Review: Steven Wilson's 'The Overview'
Is prog rock ... progressing?
Listen to The Overview by Steven Wilson on your preferred streaming service
Steven Wilson is a prime example of how genre entraps an artist. Wilson is best known as a prog musician, in as much as he’s known at all; he is described in The Daily Telegraph (UK) as "probably the most successful British artist you've never heard of".1
Steven Wilson - Objects Outlive Us: Objects: Meanwhile
His earlier solo albums, such as Grace for Drowning (2011), The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories) (2013), or Hand. Cannot. Erase. (2015), are out and out prog, as is his work with the band Porcupine Tree.
He’s also known as a master remixer, entrusted with creating Dolby Atmos mixes for many classic albums, also mostly prog. For example, he’s remixed Close to the Edge by Yes, the King Crimson back catalogue, and Who’s Next2
Even so, in his more recent albums Wilson moved away from prog. The Future Bites (2021) and The Harmony Codex (2023) both have elements of prog, but much larger elements of synth and art rock.
So to The Overview: two long tracks, a concept, and the claimed reinvention of the guitar solo. Much rejoicing! There is to be a new Steven Wilson prog record. And as befitting prog rock, an album that requires several close listens. Wilson fans will do that, surely. They know how this works.
Well, some posters on the ‘Steven Wilson Official Group’ (Facebook) are not happy.
“First and last listen. The Overview will take its place on a shelf to gather dust next to TFB. A decent ATMOS mix. I'll give him that. I listened to the album through a 7.2.4 speaker configuration. All his work on remixing other artists records is definitely paying off. Also, Steven doesn't seem as afraid of (or perhaps unwilling to) hitting a tad harder on lower frequency sounds either. My twin 900's were busy. Now back to the Raven.” - Anthony Salzano 26/03/2025
Although he receives a cutting reply:
“I´m often amused about how narrow-minded fans of PROGRESSIVE music are when their favourite artists are trying to progress with their art.” - Patrick Doninger 26/03/2025
This unwillingness to embrace the new is by no means limited to the post I quote here (perhaps the truth is, as another reply stated, that was actually a humblebrag about how good his hi-fi is). At least others see the irony of prog fans failing to appreciate progress.
So, how progressive, and (to my ears) how good is The Overview?
The short TL:DR answer is: Very good indeed.
But, wait. There’s more to it than that.
It’s true, on first listen I was profoundly disappointed. Weeks of build up, touting The Overview as nothing less than prog rock reborn is almost bound to ensure disappointment.
An album consisting of two long tracks is going to be a misfit in these days of streaming and of the average length of songs - at least, of what used to be singles - dipping below three minutes. Mike Oldfield’s album Amorak (1990) is one 60 minute track, programmed that way to annoy Richard Branson because it made releasing a single impossible.
Wilson hedges his bets by splitting his album into ‘tracks’ on the streaming services, and by releasing a limited edition Disconnected version.
Some of the criticism focuses on the spoken word content. For some, the falsetto singing during track one, ‘Objects Outlive Us’ is too much to bear. For others (and there’s probably a substantial overlap) the ‘space facts’ section at the start of the second long piece, ‘The Overview: Perspective’ is too similar to the close of Albedo 0.39 by Vangelis (1976): “Size beyond one megametre / Ten to the power of six / Ganymede, Cellisto / Wolf 359” (Wilson, 2025)
It’s true, Wilson wears his influences on his sleeve on this album. There are sections in the style of Pink Floyd, Yes, even Genesis but he’s not alone in doing that. New music of any genre stands on the shoulders of giants.
Wilson claims to break new ground in the guitar solo that closes side one, played by Randy McStine. Wilson’s contention is that guitar solos are usually too much about technique and too little about tone. Well … maybe. The solo itself is exquisite. I’ve only heard it in standard stereo; those who have heard it bouncing around the channels in the Atmos mix say this really does add another dimension.3 I visualise this as the industrial sound of a craft moving through space, but it’s not metal machine music.
Elsewhere, ‘Objects Outlive Us: The Buddah of the Modern Age’ has a staccato melody and the type of subtle chord changes employed by early Pink Floyd. Then comes the section I included in the most recent LP>Play list, ‘Objects Outlive Us: Objects: Meanwhile’ has a lyric by Andy Partridge and an ear worm of a melody, before a metal mid-section, and then flows into more Floydisms, this time using the sonic palate of Animals. The contrast made here between mundane everyday life and the vastness of the universe captures the feeling produced when zooming out from planet Earth into the vastness of space:
Zooming Out From Earth
Side two, collectively entitled ‘The Overview’, settles into a Tangerine Dream-ish soundtrack to deep space for a while, before the wonderfully profound ‘The Overview: A Beautiful Infinity/Borrowed Atoms’, a cross between early Floyd and the sort of song Wilson used to write and clearly still can. The album concludes with the uplifting ‘The Overview: Permanence’.
The music forming this album loops, with sections returning to be further developed. This ties the different elements into a coherent whole, an album that allows the listener to close their eyes and drift into their own inner space, without ever falling into the trap of aimless new age noodling.
This is a multimedia album and, again, some say the album is best heard with the visuals, possibly while smoking some type of substance. Have you experienced any of those alternatives?
There’s a suoer deluxe edition which adds a bonus CD, The Alterview, featuring 60 minutes of music not included on the final album; as well as an orchestral version of ‘Objects Outlive Us’, called called ‘Orchestral Objects’ for this version.
If you even think this might be your type of prog, you owe it to yourself to listen to the album multiple times. I’ve found more layers, additional depths, and more sheer enjoyment on each listen so far, after being underwhelmed on first hearing. In the days before streaming, we would have invested in an album and played it to death, even if it was disappointing on first listen, because we needed to find merit in our selection, and because it might be a couple of weeks before we could invest in another record. We should stick with our choices more now. They won’t necessarily be as rewarding as ‘The Overview’, but you never know …
In the end, we’re left pondering human existence. Perhaps it’s music - all kinds of music - that is the best argument for our significance. Wilson has strengthened that argument further with ‘The Overview’.
Once you’ve listened to The Overview (more than once) what do you make of it?
Morgan, Clive (15 August 2017). "Steven Wilson reveals the stories behind his album To the Bone - track by track and interview" (video). The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 16 August 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
Cue discussion about The Who’s right to be called prog. Listen to Tommy and Who’s Next and tell me that’s not one type of prog.
Anthony Salzano knows.
Excellent album. Loving everything about it