Well, not really. Banks's science fiction at the time was mostly concerned with the Culture, a galaxy-spanning utopian civilization. Good utopian stories are not songs of praise for their non-existent societies. They say, directly or slyly, plainly or elaborately, one way or another they say that the world doesn't have to be this way. If they're any good, this makes them profoundly disturbing stories.
Banks writes good utopian stories.
Beeyoop The above stolen from Don Martin, formerly of Mad magazine. I don't call this Zzz for nothing. The point is that the title story of The State of the Art is told from the point of view of a member of an alien contact team who is desperately hoping they'll decide to intervene to divert Earth from an economic and political system that seems like blind, destructive folly to her. All in all not the most reassuring thing to read before heading into an interview in the land of sun, silicon, and big bucks. Where the light shines abundantly.