The Harmony Codex
2023 studio album by Steven Wilson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Harmony Codex is the seventh studio album by British musician Steven Wilson, released on 29 September 2023 through Virgin Music Group.[7][8]
| The Harmony Codex | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 29 September 2023 | |||
| Recorded | 2021–December 2022[1] | |||
| Studio | Home studio (North London) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 64:02 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Steven Wilson | |||
| Steven Wilson chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from The Harmony Codex | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Classic Rock |   [4] |
| Sonic Perspectives |  [5] |
| Ghostcult Magazine | [6] |
Background
The record was first announced on 29 August 2023 with the release of lead single "Economies of Scale".[9] Subsequently, the tracks "Impossible Tightrope", "Rock Bottom", and "What Life Brings" were released as singles.
The album is said to be "a genre-spanning collection that opens up like a musical puzzle box" and musically more complex than Wilson's previous album.[10][11]
Along with the release of the standalone record, also released was a three-disc limited edition featuring a collection of bonus tracks under the name Harmonic Distortion.[12]
Recording
Steven Wilson supposedly worked on the album "in a studio tucked inside a garage of a North London townhouse", piecing together the tracks with remote help from collaborators Ninet Tayeb, Craig Blundell, Adam Holzman, Jack Dangers, and Sam Fogarino.[13]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Steven Wilson, except for "Economies of Scale" with Adam Holzman, and "Rock Bottom", written by Ninet Tayeb.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Inclination" | 7:15 |
| 2. | "What Life Brings" | 3:40 |
| 3. | "Economies of Scale" | 4:17 |
| 4. | "Impossible Tightrope" | 10:42 |
| 5. | "Rock Bottom" | 4:25 |
| 6. | "Beautiful Scarecrow" | 5:22 |
| 7. | "The Harmony Codex" | 9:50 |
| 8. | "Time Is Running Out" | 3:57 |
| 9. | "Actual Brutal Facts" | 5:05 |
| 10. | "Staircase" | 9:26 |
| Total length: | 64:02 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Codex Theme #7" | 0:49 |
| 2. | "Economies of Scale" (Manic Street Preachers remix) | 4:05 |
| 3. | "Codex Theme #9" | 0:33 |
| 4. | "Inclination" (Faultline remix) | 7:30 |
| 5. | "Impossible Tightrope" (alternate version) | 10:11 |
| 6. | "Codex Theme #6" | 1:07 |
| 7. | "Beautiful Scarecrow" (Meat Beat Manifesto excursion 1) | 6:05 |
| 8. | "Codex Theme #8" | 1:03 |
| 9. | "Time Is Running Out" (Mikael Åkerfeldt version) | 3:47 |
| 10. | "Staircase" (Interpol remix) | 6:47 |
| 11. | "Codex Theme #3" | 1:03 |
| 12. | "What Life Brings" (Aug 22 mix by Roland Orzabal) | 4:16 |
| 13. | "The Harmony Codex" (long take) | 17:02 |
| 14. | "Staircase" (Radiophonic Workshop remix) | 12:36 |
| Total length: | 76:14 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "What Life Brings" (Aug 22 mix by Roland Orzabal) | 4:16 |
| 12. | "Time Is Running Out" (Mikael Åkerfeldt version) | 3:47 |
| 13. | "The Harmony Codex – Audio Play / Part 1" | 5:58 |
| 14. | "The Harmony Codex – Audio Play / Part 2" | 7:32 |
| 15. | "The Harmony Codex – Audio Play / Part 3" | 5:02 |
| 16. | "The Harmony Codex – Audio Play / Part 4" | 6:11 |
| 17. | "The Harmony Codex – Audio Play / Part 5" | 5:21 |
| 18. | "The Harmony Codex – Audio Play / Part 6" | 5:21 |
| Total length: | 107:30 | |
Personnel
- Steven Wilson – vocals (tracks 1–6, 8–10), acoustic guitar (tracks 2–4, 8), ARP 2600 (tracks 1, 4, 7), audio feedback (track 9), bass guitar (tracks 3, 4, 7, 8, 10), celesta (track 8), Cobalt 8 synthesizer (tracks 4, 5, 7, 10), electric guitars (tracks 2, 4–6, 8, 9), electric piano (track 9), harp (tracks 4, 5), Hammond organ (tracks 2, 4, 10), horn (track 10), Mellotron (track 9), Moog Arpeggiator (track 10), Moog Sub 37 synthesizer (tracks 2, 4–9), percussion (tracks 2, 6), piano (except track 9), programming (tracks 1, 3, 4, 6, 8–10), Prophet-6 synthesizer (tracks 5, 7, 8), Rhodes piano (track 4), Solina Strings (tracks 2, 4, 6, 8–10 and track 9 on Harmonic Distortion), strings (tracks 3–7, 10), theremin (track 9 on Harmonic Distortion), voices (track 3)
|
Session musicians
|
Session musicians on Harmonic Distortion
Production
|
Charts
| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[15] | 72 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[16] | 9 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[17] | 18 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[18] | 12 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[19] | 2 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[20] | 13 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[21] | 25 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI)[22] | 18 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[23] | 3 |
| Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ)[24] | 36 |
| Polish Albums (ZPAV)[25] | 7 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[26] | 1 |
| Spanish Albums (Promusicae)[27] | 20 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[28] | 5 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[29] | 4 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[30] | 1 |