Rearranging classic songs from a different genre is often a recipe for disaster. When metal bands cover pop songs, they usually get lazy, just adding heavy guitars, plus maybe some screaming and a guitar solo. Then there are the half-assed acoustic/unplugged versions that rock bands often make of their songs that were ballads already.
When Gavin Harrison announced that he would release a collection of reworked big band versions of Porcupine Tree songs, I had a good reason to be slightly skeptical. However, as someone who has never really listened to jazz I was also curious to hear a new take on songs I love. Furthermore, my doubts faded when I read a press release where Harrison said he'd worked on the album for 5 years with "some of the world's best contemporary jazz players", so I knew this isn't just a quick cash grab, but a project he had put a lot of effort into.
On Cheating the Polygraph several Porcupine Tree classics have experienced a makeover: the guitars, keyboards and vocals have been replaced with big bang instruments, such as trumpet, saxophone, trombone, etc. However, the only thing these versions have in common with the original songs are the structures and themes, as some songs have been combined into medleys, the tempos are more varied and the songs get a totally different feel because of the rich details of the instrumentation. The songs may seem unrecognizable at first, but you'll notice familiar themes, such as the guitar solo to "Sound of Muzak", if you listen attentively enough.
Harrison and bassist/arranging partner Laurence Cottle have done a great job with the arrangements, and the songs are never parodies or funny in any way like some remakes of rock and metal songs on YouTube (check out the reggae version of Symphony of Destruction, for example). The dynamics of Porcupine Tree's songwriting have also been retained: the parts that were heavy in the original songs still sound loud, while the quiet moments have less things going on. The way the horns replicate the guitar riffs in "The Pills I'm Taking" is just perfect, and the aggressive breakdown before the final chorus is still there. There are also extra instruments adding color, such as the marimba on "Hatesong/Halo", played by Harrison himself.
My only tiny gripe with Cheating the Polygraph is that a few of the transitions in the medleys sound a little awkward to my ears, but maybe that's just me. It also remains to be seen how often I'm going to be in the mood for jazz/big band music and listen to these versions instead of Porcupine Tree's originals. However, this is a great release that can be recommended to anyone who likes either Porcupine Tree or jazz, or is an open-minded music listener in general.
Rating: 4/5
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