Harmony Codex

Only contains the bluray. Not all the extra special edition crap that most bands include to get access to their bluray 5.1 or Atmos mix of the album. I don't need or want any of that extra crap. This is what I want. Cost effective and pretty much exactly what I wanted. The only thing I'd request is that it also have a CD layer for use in my car CD player, so I don't also have to buy the cd. Not sure if this is even possible, but I've heard of things like that. Not a major desire for that addition; I'll still buy just this every time, but wouldn't hurt.

Timely delivery

So this isn't his best album. Not his best songs, not his best concept. But, it's the best thing he's ever done! Originally, I took advantage of the cheap digital download that SW offered before the album was officially released and listened to it 3 or 4 times before I started to like it. I never did warm up to the last album so I considered this an improvement. Then I read how he developed this album specifically to be listened to using Atmos and considering how great his previous surround work sounds, I decided to buy the blu ray and give him the benefit of the doubt. Holy smokes! Like I said in the headline, gamechanger. This isn't just listening to a bunch of songs strung together, it's a total experience! The way the music swirls around you and envelopes you is just amazing. I felt like I was in a bubble filled with music! And I'm a veteran surround listener. So even if you don't care for some of the songs (and now I quite like all of them), you can still be amazed at the quality of work that went into this project. I can't recommend this highly enough if you have an Atmos system to realize the original intention.

Not my favorite Steven Wilson album (that vote goes to The Raven...), but very good. The Atmos mix is incredible, especially Staircase. Unfortunately, I had to return this due to freezing on track 1 (Inclinaton). Nothing apparent on the disc itself (e.g. like a scratch or spot). I already own the album, but really wanted the Atmos mix. Debating about reordering as it took a while to get and returning was a pain (Amazon part was fine, just the hassle of packaging and going to a UPS store, etc.), Don't feel like taking a chance on a repeat defective disc. 5 votes for the album itself, 1 point off for defective media.

The album itself is a good outing for Steven Wilson. It is extremely well produced and the music is thoughtful. It is a bit of return to form after the more techno orient The Future Bits. Much has already been said about the music itself in previous reviews as well as in a number of online reviews. In this review I would like to compare the Blu ray version versus the Qobuz streaming version, both in 24-bit/96 kHz. For the purpose of this review only the stereo version will considered. The Blu ray version is more refined and detailed which makes the album more approachable with the sum being more than the parts, however this album does take some listening to get its full measure. While the streaming version sounds very good, it did not hook me and left me wanting. I found that it was work to listen to the album as a whole via streaming, but this is not the case with the Blu ray version. The additional refinement and details via the Blu ray pulls the listener in deeper and hence more at one with the music and in turn experiencing the music rather than just listening to it. This in turns means that the Blu ray version is well worth the purchase, especially given the two additional surround mixes.In summary, the Blu ray is a step up in sound quality over the streaming version and allows for a more engaging and enjoyable listening experience.

Steven Wilson is one of the few musicians left creating thoughtful music in the manner which was once common. This album has some facets to it which I'm not particularly enamored with, but the music is genuine and without pretense. Steven has been upfront about his connection with pop music as well as the progressive rock music which launched his career under the Porcupine Tree band.This album does have some pop sensibility to it, some of which doesn't work for me. In particular, the lack of real drums on some songs and a bit of a muddy mix which is the rage these days leaves me cold. I think the music is powerful enough without gimmicks or shtick. That said, the ten tracks are an enjoyable journey full of emotion and unpredictability. There are very few bands or musicians today who still make an effort to change and grow and break out of form. Steven Wilson always delivers in that sense.Purchasing this CD on Amazon was itself a bit of a journey, with a delivery date months in the future. But, that soon changed and I was delivered the product in a couple of weeks, apparently from a German source.

