HiRez Poll Wilson, Steven - THE FUTURE BITES [Blu-Ray Audio (Dolby Atmos)]

[key_wiz]

I’ve only heard the Atmos mix in 5.1 on Tidal.

should I vote here? Somewhere else? Not at all?

 

[MarkyM]

I’ve only listened to the stereo mix so far via Tidal/Roon and have ordered the Blu Ray. So vote pending once I hear the Atmos mix. I absolutely love Steven Wilson’s remix/surround projects for other artists but could never get into Porcupine Tree or any of his prog solo material that I’ve tried (only up thru Grace For Drowning though). But I really like this a lot and it stands cohesively as an album work for me. But I do like some contemporary pop such as The 1975 etc. so it doesn’t sound completely alien to me. I’ll be going back and checking out his last few albums next.

 

[Perp]

I’ve only listened to the stereo mix so far via Tidal/Roon and have ordered the Blu Ray. So vote pending once I hear the Atmos mix. I absolutely love Steven Wilson’s remix/surround projects for other artists but could never get into Porcupine Tree or any of his prog solo material that I’ve tried (only up thru Grace For Drowning though). But I really like this a lot and it stands cohesively as an album work for me. But I do like some contemporary pop such as The 1975 etc. so it doesn’t sound completely alien to me. I’ll be going back and checking out his last few albums next.

As a solo artist, all his releases from Hand Cannot Erase are his best. I still favor Hand Cannot Erase the most. I’m not sure he’ll top that one as a full-cohesive album. Although, The Future Bites has grown on me a lot, even if it’s length time is rather short.

 

[BananaSlug]

I think that the songs are growing on me after a couple listens. The sound quality and the Atmos mix from Tidal are astounding. I upgraded to Atmos out of curiosity with an inexpensive Yahama receiver from CostCo a week ago, listening to this is like the upgrade from stereo to 5.1 was 20 years ago. Just an amazing, and seemless, sound field! When are we going to get floor speakers so I can feel like I’m in mid air? If the songs keep me returning, it’ll be an unquestioned 10!

 

[MarkyM]

As a solo artist, all his releases from Hand Cannot Erase are his best. I still favor Hand Cannot Erase the most. I’m not sure he’ll top that one as a full-cohesive album. Although, The Future Bites has grown on me a lot, even if it’s length time is rather short.

Thanks!

Well, I don't know how I missed out on all of this great music! I started yesterday back with 2013's The Raven Refused to Sing (recorded and co-produced by Alan Parsons!). And I love them all! (Raven, Hand Cannot Erase, To The Bone). [Thank you Tidal & Roon] I can see where many of you may not like this new one at first. Since I started with it and can see what he's going for with a more modern pop sound throughout, I really like it as well. I can't wait for the Blu Ray to hear the Atmos mix!

Mr. Wilson is a truly gifted artist, producer and mixer!

 

[AXington]

I gave it an 8. It's really good, but not 10 worthy. I have the blu-ray and have heard it in stereo, 5.1, and Atmos, though I have not listened to the atmos since I reconfigured my height speakers to a better position for better accuracy. I think the mix, the recording, etc are all fantastic.

I actually like the fact that it's a shorter listen. There are a few tracks on it that I find a bit boring and some of the songs aren't super memorable. I don't really like 'Man of the People' or '12 things I Forgot', in fact I know of one thing I forgot, and that's that song, its just bland.

'Eminent Sleaze' and 'Personal Shopper', however, I think are just damn fantastic, and 'Unself' and 'Self' I really really enjoy and would rate them very highly. The rest are firmly in the "solid" to "pretty good" camp.

If there's one thing I'm not super super fond of with most of Steven Wilson's work is the lyrics. I find him to be a very very talented musician, a superlative producer/engineer/mixer, a pretty good singer though not my favorite, but kind of middling at lyrics. He needs a Bernie to his Elton. Then again, he's still better than a lot of newer artists who I feel REALLY need someone to help with lyrics. (Looking at you Tash Sultana, you are a generational musician, vocalist, composer, and arranger, but damn your lyrics are just... abysmal.)

 

[Sal1950]

(Looking at you Tash Sultana, you are a generational musician, vocalist, composer, and arranger, but damn your lyrics are just... abysmal.)

Tell him how you really feel AX. LOL

 

[AXington]

Tell him how you really feel AX. LOL

I mean, I'll give them a bit of credit since they're only 25, and their compositions, arrangements, and musicianship are virtuoso level (plays 20+ instruments, like homing in on John Paul Jones territory) and their vocal range is something stupid like 5 octaves. But uhh...

