This issue in my Weekend Coding Riffs series is a bit of a tribute to one of my all time favourite bands Porcupine Tree. Porcupine tree are one of those bands that are hard to put into a box because their back catalogue has so much depth and range in musical styles, from psychedelic rock through to progressive metal. Steven Wilson creates awesome guitar riffs, Gavin Harrison is an amazing drummer, and the whole package of Porcupine Tree playing live is, I think, unparalleled. A dash of Porcupine Tree in my headphones definitely puts me into the coding zone. m/

The first two tracks in this playlist, Blackest Eyes and Shallow, were chosen because they bring a smile to my face every time I hear their opening riffs; if you're a guitar player you probably know what I mean :) How is it possible to fit so much rock into a riff? Both of these songs, as Jack Black would say, "rock my f#$!^@& socks off".

The last two tracks, Arriving Somewhere and Anesthetize, are both monsters at 12 minutes and over 17 minutes respectively, but these songs prove that a "long" track doesn't necessarily mean boring or repetitive. In fact most of my favourite songs probably weigh in at well over 7 or 8 minutes, and I'd liken it to contrasting novels (and in some cases a series) against short stories. They're all great for different occasions, of course, but when you want to listen to something with some real substance and weight behind it these songs are excellent.

So go on - sit back, press play and write some code!
 

 

P.S. You're going to need a good 45+ minutes to give these songs a listen right the way through, but it's most definitely worth it ;)