Behind the masks of his numerous and varied projects (Porcupine Tree, No-Man, Bass Communion, Blackfield, and others) sits a common element: a rock-solid and artful sense of how to create good music — and good sounding music — which Wilson ably executes in most things he sets his mind to.

On Insurgentes, Wilson has decided to break free of the pre-conceptions associated with his more established projects and attempted to strike gold on his own. On a superficial level, Insurgentes appears to have a lot in common with the rest of his catalogue — especially Porcupine Tree — but on repeated listen it's clear that this is purely a reflection of Wilson's unmistakeable guitar tone, singing voice and Gavin Harrison's inimitable drumming (which appears on all but one track). When you really dig deep, it is Wilson's most experimental work to date, with drone and noise rock as influencial as 1990s alternative and melancholica, and with splashes of jazz, shoegaze, krautrock, and atmospheric minimalism thrown in as well.

You may notice that some of those descriptions correspond nicely with descriptions of his other projects, and Insurgentes would make a good single-disc introduction to Wilson's versatility, if not quite his capacity for brilliance. Flavours from each of his various projects are infused into each track: Porcupine Tree's alternative hard rock and lush atmospheric minimalism is especially evident in "Veneno Para Las Hadas", which sounds almost like a re-work of "The Sky Moves Sideways", and there are hints of No-Man, the lethargic drone of Bass Communion, and the lucious pop of Blackfield.

Sadly, while it gets better every time I listen to it, there is nothing on Insurgentes particularly groundbreaking, and nothing I would say is better than most of his existing work.

Were it to face judgement alongside Porcupine Tree's three most recent albums (In Absentia, Deadwing, Fear Of A Blank Planet — fact you didn't ask for: my nomination for best three-peat in music history), it would stick out a mile. But when you sit down, lights faded, and listen to it as a piece of work on its own terms, beholden only to itself, a light shines through it. Wilson's reputation as an accomplished yet unimaginative producer will remain in tact: the album is brought to life through what is essentially his "safe" production technique, but it does sound gorgeous for such a diverse album. The 5.1 surround mix will surely be something to behold, as Wilson's involvement in re-mixing King Crimson's back catalogue for surround sound release is testament to his reputation in that field.

Also testament to Wilson's reputation is the calibre of guest musicians roped in for special appearances, including Dream Theater's Jordan Rudess (repaying the favour Wilson paid to Rudess by singing on the Emerson, Lake and Palmer track "Tarkus" on Rudess' most recent solo effort), Robert Fripp of King Crimson, bass master Tony Levin and many others.

Insurgentes is an essential addition to Wilson's already formidable discography, but will not replace any of Porcupine Tree's records in the minds of his many fans.

There are few artists in the sphere of music who have the ability to work in such a wide array of styles and still manage to lend a coherant pop sensibility to a piece of work, but Steven Wilson is a sort of musical polymath in that way.