dark atmosphere, dominated by Richard Barbieri’s Hammond organ and a wrapping rhythm. 

“Every Home Is Wired” is an acoustic ballad that grows on complex vocal harmonies, and the lyrics, truly prophetic for 1996, speak of the alienation caused by the internet, a theme that today is more relevant than ever.

And then there’s “Dark Matter”, the highlight of the record. It closes the album with almost nine minutes of pure melancholy and the lyrical touch typical of Porcupine Tree. The 7/4 time flows incredibly smoothly, the lyrics are bleak and speak of isolation and depression, and it ends with one of Steven Wilson’s most beautiful and moving guitar solos, inspired by David Gilmour’s style. A perfect ending to an intense album..

Signify is a key record for Porcupine Tree and one of the best of ’90s new prog rock. Its strength is its dark, urban, nocturnal tone. Despite alternating rock tracks, electronic interludes and acoustic ballads, the flow is continuous and there’s no break, for an immersive listening experience that pulls you in from start to finish. Excellent!

My Version

Label: Transmission Recordings – TRANSM 192LP, Transmission Recordings – TRANSMISSION 19.2
Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, 140 Gram
Country: Europe
Released: 29 Oct 2021

Tracklist

Bornlivedie (1:41)

Signify (3:26)

The Sleep of No Dreaming (5:24)

Pagan (1:34)

Waiting (Phase One) (4:24)

Waiting (Phase Two) (6:15)

Sever (5:30)

Idiot Prayer (7:37)

Every Home Is Wired (5:08)

Intermediate Jesus (7:29)

Light Mass Prayers (4:28)

Dark Matter (8:57)

Lineup

Steven Wilson (vocals, guitars, piano, organ)

Richard Barbieri (synthesizers, keyboards, electronics)

Colin Edwin (bass, double bass)

Chris Maitland (drums, percussion, backing vocals)