Album
In Absentia
In Absentia is Porcupine Tree's seventh studio album, released on 24 September 2002. It arrived with a run of firsts for the British band: Gavin Harrison's debut behind the drum kit, a move towards progressive metal after earlier records rooted in psychedelic and alternative rock, and their first release on a major label, Lava Records.
It sits between Lightbulb Sun and Deadwing in the band's catalogue, and it is often regarded as their finest hour. Critics responded warmly, and it sold three times as many copies as any of their earlier albums. For anyone curious about how Porcupine Tree turned heavier without abandoning their atmospheric, art-rock instincts, this is the place to start.
In Absentia: tracklist, credits and charts
12 tracks · 1:08:19Tracklist
- 1Blackest EyesSteven Wilson4:24
- 2TrainsSteven Wilson5:56
- 3Lips of AshesSteven Wilson4:39
- 4The Sound of MuzakSteven Wilson4:59
- 5Gravity EyelidsSteven Wilson7:57
- 6Wedding NailsRichard Barbieri and Steven Wilson6:34
- 7ProdigalSteven Wilson5:33
- 8.3Steven Wilson5:26
- 9The Creator Has a MastertapeSteven Wilson5:22
- 10Heartattack in a LaybySteven Wilson4:16
- 11Strip the SoulColin Edwin and Steven Wilson7:22
- 12Collapse the Light Into EarthSteven Wilson5:53
- Produced by
- Steven Wilson
- Recorded at
- AIR Studios, New Rising Studios, No Man’s Land, Power Station at BerkleeNYC, Red Room Recorders, Avatar (New York, New York)
- Recorded
- March–April 2002
- Mixed by
- Mark O’Donoughue, Tim Palmer
- Mixed at
- Larrabee Sound North
- Engineered by
- Paul Northfield, Mark O’Donoughue
- Labels
- Lava Records, Lava
- Length
- 1:08:19
Line-up
- Richard Barbieri · keyboard
- Colin Edwin · bass guitar
- Gavin Harrison · drums (drum set), percussion
- John Wesley · guitar, vocals, background vocals · guest
- Steven Wilson · guitar, lead vocals
- אביב גפן · background vocals · guest
- Mark Berrow · violin · guest
- Gustav Clarkson · viola · guest
- Ben Cruft · violin · guest
- Dave Daniels · cello · guest
- Peter Hanson · violin · guest
- Rebecca Hirsch · violin · guest
- Boguslaw Kostecki · violin · guest
- Peter Lale · viola · guest
- Chris Laurence · double bass · guest
- Julian Leaper · violin · guest
- Martin Loveday · cello · guest
- Rita Manning · violin · guest
- Perry Montague‐Mason · violin · guest
- Kate Musker · viola · guest
- Everton Nelson · violin · guest
- Stephen Orton · cello · guest
- Anthony Pleeth · cello · guest
- Jonathan Rees · violin · guest
- Mary Scully · double bass · guest
- Jackie Shave · violin · guest
- Kathy Shave · violin · guest
- Bruce White · viola · guest
- Paul Willey · violin · guest
- Dave Woodcock · violin · guest
- Gavyn Wright · violin · guest
- Warren Zielinski · violin · guest
Singles
- “Blackest Eyes” · 7 April 2003
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| German Albums · 2003–2020 | 58 |
| French Albums · 2003–2020 | 143 |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
64.6
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
5.1k
ListenBrainz listeners
47k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
3.6k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 24 September
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More from Porcupine Tree
Full discography →
The Nostalgia Factory
1990
On the Sunday of Life…
1992
Voyage 34
1992
Voyage 34: The Complete Trip
1992
Spiral Circus
1993
Up the Downstair
1993
Voyage 34
1993
Staircase Infinities
1994
Yellow Hedgerow Dreamscape
1994
Moonloop EP
1994
The Sky Moves Sideways
1995
Signify
1996
Coma Divine: Recorded Live in Rome
1997
Metanoia
1998
Stupid Dream
1999
Lightbulb Sun
2000
Recordings
2001
Transmission - Moonloop EP
2001
Stars Die: The Delerium Years ’91–97
2002
Futile
2003
XM
2003
Deadwing
2005
XMII
2005
Rockpalast
2006
Arriving Somewhere…
2006
Fear of a Blank Planet
2007
Nil Recurring
2007
We Lost the Skyline
2008
Ilosaarirock
2009
The Incident
2009
Anesthetize
2010
Atlanta
2010
Octane Twisted
2012
Pure Narcotic – Acoustic Session 2012
2020
Closure / Continuation
2022
IA / DW / XT
2023
Closure / Continuation. Live. Amsterdam 07/11/22
2023
The best of 2002
All of 2002 →
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Sea Change
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 24 September 2002 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 24 September 2002 | |
| Wikidata | 24 September 2002 | |
| US release | 2002 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 24 September 2002 | earliest UK or European date |
19 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | JP | Lava | 4582213912579 | other |
| 2002 | US | Lava Records | other | |
| 2002 | US | Lava | 075678360428 | other |
| 2002 | — | Kscope | 802644762425 | other |
| 24 September 2002 | XW | Lava | 802644401669 | original |
| 24 September 2002 | XE | Lava | 075678360428 | original |
| 13 January 2003 | XE | Lava | 075679316325 | deluxe |
| March 2004 | US | DTS Entertainment | 692860111196 | other |
| 27 September 2006 | JP | WHD Entertainment, Inc. | 4582213910865 | other |
| 12 July 2010 | NL | Tonefloat | 8716059002392 | other |
| 16 October 2013 | JP | WHD Entertainment, Inc. | 4582213915563 | other |
| 23 February 2018 | XE | Kscope | 802644898513 | other |
| 9 March 2018 | XE | Kscope | 802644898117 | other |
| May 2018 | XE | Kscope | 802644762425 | other |
| 21 February 2020 | XW | Kscope | 802644823317 | remaster |
| 28 February 2020 | GB | Kscope | 802644854854 | deluxe |
| 28 February 2020 | XE | Kscope | 802644815961 | remaster |
| May 2020 | GB | Kscope | 802644854854 | deluxe |
| 12 November 2021 | XE | Transmission | 802644723129 | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · cropped: cropped from 2849x2801 to 2801x2801
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 2849×2801 | cropped: cropped from 2849x2801 to 2801x2801 |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |