The music world is made up of groups, bands and solo artists. Recently, more and more soloists have emerged from behind bigger stars to make their own names, often making simple hit-or-miss albums.

Though Insurgentes is Steven Wilson‘s first solo album, his claim to fame to began when he played with rock bands like Opeth, Porcupine Tree and Backfield. With a solo album, Wilson finally has the opportunity to come out from his behind-the-scenes past.

On his first solo CD, the alternative artist’s first song and single, “Harmony Korine,” made a positive impact in the music world. This album currently holds the No. 7 spot on the music charts.

“Harmony Korine” is a personal favorite of mine because of its beginning guitar solo and its incessant energy. Wilson sings “Feel, no shame/too brave/feel, afraid/to wait forever.” These words mark the intensity of the instrumentation and make this a great song to stick in a listener’s head.

Another song that stands out on the album is “Insurgentes.” It begins with a couple of block chords on a piano and gains momentum toward the clashing end. Though the odd lyrics seem to have no connection, Wilson’s melancholy voice harmonizes the chords. The confusing lines read “Holy Mother of the simple one/When you smile at me you bring me down/You betray your thoughts/All your prayers too low.”

Unfortunately, beyond a handful of songs and a few snippets of creativity, the album lacks direction and failed to hold my interest for long.

The sparse and confusing lyrics tend to lack rhythm, but the creative instrumentation filled a few gaps. The excessive amounts of guitar solos made the songs last forever and the MIA lyrics completely loose a listener’s interest.

This album deceives a listener because the first song, “Harmony Korine,” starts the CD off strong and pulls in listeners. As the record progresses it gives false hopes because the remaining music is far from catchy. Every three-minute solo sounds like a string of random notes.

For example, a song like “No Twilight Beneath the Sun” spotlights several instrumental choruses. At first I enjoyed the unique bass line, but once the screaming guitar debuts and stays put for four minutes, I found myself itching to skip the track. As I struggled with dislike, the solo was exchanged with a quiet chorus of bells and the entire song concluded with white noise.

The ideas of many songs similar to “No Twilight Beneath the Sun” were solid, but Wilson needed to stick to one thought. I felt like the artist never decided whether he wanted a quiet, reflective song or a blaring rock’n’roll piece.

Other songs like “Twilight Coda,” “Significant Other,” “Only Child” and “Salvaging” begin with great hooks. Each song would be recognized if played on the radio, but only during the openings. Within the first minute of these songs, they become too complicated and the mind tunes out when meaningless sound is produced.

“Salvaging” is the one song completely lost in translation. Though a bass line sets a strong foundation, the tune never takes flight. The mix of a gentle ballad and an electric guitar undercurrent makes the tune sound like a climactic moment in a movie rather than a song from an alternative album. Then, out of the blue, the final minute of “Salvaging” shoots off into unrecognizable sounds of death and destruction.

In the end, this album is a disappointment. Insurgentes is filled with great ideas but misses focus altogether. Wilson attempted too many unique sounds, and instead of a flooring alternative album, he produced a heap of melodies usually lost in the odd wall of sound constant throughout the album.

For more music reviews, visit Ryan Swain’s March 13 article New U2 project spellbinds fans.