Being a science geek and a bit of a space cadet, as a long-time follower of NASA, astronomy and the space program, I fell in love with this song the first time I heard it, and have loved it ever since.
My favorite lines in the song, which immediately brought it to mind in reference to Professor Hawking, are:
Dark matter flowing out on to a tape
Is only as loud as the silence it breaks
When I first started to post a song in Dr. Stephen Hawking's honor, this is the song I intended to post, until I relistened to the song and thought to myself, "Self, you might want to rethink this."
The lines that gave me pause are these:
Gun down a school or blow up a car
the media circus will make you a star
Not quite the send-off I wanted to give to Dr. Hawking, particularly in light of recent events, and the tense and angry debates occurring on all sides of the issue.
The last thing I wanted to do was to drag Dr. Hawking's memory into the fray.
Hence my decision to use as my tribute Porcupine Tree's earlier song, "The Sky Moves Sideways, Phase 1," in this post.
"Dark Matter" is from Porcupine Tree's fourth studio album, "Signify," which was released in September 1996, the year following "The Sky Moves Sideways." It is an excellent album all around, and "Dark Matter," my favorite on the album, is the twelfth of twelve tracks, thus completing the album.
Full Lyrics:
Inside the vehicle the cold is extreme
Smoke in my throat kicks me out of my dream
I try to relax but its warmer outside
I fail to connect, it's a tragic divide
This has become a full time career
To die young would take only 21 years
Gun down a school or blow up a car
The media circus will make you a star
Dark matter flowing out on to a tape
Is only as loud as the silence it breaks
Most things decay in a matter of days
The product is sold the memory fades
Crushed like a rose
In the river flow
I am I know
Like Riverside and Lunatic Soul, Steven Wilson's albums don't have any bad tracks, and although I do have special favorites, all the songs are really good.
Porcupine Tree was the first of his projects to really hook me and draw me in, but all his projects are excellent and well worth a listen, including No-Man, Bass Communion, I.E.M. (Incredible Expanding Mindfuck), Blackfield, Storm Corrosion, his own incredible solo releases, and an untold and ever-growing number of collaborations with other artists that, like everything he does, just keep getting better and better.
And yes, I am a total fangirl. ;-)
You can find his Burning Shed store here: https://www.burningshed.com/store/stevenwilson/
His own official store here: http://headphonedust.com/?v=7516fd43adaa
And, his official website, with info on his upcoming appearances, here: http://stevenwilsonhq.com/sw/
All words, with the exception of Steven Wilson's lyrics, are my own.
The image and video are the intellectual property of Steven Wilson and Porcupine Tree, and all rights remain with them, their producers and record companies. I claim no rights, but offer this video, as I offer all the music videos I post, in the hopes of promoting Steven Wilson and Porcupine Tree, so that more people become familiar with their music, and with hopes that they grow their fan base in the process, as they so richly deserve.
Resteeming is welcome, you may link to my post from your own website or blog, and you may use excerpts and/or images as long as you credit me, Cori MacNaughton, and link back to this post.
Please ask for permission, before using my work without linking to this post, as all rights are reserved.