About the artist: Steven Wilson (1967) is an English musician, singer, songwriter and record producer, most closely associated with the progressive rock genre. He became known as the founder, lead guitarist, lead vocalist and songwriter of the band Porcupine Tree, as well as being a member of several other bands, including Blackfield and No-Man. He released his first solo album in 2008, followed by four more over the years, mostly to great critical acclaim. Steven Wilson currently has five songs in my list of about 200 best pop/rock songs of all time.
About the song: as good as his first solo albums were, he outdid himself with the 2013 album The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories) - a beautiful but spooky homage to seventies' prog. Genesis and Pink Floyd are the main influences on the track The Watchmaker. The lyrics are extraordinary even by Steven Wilson standards with lines like "You were just meant to be temporary while I waited for gold" and "I never really loved you but I'll miss you anyway". An extraordinary track from a brilliant album. Run time 11:42.
