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Feb 1, 2021In sum, those who had trouble with To the Bone, Wilson's well-executed homage to the progressive pop of Kate Bush, Tears for Fears, and Peter Gabriel, may have even more with this. Most fans, however, especially more recent ones, shouldn't find The Future Bites an inconsistent entry in Wilson's catalog, but an arguably minor one that steps sideways instead of forward.
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Jan 27, 2021Despite its dark, cautionary subject matter, The Future Bites is Steven Wilson’s most powerful and commercially appealing set to date. Beautifully produced—it’s one of the first studio albums of new material mixed in Dolby Atmos surround—this is the bristling sound of Wilson taking a bite into the future of prog-rock.
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Feb 3, 2021Powerful and thought-provoking, if depressing, The Future Bites ultimately asks you to take a good hard look at what the hell you’re doing with your life.
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Jan 28, 2021Mr Wilson has travelled all over the musical map, but appears to be more direct in wanting bigger results this time around. Is it better than what he’s done before as a result? Not always, but it’s the next blockbusting step from an artist who’s always done things on his own sonically strange terms.
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MojoJan 26, 2021The Future Bites is a great grown-up pop record - knowing and self-aware, but never too much for its own good. [Feb 2021, p.83]
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Feb 5, 2021The Future Bites is the worst sounding album he’s ever put out.
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Jan 26, 2021For many admirers—myself included—it'll be his weakest solo record, but that's only because the rest are so terrific. Honestly, The Future Bites objectively deserves applause for perpetuating Wilson's integrity and creativity, even if it's a markedly—and perhaps intentionally—divisive collection, too.
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Feb 5, 2021It’s hard to imagine a more prescient-sounding record than one that explores how nascent technologies affect our motivations as modern consumers at a time when we’re all frantically buying online to stave off the effects of lockdown. The songs dealing directly with this are The Future Bites’ most captivating. ... There’s no need for the buyer to be wary here. The Future Bites is guaranteed to weather the ravages of time.
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Jan 26, 2021The Future Bites is neither a huge stylistic departure nor the betrayal that many Wilson diehards have claimed it to be. Conceptually, the album revolves around a post-apocalyptic vision of an overly materialist society, and while the electro-pop trappings are almost never “happy,” they serve as a slick backdrop to the dystopian landscape Wilson envisions.
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Jan 27, 2021The Future Bites traverses a strange course ripe with rewarding avenues and detours of failed attempts alike. It’s nothing if not fascinating, and will perhaps be more rewarding to those with a high tolerance for unorthodox marriage of various elements influenced by Prince, 1980s pop, modern electronic music, and alternative rock.
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Jan 29, 2021It’s a long way from the psychedelic odysseys and ambient drones of his Porcupine Tree days: not prog, but always progress.
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UncutJan 26, 2021There's a loose lyrical theme of branding and consumer culture inspiring the maverick meta-pop of "Personal Shopper." ... The Sparks-y spriteliness of "Follower" also stands out, thanks to beautifully falsetto-iced vocal hooks, which further grace the gorgeously forlorn synth-pop of "King Ghost." [Feb 2021, p.37]
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Feb 10, 2021If The Future Bites is heard as a provocative record, it also underscores how Wilson continues to creatively challenge himself.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 28 out of 48
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Mixed: 10 out of 48
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Negative: 10 out of 48
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Feb 3, 2021
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Jan 29, 2021
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Feb 4, 2021I wonder if the concept has become more important than the music. At least he has a large back catalog to listen to.