IA / DW / XT
Porcupine Tree / IA/DW/XT / 2023 / TRANSM412EP
With tomorrow already marking one whole year since I’ve seen Porcupine Tree live in Philadelphia, I’m sitting at my desk listening to them as I try to wrap my head around the conception of time. This past year has brought a lot of change for both myself and my wife as we moved across the country into a new home. Naturally with it came new experiences, diversity, and memories as we’ve become acquainted with Arizona. This past spring was my first Record Store Day in the southwest and there was one EP release I had my eyes on - Porcupine Tree’s IA / DW / XT, which is a short abbreviation to In Absentia and Deadwing extra tracks from their respective deluxe editions that have never been released on vinyl. On April 22nd I woke up 6:30AM and cruised over to my favorite shop - Zia Records. I joined the long line of young girls waiting outside the door looking to secure a copy of Taylor Swift’s Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions. As I stood amongst the Swifties, I had my mind on other things. Once I was able to go inside, I grabbed the one and only copy of IA / DW / XT on the shelf and was able to officially add it to the collection. Another successful Record Store Day in the books.
Porcupine Tree is one of my top five favorite bands of all time (if you read Record Review #8 you’ll know I’m an enormous fan of Steven Wilson). There is a musical chemistry between band members Steve, Richard, Colin, and Gavin that is seamless and rare to find. IA / DW / XT is a four track EP that features two bonus songs from In Absentia and two from Deadwing. First track Drown With Me opens with Steve’s Babicz acoustic guitar as layers of phaser induced arpeggios and drums trickle in. It’s a very accessible Porcupine Tree track (like much of In Absentia) that really showcases Steve’s brilliant voice, especially in the harmonious “You should drown with me”. This track was thrown into the live set I got to see and it was phenomenal. Second track Chloroform showcases some of Chris Maitland’s (original Porcupine Tree drummer) writing. I love the droning basslines throughout the track as the drums trip along until they open up alongside Steve’s guitar solo. Third track Revenant has keys/electronics player Richard Barbieri show off his ghostly writing with soundscapes and designs that really foreshadow tones of Fear Of A Blank Planet. Final track Mother and Child Divided is a heavy instrumental that lets Gavin Harrison shine on the kit with the double kick drum, toms, and cymbals interacting with the driven palm-muted power chords and breakdowns throughout the song.
IA / DW / XT tracks were recorded during their respective studio sessions from 2002 through 2004 and produced by Frederick Jude. The EP’s photography and graphic design were done by Carl Glover. A live recording from Tilburg, Netherlands of Drown With Me can be checked out here: Porcupine Tree - Drown With Me (from Anesthetize Live in Tilburg)
