Closure/Continuation
| Porcupine Tree
Closure/Continuation
Closure/Continuation is the eleventh studio album by British progressive rock band Porcupine Tree. The album is their first since 2009's The Incident. Despite public uncertainty of the band's future after frontman Steven Wilson's focus on a solo career in 2010, the album was recorded intermittently in complete secrecy among Wilson, Gavin Harrison, and Richard Barbieri across the course of the following decade, without long-time bassist Colin Edwin. With the COVID-19 pandemic putting members' separate plans on hold, the band found time to completely finish the album in September 2021. Towards the end of the year, the band's reformation was publicly announced, alongside the album's release date of 24 June 2022. Four singles were released ahead of the album—"Harridan", "Of the New Day", "Herd Culling", and "Rats Return". -Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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Pitchfork
On its first album in over a decade, the UK prog band embraces a newly collaborative process, setting an atmosphere of creeping tension and volatility.
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PopMatters
Closure/Continuation captures and rejuvenates the cerebral and melancholic mood that’s Porcupine Tree’s signature, but uncertainty hangs over the proceedings.
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Louder
Porcupine Tree's gorgeous comeback album is an elegant and accomplished treasure.
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The Guardian
After a 12-year hiatus, the trio return with an inquisitive, unpredictable set that finds their experimental side intact.
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Sonic Perspectives
While not a perfect album nor arguably their best one, 2022 is a whole lot brighter with its inclusion.
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AllMusic
The jam's diverse directional pursuits hint at a destination, but despite many gorgeous parts, it never quite arrives. That's apt for Closure/Continuation, too. PT's new entry reveals in fits and starts that the band have somethiing left left to say, but given this wide ranging set, just what that is remains elusive and unclear.
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Drew's Reviews
This album takes time and even after an ample dedicated amount you might still need to put it away for a year before it finally registers. Like what happened with U2’s No Line on the Horizon. Yeah, yeah, yeah I know they ain’t prog rock but that album sucked until it didn’t. And, no I’m not saying Closure/Continuation sucks. What I’m trying to say is… You might not get Closure/Continuation until you do.
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Ultimate Guitar
It certainly doesn't try to reinvent the wheel at all, and at its heart, that may be the best thing about this album: it IS, fundamentally, a Porcupine Tree record, and one that shows the most collaborative effort between the remaining band members, but aside from ticking all the PT boxes, it doesn't really offer anything new.
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Ghost Cult Magazine
Whilst it probably won’t change your opinion on Porcupine Tree, Closure / Continuation is an intelligent, meaningful, emotionally deep and accessible modern prog rock record.
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Slant Magazine
A Prog-Rock Legacy on Repeat.
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XS Noize
Whilst Closure/Continuation doesn't enable Porcupine Tree to move forwards, it doesn't hinder them either. For example, "Chimera's Wreck" should be welcomed as a new live staple. The band's genius has earned album collaborations with King Crimson's Robert Fripp and Adrian Belew and Rush's Alex Lifeson, remains present.
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AllMusic
The jam's diverse directional pursuits hint at a destination, but despite many gorgeous parts, it never quite arrives. That's apt for Closure/Continuation, too. PT's new entry reveals in fits and starts that the band have somethiing left left to say, but given this wide ranging set, just what that is remains elusive and unclear.
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Liverpool Sound and Vision
An album that insists on being given respect, and one that is earned with huge appeal and gravitas from the listener; Porcupine Tree never went away, they just bided their time to get the kick just right.
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The Prog Report
If you are one of the millions of existing fans of Porcupine Tree, you will not be disappointed. If you are a new follower, welcome to the club – this dichotomy has legs, and it would be a great pity if the second word in the album’s title did not become an ongoing reality beyond this point. There are some split personalities that the world absolutely needs, and this is one of them.
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Metal Wani
It is wonderful to hear that the band is indeed fully back, and that ‘CLOSURE/CONTINUATION’ not only lives up to their high standards but surpassed my expectations for a new release after so long. Old fans can rejoice, and those who don’t know them, feel free to jump right in.
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Sputnik Music
A reunion almost too good to be true makes for a lovely comeback album with a faint glow of nostalgia that showcases the band’s unique style.
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Louder
another exceptional record.
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Everything is Noise
Porcupine Tree do the best thing they could in their situation with CLOSURE / CONTINUATION – use the past as a framework to deliver something new and fresh.
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Glide Magazine
Porcupine Tree are not sure where they are headed as a band after this release and while Closure/Continuation doesn’t contain the triumphs of past efforts, it is a rewarding listen from start to finish and adds another medal around prog-rock ambassador Steven Wilson. This dexterous trio appears delighted to deliver for their core audience to whom what they hope is a new beginning.
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