History Music / StevenWilson

** ''In the Wake of Poseidon'' (2010)

** ''Music/RageInEden'' (upcoming; set for 2022)

* AnimatedMusicVideo: "Drag Ropes", "Drive Home", "The Raven That Refused to Sing", "Routine", "People Who Eat Darkness" and "King Ghost" are accompanied by beautifully animated stop-motion videos that [[TearJerker emphasise the sadness of the songs]] (or in the case of "People Who Eat Darkness", [[NightmareFuel the creepiness]]). "Routine" in particular is notable for featuring some top-notch stop motion animation, which is very difficult to pull off correctly without falling into the UncannyValley.

** ''Beat'' (2016)

** ''Larks' Tongues in Aspic'' (2012)

+ Music/PinkFloyd, Music/{{Opeth}}, Music/{{Camel}}, Music/MikeOldfield, Music/{{Prince}}, Music/DonnaSummer, Music/{{ABBA}}, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Music/{{Gojira}}, Music/{{SunnO}}, Music/{{Meshuggah}}, Tangerine Dream, Music/AphexTwin, Music/NineInchNails, Music/{{Neurosis}}, Music/{{Can}}, Music/{{Squarepusher}}, Conrad Schnitzler, Klaus Schulze, Music/{{Neu}}, Music/TheCure, Music/{{Cardiacs}}, Music/KateBush

* CoverVersion: Steven Wilson had a whole series of these from 2003 - 2010, featuring covers of songs from the likes of Music/TheCure, Music/{{ABBA}}, and Music/AlanisMorissette. He also contributed a cover of "Stoneage Dinosaurs" to a [[Music/{{Cardiacs}} Tim Smith]] tribute album, and played "Space Oddity" and "Sign o' the Times" at concerts following the deaths of Music/DavidBowie and Music/{{Prince}}.

* NeoclassicalPunkZydecoRockabilly: He'll experiment with AlternativeRock, PsychedelicRock, ProgressiveRock, {{Jazz}}, SynthPop, {{Ambient}}, and ProgressiveMetal all in the span of a single song.

->''"Miserable music makes me happy, and conversely, happy music makes me [[PrecisionFStrike fucking]] miserable."''

Steven John Wilson (born 3 November 1967) is an English singer, songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and audio engineer. He is the founder and leader of the band Music/PorcupineTree, is a founding member of Storm Corrosion alongside [[Music/{{Opeth}} Mikael Åkerfeldt]], a founding member of No-Man and Blackfield, and has an extensive solo career as well. A mostly self-taught musician and engineer, he's worked with a large number of bands and [[AttentionDeficitCreatorDisorder has had a huge number of projects]] over the years. He's been nominated for four Grammys, two with Porcupine Tree and two with Storm Corrosion.

He began receiving guitar lessons for a small period as a child, but he didn't particularly enjoy it and his parents eventually stopped paying for it. At the age of 11, he began experimenting with a some equipment and a nylon string classical guitar he found in his attic, creating a rudimentary form of multi-track recording. His father (an electronic engineer), built him a multi-track tape machine and a vocoder so he could experiment with studio recording. He formed a number of bands with friends through school, but mostly enjoyed experimenting with sound in his spare time.

In 1986, Steven Wilson launched two projects: No Man is an Island (Except the Isle of Man) (a fusion of synth-pop and progressive rock, which would later be shortened to "No-Man") and Music/PorcupineTree (originally a pastiche of psychedelic rock). No-Man's second single, a cover of the Donovan song "Colours" would win an award in the Melody Maker magazine and land them a record deal with the One Little Indian indie record label. Both No-Man and Porcupine Tree would both go on to release their first releases later and eventually develop a large cult following. In 2008, he began a solo career, and has released a string of critically acclaimed albums in the years since. His third and fourth solo albums, ''The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories)'' and ''Hand. Cannot. Erase.'', are regarded as modern classics of the progressive rock genre.

** ''In the Land of Grey and Pink'' (2011)

** ''Warrior on the Edge of Time'' (2013)

** ''Music/TheSeedsOfLove'' (2020)[[note]]Surround sound mix only. Wilson outright refused to touch the stereo mix, on the grounds that the original was already "pretty much perfect."[[/note]]

* AlienAbduction: Heavily {{implied|Trope}} as the ending to ''Hand. Cannot. Erase.'', as evidenced by the [[CharacterBlog supplementary blog]] accompanying the album and the films shown on the HCE tour.
* AllThereInTheManual: The special editions of ''Hand. Cannot. Erase.'', the blog, and the live performances all give the full stated plot of the album. [[MindScrew Sort of]].

* AnimatedMusicVideo: "Drag Ropes", "Drive Home", "The Raven That Refused to Sing", "Routine", "People Who Eat Darkness" and "King Ghost" are accompanied by beautifully animated stop-motion videos that [[TearJerker emphasise the sadness of the songs]] (or in the case of "People Who Eat Darkenss", [[NightmareFuel the creepiness]]). "Routine" in particular is notable for featuring some top notch stop motion animation, which is very difficult to pull off correctly without falling into the UncannyValley.
* AuthorAppeal: Music, of course. The supplementary material for ''Hand Cannot Erase'' is filled with references to bands Wilson is a fan of, some of which are obscure enough that many listeners would probably have never heard of them had it not been for [[ColbertBump Wilson mentioning them.]]

* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Steven regarding streaming and [=MP3s=]. Early on, he seemed to have an ''immense'' hatred for it, feeling [=MP3s=] and Apple products ruined the quality and significance of the music released and threw shots at them (''literally'' as seen in the ''Insurgentes'' documentary). Recently he's ''finally'' decided that streaming and [=MP3s=] aren't too bad and is allowing them back online such as on Apple Music, Spotify, ect ect. He's even been seen with an iPhone in his Instagram!
** Privacy wise, Steven's legendary. And recently he's opened up an ''Instagram'' and if one believes so, '''Snapchat'''. Heck, he's even [[WhenHeSmiles smiling]] in the photos!
* ChronologicalAlbumTitle: The first three Bass Communion albums, and almost every Blackfield album (with the exception of ''Welcome to My DNA'' and ''For the Music'').

** ''The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories)'' doesn't have a straightforward plot, but intertwines with the idea of ghost stories and loss.
** ''Hand. Cannot. Erase'' is a concept album based around a woman becoming increasingly isolated from society.

** AgonyOfTheFeet: "I’ve stepped on nails, screws, drawing pins, stubbed my toe, I’ve come off stage with blood just coming out… I mean, I’ve had it all mate, but to be honest, nothing’s going to stop me."
* DesignStudentsOrgasm: '''All''' of his album art for his solo art and some of Music/PorcupineTree hit this. Does help that it's all designed/created by [[http://lassehoile.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html Lasse]] [[CreepyAwesome Hoile]].

** From ''Insurgentes'': "Salvaging", "No Twilight With the Courts of the Sun"
** ''Grace for Drowning'' has "Remainder the Black Dog" as well as the 23-minute, jazz-rock behemoth "Raider II".
** ''The Raven That Refused to Sing'': LITERALLY THE ENTIRE ALBUM
** ''Hand. Cannot. Erase.'': "3 Years Older", "Routine", "Home Invasion/Regret #9" (when taken together as a single track) and "Ancestral"

** ''To the Bone'': Despite the album being promoted as a work of progressive pop, it's not short on its share of epic, energetic rockers, including the title track, "Refuge", "People Who Eat Darkness", and "Detonation"
* FaceOnTheCover: ''Insurgentes'', although in this case his face is obscured by a gas mask. Played straight with ''Cover Version'', ''Transience'' and ''To the Bone''.
* GenreThrowback: Some of his albums can be described as homages to previous eras. ''Insurgentes'' was inspired by the post-rock and noise rock of the late '80s and early '90s, ''The Raven That Refused to Sing'' by classic '70s progressive rock, and ''To the Bone'' by '80s progressive pop.

** ''Grace for Drowning'' is a progressive jazz fusion album.
** ''The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories)'' is an homage to classic ProgressiveRock.
** ''Hand. Cannot. Erase.'' retains elements of ''The Raven'''s prog sound and merges them with modern post-prog.
** ''To the Bone'' was influenced by progressive pop artists such as Music/TearsForFears, Music/KateBush and Music/{{XTC}}.
** ''The Future Bites'' is an electronic art-rock album.
* GreatestHitsAlbum: ''Transience'' is a compilation of some of his more accessible songs, intended as a starting point for curious music fans.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: He's '''very''' good friends with Lasse Hoile, who's done nearly all of the artwork/special editions to his solo projects and even some for Porcupine Tree.
** [[Music/{{Opeth}} Mikael Akerfeldt]] is also this to Steven, as Mikael was the reason Steven decided to take a more metal approach with Music/PorcupineTree. The fact Wilson has worked on Opeth's albums since ''Blackwater Park'' should give a fan of the idea that the two are very close friends, reaching HoYay levels.

* IWantSong: {{Inverted|Trope}} in "Personal Shopper", which is less an "I Want" song and more a "''You'' Want" song, the narrator listing products that they urge the listener to buy just for bragging rights.
* {{Leitmotif}}: Wilson tucks one into ''Hand. Cannot. Erase.'' in the forms of "First Regret" and "Happy Returns".

* LighterAndSofter: ''To the Bone'' is pretty much a straight up melodic pop album. It's received comparisons to Music/{{ABBA}} and even Music/{{Coldplay}}.
* LiveAlbum: ''Get All You Deserve'' and ''Home Invasion: In Concert at the Royal Albert Hall''.

* MindScrew: ''Hand. Cannot. Erase.'' has shades of this. The album speaks of a woman who isolates herself from society and takes some loosely based influence from the death of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joyce_Vincent Joyce Carol Vincent]], but really goes up the wall as the album goes on, the [[http://handcannoterase.com/ blog]] off the album ending with the protagonist "H" saying she's "leaving with them".
* MinimalisticCoverArt: The cover of ''To the Bone'' is just his head and shoulders against a red background, with the only colours being red and blue.

* NewTechnologyIsEvil: Steven Wilson dislikes [=MP3s=] and [=MP3=] players, for decreasing the quality of music and the significance of it, respectively. He takes a few shots at [=iPods=] and video games on ''Fear of a Blank Planet''.
** Interestingly after people mentioned that the bonus tracks included with the super deluxe edition of "Insurgentes" were among their favorties and people were saddened that there was no way of legally obtaining them without buying the (since then) sold out box set. He made the songs freely available on his [=SoundCloud=] as HQ .wav downloads.
* NiceGuy: Widely regarded as a calm and ''very'' friendly individual when met in person.

* NostalgiaFilter: A huge part of the narrative for ''Hand. Cannot. Erase.'', with "Perfect Life" and "Transience" acting as flashback scenes upon which the main character reflects on a simpler and more idyllic time in her life.

* OrangeBlueContrast: The cover of ''Blackfield V'' shows a brown bottle against a blue sky.

* PrecisionFStrike: Each of his solo albums from ''Hand. Cannot. Erase.'' onwards have featured at least one.
* ProgressiveMetal: Started moving into it in the early 2000's, though it's far from his only style.

* RevisitingTheRoots: No-Man's 2019 album ''Love You to Bits'' harks back to the synth-pop sound of their earlier output.
* {{Rockumentary}}: The 2008 film ''Insurgentes'', which documents the recording of the album of the same name as well as his travels across Mexico and a number of other places.
* ScaryMusicianHarmlessMusic: Inverted. Wilson absolutely ''loves'' to write material that's meant to [[NightmareFuel scare the pants off of himself and his listeners]], running the gamut between serial killers. child molesters, [[ChessWithDeath drinking contests with The Devil]], and more, all while pairing the subject matter with intense metal riffs, hellish electronic drones, and chilling vocal effects. As it turns out, he's actually a pretty [[NiceGuy chill dude]]. He also owned a ''chihuahua''!

* TheSomethingSong: "Song of I" and "Song of Unborn", as well as "Clock Song", an "unused idea" from the ''Raven'' sessions.

* TextlessAlbumCover: ''Unreleased Electronic Music Vol 1'', plus most of his recent solo work.

* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: ''Hand. Cannot. Erase.'', with the only similarities between the album and [[http://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/oct/09/joyce-vincent-death-mystery-documentary the source material]] being that the protagonist is a woman who gradually isolates herself from the rest of the world.
* VillainSong: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dte3-sSkWic "Index"]] off of ''Grace for Drowning'', which was inspired by John Fowles' novel Literature/TheCollector. Bonus points for the music video further pushing the song into potential Nightmare Fuel territory.
** "People Who Eat Darkness" off of ''To the Bone'' is another example, with the song being sung from the perspective of a nameless, faceless terrorist who assimilates themselves into their respective society.
** Also off ''To the Bone'' is "Detonantion", which is sung from the perspective of a terrorist who uses an unnamed god to justify their prejudice and the actions that come of it. This one was directly inspired by the Pulse Nightclub shooting that took place in 2016.

** There's also [[https://www.instagram.com/stevenwilsonhq/ his Instagram account]], featuring photos in which he actually looks.... ''happy''.

* MohsScaleOfRockAndMetalHardness: Largely depends on the project, but he's ranged anywhere from 1 to 7 over the span of his solo career and Porcupine Tree.

+ Music/PinkFloyd, Music/{{Opeth}}, Music/{{Camel}}, Music/MikeOldfield, Music/{{Prince}}, Music/DonnaSummer, Music/{{ABBA}}, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Music/{{Gojira}}, Music/{{SunnO}}, Music/{{Meshuggah}}, Tangerine Dream, Music/AphexTwin, Music/NineInchNails, Music/{{Neurosis}}, Music/{{Can}}, Music/{{Squarepusher}}, Conrad Schnitzler, Klaus Schulze, Music/{{Neu}}, Music/TheCure, Music/{{Cardiacs}}

* [[Music/{{Genesis}} Steve Hackett]]:

* [[Music/{{Genesis}} Steve Hackett]]:
** ''Please Don't Touch'' (2015)
** ''Spectral Mornings'' (2015)

* Music/KingCrimson:
** ''Music/{{Red|KingCrimsonAlbum}}'' (2009, and again in 2013)
** ''Music/InTheCourtOfTheCrimsonKing'' (2009)
** ''Lizard'' (2010)
** ''In the Wake of Poseidon'' (2010)
** ''Islands'' (2010)
** ''Starless and Bible Black'' (2011)
** ''Music/{{Discipline}}'' (2011)
** ''Larks' Tongues in Aspic'' (2012)
** ''Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, November 23, 1973'' (2014)
** ''Beat'' (2016)
** ''Music/ThreeOfAPerfectPair'' (2016)

* Music/EmersonLakeAndPalmer:
** ''Emerson, Lake, and Palmer'' (2012)
** ''Tarkus'' (2012)
* Music/{{Hawkwind}}:
** ''Warrior on the Edge of Time'' (2013)

* Music/GentleGiant:
** ''The Power and the Glory'' (2014)
** ''Octopus'' (2015)
* Music/TearsForFears:
** ''Music/SongsFromTheBigChair'' (2014)
** ''Music/TheSeedsOfLove'' (2020)[[note]]Surround sound mix only. Wilson outright refused to touch the stereo mix, on the grounds that the original mix was already "pretty much perfect"[[/note]]
* Music/{{Opeth}}:
** ''Damnation'' (2015)
* [[Music/{{Genesis}} Steve Hackett]]:
** ''Please Don't Touch'' (2015)
** ''Spectral Mornings'' (2015)
* Music/{{Chicago}}:
** ''Chicago'' (2017)[[note]]This album is better known to fans as ''Chicago II'', but the official title is ''Chicago''[[/note]]
* Music/{{Marillion}}
** ''Misplaced Childhood'' (2017)

** ''Songs from the Big Chair'' (2014)
** ''The Seeds of Love'' (2020)[[note]]Surround sound mix only. Wilson outright refused to touch the stereo mix, on the grounds that the original mix was already "pretty much perfect"[[/note]]

** ''Discipline'' (2011)

** ''Three of a Perfect Pair'' (2016)

** ''Relayer'' (2014)

** ''Red'' (2009, and again in 2013)

** ''Tales from Topographic Oceans'' (2016)

** "Follower" takes aim at Website/{{Instagram}} influencers.

** "Follower" takes aim at [Website/{{Instagram}} influencers.

* TakeThat: "Personal Shopper" is a less-than-subtle one towards materialist consumer culture, though Wilson has said that it's less of a biting criticism and more of a playful send-up of a culture that he and millions of others willingly partake in.

* ScaryMusicianHarmlessMusic: Inverted. Wilson absolutely ''loves'' to write material that's meant to [[NightmareFuel scare the pants off of himself and his listeners]], running the gamut between serial killers. child molesters, [[ChessWithDeath drinking contests with The Devil]], and more, all while pairing the subject matter with intense metal riffs, hellish electronic drones, and chilling vocal effects. As it turns out, he's actually a pretty [[NiceGuy chill dude]]. And he has a ''chihuahua''!

* PrecisionFStrike: There's one featured in "3 Years Older". ''To the Bone'' has three, including the spoken word intro to the title track.