And people only givin' a shit when you hide yourself
Try mould to perfection
When you don't feel like feeding the mouth
Bite the hand that feeds your wealth
And that ain't good for my mental health, oh, no

Bet you didn't think that I was watching you
Bet you didn't know that I could love you the way I do
And I don't watch the TV late at night, ooh
'Cause there's no knowledge, only information
You know I'm right

Ain't exactly John Lennon or Paul McCartney, maybe Ringo though...

 

[MarkyM]

Thanks!

Well, I don't know how I missed out on all of this great music! I started yesterday back with 2013's The Raven Refused to Sing (recorded and co-produced by Alan Parsons!). And I love them all! (Raven, Hand Cannot Erase, To The Bone). [Thank you Tidal & Roon] I can see where many of you may not like this new one at first. Since I started with it and can see what he's going for with a more modern pop sound throughout, I really like it as well. I can't wait for the Blu Ray to hear the Atmos mix!

Mr. Wilson is a truly gifted artist, producer and mixer!

I got the bluray today and listened to the Atmos mix. A fun mix in places, SQ of course par for the course for Mr. Wilson: superb!
I also really like the music. Cohesive and easy to play and enjoy all the way through. A solid 10 for me.

 

[fetchmybeer]

Now for the not so good news. Sad to say, this is the first Steven Wilson album that really disappoints me - and I say that as a very long time fan from the early days of no-man and Porcupine Tree. I find it disjointed, snarky without being particularly insightful, and musically boring.

So much this. I may refrain from rating this album because of my personal bias. I do not want to rate a mix based on what I think about the actual songs. I mean, it's a SW mix, so you know it's going to sound good.

But I'm not enjoying the listening experience like I should. The album is very bitter all the way through, condescending even, and pretty uninteresting. He has streamlined his music for this album and simplified it, and perhaps that is out of necessity or out of needing a break. I totally understand that from a musician's standpoint if that's the case, and I realize that each of his solo efforts is a bit different from the last.

I will give this a few more listens simply because it is a SW mix, but my first impression pre-Blu Ray was that I didn't like it, and my first listen with the Blu Ray and passage of some time is that I REALLY don't like it. Ultimately, though, he's an artist and a legit one at that, and I appreciate that he's not afraid to test his boundaries. As a fan, that doesn't mean I have to like everything he puts out.

 

[MagnumX]

I had the exact opposite reaction. I keep trying to listen to his previous work and I just can't get into it. I like The Future Bites, however, especially that crazy Personal Shopper song in Atmos.

 

[DoctorO]

It's interesting reading the range of reactions to this one!

After loving Hand Cannot Erase and being bitterly disappointed with To the Bone, I gave this one an initial listen when first released and then shelved it. But, I returned to it more recently and got swept away with a couple more listens. It's much more coherent and fully realized than To the Bone, and has plenty of "earworms" across a wide range of musical styles. Maybe overwrought in terms of the theme and packaging, as if it tries too hard, but that's symptomatic of the state of existence it describes. It's just the right length. And the Atmos mix is a demo piece for my surround room. Adds up to a 10 from me.

 

[Lord British]

Just finished listening to the Atmos mix for the 4th time. At 1am, immersing myself in the sonic blanket that is Count of Unease, I experience that familiar feeling with Steven Wilson that I love so much. It's the feeling that I appreciate his music at a deeper level with each listen. The mix on this album is ONEderful.

I warm up to this album more and more with each successive go-around.

The decriminalized weed helps, too.

 

[fetchmybeer]

Yeah, I've listened to this a few more times, giving me time to set aside my personal apprehensions with it. Oddly enough, somebody above mentioned how much they hate 12 Things I Forgot, and that's probably the only song I really enjoy. It's just a well crafted pop song. Nothing mind-blowing, but he has been throwing those on the last few albums. Hand Cannot Erase, Permanating, and now this one. It's a pretty little ditty.

Anyway, I think this mix and production is glorious just like pretty much everything he touches. There is more movement in this mix than I realized. I think that for him, it was probably less challenging that his other stuff to mix because it is less dense. He has always had atmospherics going on in his songs, but they are more central to these compositions, I think. These tunes are all about atmospherics and the beats. Not a whole lot of guitar tracks to worry about, etc... If this were anybody else than Steven Wilson, the mix would be an easy 10. This isn't the best mix SW has done, but it's still a 10, even though I am unhappy with the musical content. Some of you who don't know SW or don't like his previous output might actually be into this. I'm glad that I waited to rate this one. I knew it wouldn't be fair to rate without further listening to the actual mixes, rather than just the songs.

 

[beerking]

What's not too like?

He is constantly moving the goal posts in search of mixing excellence.
And producing new and innovative releases.

He does'nt wish to continue with a similar genre of music and likes to catch his adoring fans out with thought provoking albums.

