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Feb 10, 2021 Steven Wilson By Hays Davis

With its themes of self-fulfillment and consumerism, Steven Wilson has produced an album that speaks directly to a global population in the throes of pandemic isolation and confusion. While Wilson’s work has had longtime appeal within prog-rock circles, the musical approach of The Future Bites displays a kinship as well to both accessible pop and bands like Radiohead, though the enduring appeal of concept albums to the progressive-music community also maintains that connection.

“All hail to love, and love is hell/The self can only love itself,” Wilson sings in the short opener “Unself” before going on to further examination in the funky rock of “Self.” Wilson’s 2017 album To the Bone made it clear that he not only knew his way around pop forms and craft but that he also embraced such an appeal, and the breezy drive of “12 Things I Forgot” brings some light here.

Over the high-energy electronic pop of “Personal Shopper,” consumers “Sell it all and buy it back/Buy the shit you never knew you lacked…Buy the things that make your life complete.” Elton John guests to run through a list of luxury items, and with the inclusion of “Deluxe edition box sets” Wilson pokes a bit at himself. Along with its availability in multiple formats, The Future Bites even had a limited-edition-of-one “Ultra Deluxe” edition that sold instantly for 10,000 pounds, with all proceeds going to benefit UK grassroots gig venues.

If The Future Bites is heard as a provocative record, it also underscores how Wilson continues to creatively challenge himself. (www.stevenwilsonhq.com)

Author rating: 7.5/10