Album of the Day

Stupid Dream, by Porcupine Tree (1999): With this album, Porcupine Tree began its shift from purveyors of long, spacey, Floyd-influenced ramblings to more succinct hook-oriented material. It's not straight-up pop by any means, but it's much more accessible than the earlier material. Quite frankly, I like the change of direction. Steven Wilson has a great ear for tight songwriting and lush arrangements. As a result, even the most straight forward tunes sound unique. After a couple of albums in this vein, the band would move forwards towards a hard rock sound, which also has it's charms.