Porcupine Tree started out as a "fake" band, the only real member being multi-instrumentalist Steven Wilson. Wilson's first two releases, Tarquin's Seaweed Farm (1989) and The Nostalgia Factory (1990), were both released on cassette tapes. In addition to the band's trademark psychedelic sound, these two tapes also contained heavy ambient and pop influences. Wilson's favorite tracks were then compiled into the CD On the Sunday of Life... (1991), while the more ambient-leaning tracks were also collected in Yellow Hedgerow Dreamscape (1994). The first of these two featured many new versions of songs.
Wilson then went on to release Voyage 34 (1992) and Up the Downstair (1993), which refined the sound of the previous albums and removed the pop influences. Both of these were later re-released, the first as Voyage 34: The Complete Trip (2000), which included an extra two remixes (a total of four), while Up the Downstair was remastered at 2005 with real drums added in place of the drum-machine beats.
The Sky Moves Sideways (1995), often considered the band's best album by long-time fans, largely uses the spacey nature of previous albums. By the time of Signify (1996) Wilson had a full band at his disposal: Chris Maitland (drums), Colin Edwin (bass), and Richard Barbieri, formerly of Japan, on keyboards.
The band's next two albums, Stupid Dream (1999) and Lightbulb Sun (2000), saw them take on a more alternative rock-oriented sound, while still drawing influence from as far back as Up the Downstair. During this period, the band garnered increasing recognition, both in their home country and abroad. Finally, they were signed to Lava Records (a major American record label) in time for the release of In Absentia, with Gavin Harrison replacing Chris Maitland on drums. This album shows high metal influences, due in part to Wilson's work with Opeth on their album Blackwater Park. The band continued this sound for their 2005 release, Deadwing, which has the heaviest and most noticeable metal influences.
In April 2007, the band released Fear of a Blank Planet, an album clearly influenced by the post-rock genre, but also sees them expanding the metal side of their music, yet still remaining true to older facets of the band's sound.
In April, 2007, the band embarked on a six-month world tour in support of Fear of a Blank Planet, one that included Europe, the U.S., Japan, and Australia. The new album was featured, and the show featured the films and projections by the band's long-time visualist Lasse Hoile.
Fear of a Blank Planet is already the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful album of the band's career, charting high in most countries (even giving the band their first top-forty album in their home country). Porcupine Tree spent most of 2007 on tour promoting the album, and a new EP Nil Recurring containing material left over from the album-writing sessions was released on the band's own label Transmission in September.
The band started recording their tenth studio album The Incident in February 2009. This was confirmed by the band, posting this message on their official website: "Writing for the next PT studio record is well underway, with the band recently spending two weeks scheduled in the English countryside working on new tracks. Recording of these pieces and a new 35 minute SW song cycle were due to start in February..." A tour was announced on the band's website and MySpace, along with dates, following release of the new album. Around March and April, Wilson commented the 35-minute song kept evolving and now it has become a 55-minute song, occupying the entire disc.
On 20 May 2010, Porcupine Tree released their second live concert film on DVD and Blu-ray, titled Anesthetize. It was recorded live on 15 and 16 October 2008 in the Netherlands at the 013 Tilburg venue.
On 17 June 2010, the band announced on their website that a new live album titled Atlanta, recorded during the tour of Fear of a Blank Planet at the Roxy theatre, Atlanta, on 29 October 2007, would be released in a near future. This album was released via online distribution only, without any class of physical format; all the sale proceeds were donated to Mick Karn for his treatment against cancer.
In June 2012, Wilson re-emphasised his continued focus on his solo career.
On November 1st, 2021, the band announced their eleventh studio album Closure / Continuation, to be released in June 2022 on Music For Nations, along with their first single in over 12 years, Harridan. The release is the first without bassist Colin Edwin since he joined the band in 1993.
Halo
Porcupine Tree Lyrics
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God is in my head
God is in the trigger
God is in the lead
God is freedom
God is truth
God is power
God is fashion
God is fame
God gives meaning
God gives pain
You can be right like me
With God in the hole you're a righteous soul
I got a halo around me
I got a halo around me
I'm not the same as you
'Cause I've seen the light and I'm gaining in height now
I got a halo around me
I got a halo around me
I've got a halo sround my head
God is on the cell phone
God is on the net
God is in the warning
God is in the threat
God is freedom
God is truth
God is power
God is proof
God is fashion
God is fame
God gives meaning
God gives pain
You can be right like me
With God in the hole you're a righteous soul
I got a halo around me
I got a halo around me
I'm not the same as you
'Cause I've seen the light and I'm gaining in height now
I got a halo around me
I got a halo around me
('Cause I've got a halo)
I've got a halo around my head
You can be right like me
With God in the hole you're a righteous soul
I got a halo around me
I got a halo around me
I'm not the same as you
'Cause I've seen the light and I'm gaining in height now
I got a halo around me
I got a halo around me
I've got a halo around my head
'Cause I've got a halo around my head
The lyrics of "Halo" by Porcupine Tree explore the theme of spirituality and how it is interpreted differently by different people. The opening lines suggest that the concept of 'God' is everywhere - in one's fingers, head, trigger, and lead. The song then goes on to list various attributes of God, including freedom, truth, power, fashion, fame, and pain; almost as if the term 'God' encapsulates all of the complex, conflicting facets of the human experience. The chorus implies a sense of superiority on the part of the singer, who claims to have seen the light and have a halo around their head. This seems to reflect a narrow interpretation of spirituality that sets them apart from others who don't have this halo.
Later in the verses, the song introduces the idea that technology too can be a conduit for spirituality - God is on the cell phone, the net, and the warning/threat. This could be a comment on how technology has become such an integral part of modern life that it has also given rise to new avenues for exploring or expressing spirituality. However, the final repetition of the chorus reveals that the song is more concerned with asserting the superiority of the singer's spiritual state, rather than exploring the many possible facets of spirituality.
Overall, "Halo" seems to be a commentary on the idea that spirituality is interpreted differently by different people, but also that some people wield their perceived spiritual superiority as a badge of honor or a means of asserting their dominance over others.
Line by Line Meaning
God is in my fingers
God is within my control
God is in my head
God is within my thoughts
God is in the trigger
God is within my ability to cause action
God is in the lead
God is within my power to make decisions
God is freedom
God represents the concept of freedom
God is truth
God represents the concept of truth
God is power
God represents the concept of power
God is proof
God represents the concept of proof
God is fashion
God represents the concept of fashion
God is fame
God represents the concept of fame
God gives meaning
God provides significance and purpose
God gives pain
God causes emotional or physical suffering
You can be right like me
You have the potential to be correct like me
We've got it all
We have everything
Your righteous soul
Your morals and values
I've got a halo 'round me
I have a perceived sense of righteousness
I'm not the same as you
I am different from you
Cause I've seen the light
Because I have gained insight or knowledge
And I'm gaining in height now
And I am improving myself, reaching a higher level
God is on the cell phone
God is within modern communication technology
God is on the net
God is within the internet and online world
God is in the warning
God is within the cautionary statement
God is in the threat
God is within the declaration of harm or danger
I've got a halo 'round my head
I am convinced of my personal virtue
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: Steven Wilson, Colin Edwin Balch, Richard Barbieri, Gavin Richard Harrison
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind