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Steven Wilson is a modern prog legend. As the frontman for Porcupine Tree he’s released classic albums such as In Absentia and Fear of a Blank Planet. His side projects, including acts like Blackfield, Storm Corrosion and No-Man have produced a seemingly endless supply of great music. And as a producer he’s done acclaimed remastering work on classic albums by bands such as King Crimson, Jethro Tull and Yes.

Wilson really proved himself as a solo artist with 2013’s masterpiece, The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories), an album that managed to serve as a throwback to classic 70s progressive rock, while still feeling fresh and modern. His latest release, Hand. Cannot. Erase. sees him take on a poppier sound.

Make no mistake though, Wilson hasn’t abandoned his prog roots. This much is clear from tracks like “3 Years Older” and “Ancestral,” which stand at over 10 and 13 minutes respectively. What’s impressive is that these tracks manage to be long and progressive, while still keeping some pop sensibilities. The whole album is a masterful balancing act between pop and prog, creating music that’s both easily digestible and has a lot going on under the surface. As a result, these tracks never feel overly long. In fact the album, which clocks in at 67 minutes, doesn’t drag at all. Despite the length it all feels very compact, not a moment is wasted here.

Hand. Cannot. Erase. is loosely based on the death of Joyce Carol Vincent. Despite being popular, Vincent was not known to be dead until over two years after the event, with nobody noticing her disappearance in the meantime. There’s a lot of emotion to be wrung from her story, and Wilson does it justice. Lyrically this album is fantastic, painting a vibrant picture of the life and death of this woman. Despite only being based on Vincent’s story, this character feels entirely real. I really feel like Wilson has never stopped improving as a lyricist, despite having been making music since he was a teenager in the early 80s. Even as late as the most recent Porcupine Tree albums, Wilson was often prone to moments of heavy-handedness, but there’s none of that to be found here.

I have to give credit to the title track, which is an absolutely sublime piece of music. It may not be Wilson’s most complex piece, but people often forget that he’s just as good at making provocative music when he strips down a bit (see Porcupine Tree’s piano-ballad “Feel So Low,” one of his finest moments, for proof of this). Instead of a long prog piece in odd time signatures like many of his fans may be looking for, it’s a simplistic pop-rock song with a fantastic vocal melody.

But despite this simplicity, the album does feature plenty of moments of great, complex musicianship. Take the blistering solo of “Regret #9” for example. That solo is fast, heavy and really shouldn’t fit as well on the album as it does. Credit has to go to Wilson’s lead guitarist, the fantastic Guthrie Govan, for creating a solo that manages to fit on the album perfectly while sounding like nothing else on it.

I suspect many fans who loved The Raven That Refused to Sing, may not get much out of this album. That’s fair, they are two entirely different beasts. While The Raven is inspired by the classic prog bands of the 70s, Hand. Cannot. Erase.’s main inspiration is Kate Bush. While The Raven featured long, progressive songs, Hand. Cannot. Erase. Is comparatively simplistic. But don’t confuse that for lacking depth. This album has a lot going for it, featuring some of Wilson’s best songs and absolutely his best lyrics. I’d say it’s just as good as The Raven, if not better, albeit in a different way. Regardless, this is not one to miss whether you’re a fan of Porcupine Tree, a fan of progressive rock or just a fan of music.