Incredible Expanding Mindf**k -'I.E.M.' (Delerium)
Mike Reed | USA | 09/26/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Had sort of forgotten all about this fabulous CD until I'd recently seen that it was still available.For those of you who may not know,I.E.M. is Porcupine Tree's Steve Wilson's experimental side project.In my opinion,I.E.M. is better than any Porcupine Tree disc that I've ever heard.Is I.E.M. a Wilson solo effort?You decide.I was blown away by the entire five track/45-minute CD.My favorites are the outstanding psych/space rock like "Deafman" and the atmospheric "Headphone Dust".Also couldn't get enough of "Fie Kesh" that employs a Turkish guitar and a tabla to bring itself to life.The only thing about this import that I just don't get is the ten-page tray card fold-out that just has someone's old family photos inside.No matter,this is a MUST-have for fans of this genre.I'd have given it a six star rating,but I could not."
Could this be the great lost Neu! album?
spiral_mind | Pennsylvania | 12/15/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Well, maybe not, but if you're looking for some inventive weirdness in a similar vein to Krautrock, then the self-titled work from IEM will help fill the gap delightfully. This is the brainchild of Steven Wilson, who doesn't exactly have a direct connection with the likes of Neu! or Can, but has an uncanny talent for absorbing sounds & influences and mixing them into something that comes out sounding like anything but a ripoff. IEM is an outlet for his solo instrumental/experimental stuff; this disc explores the mystical groove sound of those bands I just mentioned with sweet-toned guitars, clockwork drums, worldly percussion, synth, organ and sitar. It may sound like music directed solely at middle-aged record-store owners who thrive on boggling their customers' minds with stuff nobody's ever heard of, but this is really a treat for anyone with an open mind.
As if that wasn't good enough, the disc just got an expanded reissuing this year (I'm putting this review under the older edition because Amazon doesn't seem to have the new one). The added material is two versions of the EP track "An Escalator to Xmas," the regular 10-minute piece and a 14-minute 'expanded mix' that I find much more appealing (probably because it doesn't have any children's voices). In either case it's a great complement to the original album - it's more madly addicting grooves and textures, spiced up with tabla and jungle percussion under the sunny synths & guitars.
IEM can be called a lot of things, but never boring or ordinary (as if it could be with a name like this). You don't necessarily have to be a Wilson fan already to enjoy this, but it does require a taste for the bizarre. And preferably a good pair of headphones."
A Very Deep, Explorative Project by Mr. Steven Wilson
Rye Guy | Illinois USA | 12/06/2005
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Okay, this album is NOT a necessity. However, that doesn't mean it's a bad album. It's very good if you're a die-hard Steven Wilson fan (like myself), and you want to hear music and soundscape created in the darkest corners of his genius mind. It's nothing like Wilson's other projects (Porcupine Tree, Blackfield, No Man, etc) because it is all Steven Wilson, no one else. The closest thing it comes to is Bass Communion, but yet it differs. It is mainly samples, keyboards, drums, guitar, and bass. No vocals on the entire album, but there is dialouge in some of the samples.
I enjoy this CD a lot, but it's most enjoyable when I listen to it from start to finish. It's the type of music that sets me in a trance and carries me off into a world of catchy grooves, spacey sounds, and improvised-sounding guitar by the man himself, Mr. Steven Wilson.
Again, it's good, but because it's so hard to come across, I only recommend it to those who truly adore Wilson's music."
Track Listings (5) - Disc #1