Album Reviews
Short album reviews by The Prog Yak. No puffery here, just a simple review and score from 1 to 5 yaks! Have a new album you'd like The Prog Yak to review? Let us know.
4
Yaks
The Harmony Codex
Steven Wilson
32
#
UK
I’ll keep this concise, as Steven Wilson’s “The Harmony Codex” is a unique album that really warrants individual listening to fully determine whether it aligns with one's taste. Here’s a quick overview of my personal take on it.
Steven Wilson is undeniably a master of music production. He has a flair for innovation and enjoys pushing musical boundaries, never adhering to the same formula twice. Regardless of the direction he chooses, he executes it brilliantly. However, individual experiments might not suit everyone’s palate, and that’s the case for me with this album. It’s flawlessly produced but doesn’t fully resonate with my preferences. A few tracks do stand out (see “Highlights" below), while others venture more into ambient/electronica realms that don’t quite captivate me.
"The Harmony Codex" comfortably earns its place alongside Steve’s other works. It just might not claim the top spot for everyone...
By no means am I advising against adding this album to your collection; it comfortably earns its place alongside Steve’s other works. It just might not claim the top spot for everyone... but who knows, it might just be your favorite? There’s more than enough merit here to recommend it.
Furthermore, a majority of the tracks from “The Harmony Codex” seamlessly integrate into Prog Radio's diverse playlist, offering a refreshing contrast to more traditional progressive rock songs. This variety is something we continually aspire to, ensuring that listeners will experience a broad spectrum of this album on Prog Radio. You might even discover a newfound appreciation for the songs in this eclectic context!
Rating it as a collection of prog songs, it receives 3.5 Yaks. For production excellence, it’s awarded 5 Yaks, bringing our overall rating to 4 Yaks.
Released:
Run Time:
Sep 29, 2023
1 hr 4 min
Highlights:
Time Is Running Out • Staircase • What Life Brings • Rock Bottom
Reviewer:
The Prog Yak
Steven Wilson
