One of my favourite albums of all time: Lightbulb Sun

Those you know me relatively well, will know that Porcupine Tree is one of my favourite bands and probably the most original band in the rock realm of the last 25 years. Of course they experimented with metal sounds too and that made them even more avant-garde. The thing with Porcupine Tree is that they always release ALBUMS. Not singles, not a set of songs, not two good tracks and 4 fillers. Conceptual albums that make history. Most people will never see that in them, and most people will never understand Porcupine Tree's experience. But I'm not one of those people. I cherish all their albums as if they were a golden treasure and preserve them in my original CD collection with great delight. They released more than 20 albums by now, even more so if you count the live albums and other compilation. I'm still missing 3 original Porcupine Tree CDs, if I'm counting well, but those are my least favourite. But I'll buy them eventually. I was lucky enough to attend two very intimate Porcupine Tree concerts in Lisbon. They are an intimate band to begin with, so if you put them in a small cozy venue, sparks will fly. I have no doubt in my mind that these two shows were some of the best live experiences I've ever had and I will cherish those in my memory, it's a shame I can't relive them again. And hopefully, there will be more in the future.

But today I wana tell you about "Lightbulb Sun". This album was released in 2000 and most Porcupine Tree fans won't put it in PT's top list. Well, I do. I think this more acoustic-driven album is a masterpiece and paved the way for later albums like In Absentia, Deadwing and The Incident. You can't love guitars and not love this album. It's just not possible. The level of orchestration and melodic excellence just blows my mind everything I listen to it. And Porcupine Tree will always be a thought-provoking and non-conformist band. I love them for that. And I love them because they can translate that into beautiful, landscapery, music.

I recommend this to all open-minded rock and metal listeners, and everyone on the other side of the spectrum. There's no other band like Porcupine Tree. There are a lot of clones, they were obviously very influential to a new generation of bands. But none of them can ever accomplish what they've accomplished.