In Absentia

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"It comes from... It's related to some of the lyrics. It's about people on the fringes, on the edges of humanity and society. I have an interest in serial killers, child molesters, and wife beaters... Not in what they did, but in the psychology of why. What caused them to become unhinged and twisted? Why are they unable to empathise? It's [In Absentia] sort of a metaphor - there's something missing, a black hole, a cancer in their soul. It's an absence in the soul." [22]

The album's title evokes the same theme, with the phrase being Latin for "in absence" [23] or "in one's absence", a term often used in relation to criminal proceedings that occur despite the absence of the defendant. [24]

Release and promotion

The album was released on 24 September 2002 on CD and vinyl formats, the latter containing bonus track "Chloroform" after "The Creator Has a Mastertape." A few weeks prior to the album's release, a sampler containing "Blackest Eyes" and shortened versions of "Trains" and "Strip the Soul" was released. The opening track, "Blackest Eyes", was picked up for airplay by major rock radio stations, and it was released in April 2003 for US, [25] although it didn't chart. [11] The band toured in support of the album with the band Yes. [20] This is something Wilson would later regret doing, stating that the audiences of the two bands were too different, stating " the problem was that most of the people who came to see Yes had stopped caring about new music many years before and were really there just to hear their favourite Yes oldies." [20] The band would later do a second tour in support of the album with Opeth as well. [26] During this tour, in July and August 2003, the band released the Futile EP , which included songs recorded during the In Absentia recording sessions. [26] In 2017, Kscope purchased the album as well as the follow-up Deadwing and re-mastered both for 2018 release on Kscope Records citing less compression and overall improvement in sound quality. [27] On 21 February 2020, Kscope released a four-disc deluxe edition of In Absentia. The first disc features Steven Wilson's 2017 mix of the album, the second disc features additional studio recordings omitted from the finished album, the third disc comprises over 70 minutes of demos recorded at Wilson's home studio, and the fourth disc is a Blu-ray that features a 109-minute documentary chronicling the making of the album. The entire deluxe edition is housed in a 100-page hardback book filled with exclusive content. [28]

Reception

In Absentia
Porcupine Tree - In Absentia (album cover).jpg
Cover art by Lasse Hoile
Studio album by
Porcupine Tree
Released24 September 2002 (2002-09-24)
RecordedMarch–April 2002
Studio Avatar (New York City) [1]
Genre
Length68:20
Label Lava
Producer Steven Wilson
Porcupine Tree chronology
Lightbulb Sun
(2000)		In Absentia
(2002)		 Deadwing
(2005)
Complete release chronology
Stars Die: The Delerium Years 1991–1997
(2002)		In Absentia
(2002)		 XM
(2003)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [29]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [30]
PopMatters (favourable) [31]
Rock Hard Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [32]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [33]
Sea of TranquilityStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [34]
Ultimate Guitar 9.7/10 [35]

Reception for the album has been positive. It was Metal Storm's number 2 of the Top 20 albums of 2002 [36] and number 46 on the Top 200 albums of all time. [37] AllMusic strongly praised the album, stating that overall, the album "...has the most immediate appeal of anything Wilson has released under this moniker up to this point. By keeping the songs at manageable lengths and avoiding the avant-garde electronica flourishes of the band's early days, Porcupine Tree has grown into a fully realized pop group without cutting any of the elements that also make them an important force in the neo-prog movement." [29] Billboard stated that "with In Absentia, the group delivers a jarring tour-de-force, replete with strong songs, cryptic lyrical musings, virtuoso musicianship, and lush orchestration." [38] PopMatters similarly praised it, calling it "...an impressive album that drips with [King] Crimson's progressive rock influence. But what sets this album apart is that Steven Wilson, the band's frontman who wrote the songs and produced the album, was clearly set upon constructing intelligent popular music." [31]

The surround sound version of the album won the award for best 5.1 mix at the 2004 Surround Sound Music awards in Los Angeles. [39]

In a 2009 interview, Wilson acknowledged that both he and his general fanbase have come to view the album as the crowning achievement and best album of his career so far. [40]

By April 2004, the album had sold over 100,000 copies worldwide, [20] which was stated to be over three times more than any of their prior albums. [11] The album sold 45,000 copies in the United States alone, compared to the 2,000 copy range of prior albums. [11] As of 2005, it had sold 120,000 copies. [41]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Steven Wilson, except where noted

No.TitleMusicLength
1."Blackest Eyes" 4:23
2."Trains" 5:56
3."Lips of Ashes" 4:39
4."The Sound of Muzak" 4:59
5."Gravity Eyelids" 7:56
6."Wedding Nails" (instrumental) Richard Barbieri, Wilson6:33
7."Prodigal" 5:32
8.".3" 5:25
9."The Creator Has a Mastertape" 5:21
10."Heartattack in a Layby" 4:15
11."Strip the Soul" Colin Edwin, Wilson7:21
12."Collapse the Light Into Earth" 5:54
Total length:68:14
European special edition
Released on 27 January 2003, it contains a bonus disc with three extra tracks.
No.TitleMusicLength
1."Drown with Me"Wilson5:21
2."Chloroform"Chris Maitland, Wilson7:14
3."Strip the Soul" (Video edit)Edwin, Wilson3:35

DVD-A release Released in March 2004, the album was re-released on the DVD-A format, featuring the original album, the two special edition songs recorded during the sessions, ("Drown with Me" and "Chloroform"), and an additional song ("Futile"), all remixed in 5.1 surround sound, and the music videos for "Strip the Soul", "Blackest Eyes", and "Wedding Nails". [20]

2020 Deluxe edition - Bonus Material
No.TitleLength
1."Collapse Intro"1:45
2."Drown With Me"5:21
3."Orchidia"3:25
4."Chloroform"7:14
5."Futile"6:03
6."Meantime"3:17
7."Blackest Eyes" (radio edit)3:38
8."Trains" (radio edit)3:57
9."Strip the Soul" (video edit)3:35
2020 Deluxe edition - Demos
No.TitleLength
1."Drown With Me" (demo)5:06
2."Trains" (demo)6:05
3."Imogen Slaughter"2:38
4."Watching You Sleep"3:44
5."The Creator Has a Mastertape" (demo)6:07
6."Heartattack in a Layby" (demo)5:51
7."Strip the Soul" (demo)15:19
8."Sound of Muzak" (demo)5:32
9."Gravity Eyelids" (demo)7:15
10."Enough"3:45
11."Wedding Nails" (demo)6:26
12."Blackest Eyes" (demo)4:34
2020 Deluxe edition - Blu-Ray
No.TitleLength
1."In Absentia documentary" (directed by Lasse Hoile)1:49:45
2."In Absentia remastered" (96/24 LPCM stereo) 
3."In Absentia Bonus Material" (96/24 LPCM stereo) 
4."In Absentia 5.1 surround sound mix" (including three bonus tracks 48/24) 

Personnel

Charts

Chart (2003–2020)Peak
position
French Albums (SNEP) [42] 143
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [43] 58

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  22. ↑ "Is America Ready for Porcupine Tree?". Archived from the original on 17 January 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
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