Progressive Rock
Writer:
Jordi Amela
With expectations through the roof, I hit play on The Overview, because Steven Wilson never disappoints. Even when he flirts with commerciality — that unspeakable sin in progressive circles — he’s always known how to balance his ambitions with that dose of genius that makes him unique. So the idea of a return to prog suggested an expansive work, the kind that needs more than one listen to reveal itself in its full scale.
But here’s the first obstacle, arriving before the first bar: a record split across two CDs, with the pretension of giving that some deeper meaning, when really it feels like one of those self-indulgences artists reach for when they no longer know how to wrap up their own whims. Like Peter Gabriel, who wasn’t satisfied with making one record and doubled it up with two different masters instead. Here, Wilson promises a conceptual work, but the result is a scattered collage, a patchwork of good ideas never stitched together, a string of sketches with exquisite production that can’t quite hide the structural emptiness at its core.
I decided to listen to it in private, in the dark, with the full attention a record meant to reveal itself slowly demands. And what I found wasn’t a progressive journey, but a stumbling one — a work that wants to be conceptual but falls apart before it gets there. The label “concept album” is often used as a synonym for genius, but here it only sharpens the feeling that Wilson has delivered an unfinished piece, a luxury demo with brilliant moments, yes, but one that never gains enough cohesion to transcend.
Of course, there are fascinating passages, as always with Wilson, but their isolation only heightens the frustration. A concept album can’t just be a collection of good moments — it has to be a coherent journey. The Overview isn’t one. And so, paradoxically, Steven Wilson has managed to make the worst record of his career. But even at his worst, Wilson remains an unavoidable reference point, and if there’s one thing he’s taught us, it’s that he always bounces back. This record might not survive the passage of time, but Wilson will. And his live shows, thankfully, never disappoint.
It’s also clear this work belongs to Wilson’s inner world, a piece that goes beyond mere listening experience. Wilson can’t conceive of this record without its visual dimension, which will surely be powerful. If the visual side usually complements and strengthens the music, here everything suggests it will actually improve the overall concept. And maybe that’s the key — The Overview isn’t just a record, it’s a project that needs to be experienced as a whole to fully understand what Wilson is trying to convey. And if there’s one thing we know about the Englishman, it’s that when he plays in the audiovisual arena, he never falls short.