The Future has indeed bitten me.
So much so, that I have no hesitation in awarding this release a well deserved 10

 

[weekendtoy]

30% SURROUND MIX - How good is this mix?
30% AUDIO FIDELITY - How does it sound?
30% CONTENT - Do you like it. Is it good music. Will you go back to it again?
10% OVERALL PACKAGE - Format, packaging, added value (extra discs), marbles, format, encoding, ease of play, menu layout, bonus content (videos, making of), documentation, and other things you like or don't like about it.

I gave the content a 8, everything else a 10. That's a 9.4, rounded to a 10 with the steller ATMOS surround mix.

 

[The56Kid]

What's not too like?

He is constantly moving the goal posts in search of mixing excellence.
And producing new and innovative releases.

He does'nt wish to continue with a similar genre of music and likes to catch his adoring fans out with thought provoking albums.

The Future has indeed bitten me.
So much so, that I have no hesitation in awarding this release a well deserved 10

Totally agree. As a massive Porcupine Tree fan, I have no problem admitting I’m a Steven Wilson fanboy deluxe. His skills as a songwriter, guitarist, performer, arranger, and engineer are beyond reproach IMO.

I’ve purchased everyone of his solo albums upon release and love them all, including TFB. How any one can trash TFB or TTB is beyond me. Similarly I have no idea how anyone can ignore Grace For Drowning or Insurgentes just because Raven was so impressive. All of his solo albums are impressive in their own right and deserve extended listens. I have no problem with Steven pursuing his muse wherever it may take him and really look forward to his next release.

 

[fetchmybeer]

Totally agree. As a massive Porcupine Tree fan, I have no problem admitting I’m a Steven Wilson fanboy deluxe. His skills as a songwriter, guitarist, performer, arranger, and engineer are beyond reproach IMO.

I’ve purchased everyone of his solo albums upon release and love them all, including TFB. How any one can trash TFB or TTB is beyond me. Similarly I have no idea how anyone can ignore Grace For Drowning or Insurgentes just because Raven was so impressive. All of his solo albums are impressive in their own right and deserve extended listens. I have no problem with Steven pursuing his muse wherever it may take him and really look forward to his next release.

I'd submit that there's a difference between trashing something and disliking it I simply don't like TFB. Stylistically, it isn't my cup of tea and yes, it's a big departure from Wilson-- even from To The Bone. I'm not going to trash it because it still has a lot more interesting going on than most of what's out there.

My personal rating of his solo material would be Hand Cannot Erase, Insurgentes, Raven, To The Bone, Grace, and TFB. The first three are masterful, IMO.

 

[alansanchez86]

"Very happy and proud to have The Future Bites nominated twice for next year’s Grammy awards, in the categories for Best Immersive Audio album, and Best Boxed Set or Limited Edition Package. See ya in LA!" @recordingacademy #grammys @thefuturebites


68. Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package

• All Things Must Pass: 50th Anniversary Edition
  Darren Evans, Dhani Harrison & Olivia Harrison, art directors (George Harrison)
  
• Color Theory
  Lordess Foudre & Christopher Leckie, art directors (Soccer Mommy)
  
• The Future Bites (Limited Edition Box Set)
  Simon Moore, art director (Steven Wilson)
  
• 77-81
  Dan Calderwood & Jon King, art directors (Gang Of Four)
  
• Swimming In Circles
  Ramón Coronado & Marshall Rake, art directors (Mac Miller)

74. Best Immersive Audio Album
This category recognizes excellence in multichannel immersive audio recordings. Eligible recordings must be commercially released for sale or streaming on a consumer format/configuration (DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, SACD, Blu-Ray, Atmos, Auro-3D, immersive download, etc.) that provides an original immersive mix (not electronically re-purposed) of four or more channels.

• Alicia
  George Massenburg & Eric Schilling, immersive mix engineers; Michael Romanowski, immersive mastering engineer; Ann Mincieli, immersive producer (Alicia Keys)
  
• Clique
  Jim Anderson & Ulrike Schwarz, immersive mix engineers; Bob Ludwig, immersive mastering engineer; Jim Anderson, immersive producer (Patricia Barber)
  
• Fine Line
  Greg Penny, immersive mix engineer; Greg Penny, immersive mastering engineer; Greg Penny, immersive producer (Harry Styles)
  
• The Future Bites
  Jake Fields & Steven Wilson, immersive mix engineers; Bob Ludwig, immersive mastering engineer; Steven Wilson, immersive producer (Steven Wilson)
  
• Stille Grender
  Morten Lindberg, immersive mix engineer; Morten Lindberg, immersive mastering engineer; Morten Lindberg, immersive producer (Anne Karin Sundal-Ask & Det Norske Jentekor)

 

[alansanchez86]

I believe that in the boxset category he (SW) has a good competition with George Harrison's ATMP.
Has anyone listened to any of the other surround mixes in the category?