Steven Wilson finally dropped the news on his highly anticipated 7th studio album The Harmony Codex. The new album is due out on Sept. 29th. The second single, an 11-minute instrumental “Impossible Tightrope” is out now and you can see the video here:
“A second track from my forthcoming album The Harmony Codex is out now. Impossible Tightrope is an 11 minute mash-up of progressive rock, spiritual jazz, and electronica, and is accompanied by an astonishing animated video directed by Miles Skarin/Crystal Spotlight. Both the song and the video take you on an immersive and constantly evolving journey. Oh, and see how many times you can spot “the object” in the video!” – Steven Wilson
While The Harmony Codex nods to records from Steven Wilson’s recent past, at times echoing the paranoid rumble of 2008’s Insurgentes, the crystalline electronics of 2021’s The Future Bites and the expansive storytelling of 2013’s The Raven That Refused To Sing (and Other Stories), here he has managed to create something entirely unique, a record that exists outside of the notion of genre.
Steven says: “My seventh album The Harmony Codex is a real trip, a beautiful and experimental 65 minute labyrinth of a record, with almost every one of its 10 tracks taking a different musical approach. I really hope you will all get to hear the album as intended – a continuous musical journey, or a piece of ‘cinema for the ears’. Today you can listen to Economies of Scale, a soulful song built around electronic rhythms and layered vocal harmonies.”
THE HARMONY CODEX limited edition 3 disc deluxe hardback book-set. In addition to a CD of the album, the set includes Harmonic Distortion, a 77 minute reimagining of the album featuring alternate versions and remixes by Manic Street Preachers, Roland Orzabal (Tears for Fears), Mikael Åkerfeldt (Opeth), Interpol, Meat Beat Manifesto, Faultline, and Radiophonic Workshop. The third disc is a deluxe-only version of the BluRay featuring high resolution 96/24 stereo, 5.1 surround, and Dolby Atmos mixes of The Harmony Codex, 2 videos, and exclusive instrumental mixes of the full 65 minute album in high res 96/24 stereo, 5.1 surround and Dolby Atmos. The 100 page Carl Glover designed hardback book features Hajo Mueller’s stunning artwork, meticulously created over an 18 month period in close collaboration with Steven during the making of the album.”
Pre-order the album here: https://stevenwilson.lnk.to/theharmonycodex
2CD+blu-ray deluxe edition
CD 1 (Main Album)
Inclination (7.15)
What Life Brings (3.40)
Economies of Scale (4.17)
Impossible Tightrope (10.42)
Rock Bottom (4.25)
Beautiful Scarecrow (5.21)
The Harmony Codex (9.50)
Time is Running Out (3.57)
Actual Brutal Facts (5.05)
Staircase (9.26)
CD 2: Harmonic Distortion
Codex Theme #7
Economies of Scale – Manic Street Preachers remix
Codex Theme #9
Inclination – Faultline remix
Impossible Tightrope – alternate version
Codex Theme #6 4
Beautiful Scarecrow – Meat Beat Manifesto Excursion 1
Codex Theme #8
Time is Running Out – Mikael Åkerfeldt version
Staircase – Interpol Remix
Codex Theme #3
What Life Brings – Aug 22 mix by Roland Orzabal
The Harmony Codex – long take
Staircase – Radiophonic Workshop rem
Blu-ray
High Resolution Stereo (96/24)
5.1 Mix (96/24)
Atmos (48/24)
Stereo Instrumentals (96/24) *
5.1 Instrumentals (96/24) *
Atmos Instrumentals (48/24) *
ECONOMIES OF SCALE video (Directed by Charlie Di Placido)
THE HARMONY CODEX video (Directed by Crystal Spotlight/Miles Skarin)
I first heard this song on Spotify and struggled to get through it; in fact, I cold not listen to the whole song. It sounded a bit too chaotic and jazzy for my tastes. Then I watched the video and had no problem listening to the complete song. My best advice is to listen to this song while watching the video, you’ll most likely enjoy it more.