Steven Wilson's newest project, The Harmony Codex, is simply brilliant. It is a sonic journey. Some Porcupine Tree fans (Steven's biggest other band) are not thrilled with it because it sounds nothing like Porcupine Tree, or even Steven's other solo projects. But that's the point. It doesn't sounds like anything else out there, and the production and spatial audio (Dolby Atmos) is mind bending. It is atmospheric, it is trance, sometimes it is pop, and other times it is 21st century Krautrock. Wilson doesn't rest on his laurels and is always pushing the boundaries, and this album is a continuation of that. It cannot be judged by a "single". It needs to be listed to in its entirety, in a dark room, with a killer sound system or the best headphones you can afford. Kudos to Steven Wilson for this masterpiece.

I love Steven Wilson's many musical projects, especially his solo work. This album is different than his previous efforts and I understand how some long time fans may have been turned off by just how different it is, but I can't help but feel that it's growth and maturity on Wilson's part. He refuses to rehash or redo the same thing over again. I like every song on this album, particularly What Life Brings and Staircase. I don't have an advanced multi-speaker Atmos system but I do have a great stereo rig and this record sounds just incredible.

Si xcelente

Super ! C’est Steven Wilson

…. Scheibe von Steven Wilson. Hatte diese schon digital über TIDAL aber in Vinyl nochmal ein weiterer Genuss. Ich bin immer wieder begeistert von der Kreativität von Steven Wilson. Immer wieder dieser muht neues auszuprobieren. Besonders auf der zweiten Seite die Jazzelemente haben mich begeistert. Wiedermal ein kleines Meisterwerk von Herrn Wilson 🫶

Excellent album, bon prix pour le blu ray... mais pourquoi Amazon me demande d'exprimer mon avis? Le dernier avis négatif que j'ai envoyé (le disque était abimé parce que trop légèrement emballé) n'a jamais été publié, alors que je l'ai envoyé 2x!

Yes, I know, I’ve been living under a rock and I’ve only just recently discovered Steven Wilson.After upgrading my home cinema equipment from 7.1 to a 7.1.4 surround sound system I was looking for movies and shows that would best demonstrate and take advantage added height channels. I was pointed in the direction of ‘The Harmony Codex’ bluray and told it was an audiophile grade Dolby Atmos experience.“We shall see”, I thought. And see I did… well, hear.The Atmos mix of this album is far and away the best musical experience I’ve ever heard in my living room. Every channel has something to do, every instrument is clearly distinguishable, nothing is lost or buried in a wall of sound. Riffs, synth and effects pan across the room front to back, side to side and floor to ceiling.Whilst every track is unique and makes full use of all 11 of the speakers (and the sub) one of the best examples is Staircase, there’s so much happening all around the room, but towards the end of the track when the woman starts describing looking down over London, her voice booms from the ceiling speakers like the voice of a goddess in the heavens looking over all that is beneath. Other standout tracks for me are Impossible Tightrope and the title track The Harmony Codex, but to be honest there is so much variety on this album every track is gold in its own way.I’m sure my neighbour hates me as she’s heard nothing but this album for the past week, it’s incredible. I’ve given the 96khz PCM Stereo and 5.1 DTS Master Audio mixes a blast too, and whilst they both sound great, they just don’t compare to the phenomenal sonic experience of being immersed inside the Atmos mix. If this is the future of music, I’m in.It’s just a shame the onscreen artwork is static during the music, it would have been cool to have a little movement in it (so I don’t burn the images into my TV when I listen to the same track 3 times in a row; some of these tracks are ten minutes long). At least each track has a unique image unlike Pink Floyd’s 50th Anniversary Dark Side of the Moon bluray (also a fantastic Atmos mix) which has nothing but the iconic artwork on screen for the entire duration of the album. I get that these discs are about the audio and not visuals, but some fancy OLED TV’s may fall victim to image retention and/or screen burn so maybe dim the image or turn the screen off.Anyway, I asked for an audio experience that would cater to and show off the full potential of Atmos audio, and this bluray album certainly delivered it. If you have a 5.1 or higher surround system, do it and you ears a favour and run this album through it. Right, I’m off to explore some more Steven Wilson albums the old fashioned way (CD).