Genre and Influence: Tracing the Lineage of Timbre and Form in Steven Wilson’s Progressive Rock Ryan Blakeley Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts in Music degree. School of Music Faculty of Arts University of Ottawa © Ryan Blakeley, Ottawa, Canada, 2017 Abstract This thesis examines the music of contemporary British progressive rock artist Steven Wilson and explores the ways in which specific musical influences have informed and shaped his work. Wilson’s solo output is extremely eclectic and draws from a plethora of diverse genres including progressive rock, electronica, metal, drone, pop, jazz, and industrial. Although it would be impossible to trace all of the influences involved in Wilson’s unique musical idiolect, I study the influence of three seminal tracks upon his work: progressive rock band King Crimson’s “The Court of the Crimson King” (1969), electronica duo Boards of Canada’s “An Eagle in Your Mind” (1998), and progressive death metal group Opeth’s “Blackwater Park” (2001). I demonstrate how Wilson’s recordings share timbral and formal features with these earlier works and consider the analytic implications through the lens of genre theory. The findings are then synthesized through a focused analysis of Wilson’s “Ancestral” (2015) in order to explore genre fusion and demonstrate how these salient musical features are integrated within a single song. This project ultimately seeks to situate Wilson within the progressive rock tradition, consider the role of timbre and form in popular music genres, and investigate the complex relationship between genre and influence. ii Acknowledgements There are a number of people without whom this thesis would not have been possible, and I would like to offer my sincere gratitude to them. First and foremost, I am indebted to my thesis supervisor, Professor Lori Burns, for her continuous feedback, support, and guidance throughout the writing process and for being an excellent mentor and role model. Her leadership, expertise, and teaching are inspiring, and having the opportunity to learn from her has been invaluable. I would additionally like to thank my committee members, Professor Christopher Moore and Professor Roxane Prevost, whose comments and feedback improved the thesis and generated meaningful discussion. I am also grateful to the rest of my professors and colleagues in University of Ottawa’s School of Music for all of their assistance and for all that they have taught me over the course of my degree. Finally, I am extremely thankful to my friends and family for their constant support and encouragement. iii Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................... iii Chapter 1 – Introduction ............................................................................................................. 1 Objectives and Project Outline .................................................................................................... 1 Research Questions ..................................................................................................................... 4 Contexts ....................................................................................................................................... 5 Progressive Rock – History and Definition ............................................................................. 5 Steven Wilson – Career and Musical Characteristics ............................................................ 13 Steven Wilson – Reception.................................................................................................... 24 State of Research ....................................................................................................................... 25 Genre in Popular Music ......................................................................................................... 26 Timbre in Popular Music ....................................................................................................... 29 Form in Popular Music .......................................................................................................... 34 Progressive Rock ................................................................................................................... 37 Methodology ............................................................................................................................. 42 Chapter 2 – King Crimson’s “The Court of the Crimson King” and Progressive Rock ..... 48 Background and Contexts ......................................................................................................... 48 Timbre ....................................................................................................................................... 51 Form .......................................................................................................................................... 66 Genre and Influence .................................................................................................................. 73 Chapter 3 – Boards of Canada’s “An Eagle in Your Mind” and Electronica ...................... 75 Background and Contexts ......................................................................................................... 75 Timbre ....................................................................................................................................... 78 Form .......................................................................................................................................... 92 Genre and Influence .................................................................................................................. 98 Chapter 4 – Opeth’s “Blackwater Park” and Metal ............................................................. 100 Background and Contexts ....................................................................................................... 100 Timbre ..................................................................................................................................... 103 Form ........................................................................................................................................ 115 Genre and Influence ................................................................................................................ 120 iv Chapter 5 – Steven Wilson’s “Ancestral” ............................................................................... 123 Background and Contexts ....................................................................................................... 123 Timbre ..................................................................................................................................... 126 Form ........................................................................................................................................ 137 Genre and Influence ................................................................................................................ 143 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 146 Bibliography .............................................................................................................................. 148 Discography ............................................................................................................................... 159 v Chapter 1 – Introduction Objectives and Project Outline [Art] starts from a point where a person that makes the art has reference points, has influences, has inspirations … If your personality is strong enough, whatever you beg, borrow, or steal will still sound like you. Steven Wilson (2016)1 While there are many musical artists whose output seems to fall clearly within a well- defined genre, this is not always the case; some artists create music that seems to exist between the boundaries of genre labels. In the solo work of progressive rock artist Steven Wilson we find an example of a musician who defies traditional categorization: his music frequently mixes together a number of seemingly disparate influences – often even within a single track. Due to Wilson’s unique and complex melange of musical ideas, his solo career offers a great opportunity to explore the processes of both musical influence and genre fusion. It additionally demonstrates the means by which new music – and consequently genres – is largely derived from pre-existing material, a concept Jason Toynbee refers to as “social authorship”.2 By exploring how Wilson’s solo output employs many of the same musical characteristics as his primary influences, I establish links to specific genres within his music. While there are certainly a number of both musical and extramusical factors that are relevant in characterizing genre, I limit myself in this study to an analysis of two musical factors in particular: timbre and form. By tracing the lineage of these elements and considering their 1 FreqsTV, "Steven Wilson on Into the Machine." YouTube video, 5:21-5:41. February 11, 2016. Accessed March 6, 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tezwUT-ZnJQ. It is appropriate that Wilson uses the phrase “beg, borrow,