Steven Wilson - Requiem for a Village [CD]

After years of chasing electronic textures, Steven Wilson wanted to hear the thumbprints again. Requiem for a Village, his ninth solo album, returns to organic instrumentation and a hand-built sound, recorded and self-produced at his home studio in North London.

The album unfolds as a continuous 54-minute "film for the ears," a haunting journey into a village that exists beyond time and place, populated by strange archetypes and eerie folklore. Wilson blends dark folk, rock, and electronica across twelve pieces, from the brief opener "Swirl in a Lark's Eye" and the sprawling title track to "Now Departing," "Murmuration," and the closing "The Old God Is Buried." Actor David Tennant provides narration, and XTC's Andy Partridge is part of the story too.

The title track arrived in September as the lead single, backed by a gleefully retro website and a trailer narrated by Tennant. For fans who followed Wilson from Porcupine Tree through his solo catalog, it promises his most intimate and imaginative work yet.

Out November 6 on Fiction Records. Reserve your CD copy now.