Fear Of A Blank Planet

Okay, I'm a huge Porcupine Tree fan, and I love everything that they've released but please don't let that fool you into thinking that this isn't something special.This release sees the band continue their heavier direction that first made an appearance in In-Absentia. It also sees the band return to a heavier emphasis on the atmospheres that made Signify so great and while its a far cry from the psychedelia of their earliest work, it carries a similar vibe. Of the many times I've listened to this album, I've come to realise that there are no wasted notes. Every single piece of this album is simply incredible and serves a purpose. The artwork hints at the content within, just as much as the lyrics carry the message..."Out at the train tracks I dream of escapeBut a song comes onto my iPodAnd I realize it's getting lateI can't take the staring and the sympathyAnd I don't like the questions "How do you feel?""How's it going in school?"... "Do you wanna talk about it?..."The musicianship is really second to none yet the song writing is tasteful (no over-long guitar solos here!). Steven Wilson certainly knows the importance and value of good song structure and flow. While the album's centrepiece is 17 minutes in length, it feels perhaps a little under 10 minutes. Honestly, this track makes long car journeys fly by! I could go on and on, but suffice to say that I cant find anything to fault in this album. Alongside Deadwing, this is perhaps my favourite Porcupine Tree album but really, they are all fantastic.I know Porcupine Tree have been grouped within the Prog-Rock category, but their work is far more accessible than 90% of artists working within the genre and without sacrificing any talent or bowing to radio or media wishes. I believe anyone who is looking to find proof that good modern rock music still exists today will be more than satisfied with this album.

For such a widely praised band, Porcupine Tree and its presiding genius Steven Wilson are still something of a well-kept secret. Their music is so good, often stunning, that I just want to tell everyone I meet about them.I came very late to PT & SW, so I've had a lot of catching up to do, a task that's been all pleasure and no pain. After the glorious peak of In Absentia, I assumed anything else might be a bit of a letdown. Not at all.This themed album of just six songs - with none of them under five minutes long, the lengthiest being the 18-minute tour de force Anaesthetize, a tremendous track - is as powerful and as compelling as anything I've heard by the band. (I have the single-disc version, rather than the special edition, by the way.)What is so striking about all the PT/SW releases is their superb production, as well as Wilson's passionate vocals and the astounding drumming of Gavin Harrison, who is not afraid to bash his kit all over the shop like the virtuoso percussionist he obviously is, rather than simply keeping the beat like many rock drummers. He adds such a lot to their overall sound.The aforementioned Anaesthetize is a standout track but, like all PT albums, it's the cumulative effect that gets you in the end. There are a few moments of bathos, but most of the time this is vintage Tree, and I can't believe that Steven Wilson hasn't been given the keys to the kingdom by now.I love this band. They give 'prog rock' a very good name!

The more I listen to this group, the better it gets! I am a late disciple but am quickly snapping up their work when the opportunity arises (their CDs are SO expensive). For me this might not as good as my other' In Absentia' or 'Deadwing' but it still purrs with intrigue and musical virtuosity with getting arty. Plus Steven Wilson manages to get Alex Lifeson AND Robert Fripp to record with the band! I don't want to single out individual tracks as I feel their music works best in the context of the album (now who's getting arty?!) but this is sublime, as are the aforementioned albums. It's a distillation of much that I admire in this genre and surpasses the inane pap that spews out from the radio or the formulaic tabloid darlings who can't play or sing but capture the look of the mass produced zeitgeist. Sorry - venting my spleen about the talentless no hopers again. More PT on the radio, please! Fantastic album covers too - where can I get the t-shirts?

This was the first album I heard from this band or of any Steven Wilson project. Following up on a recommendation from my son shortly after the release of this album, I checked it out, and for me the rest is history in that I now have the bulk of PT music, all SW solo albums and some No-man music as well. Going back to this album the centre piece is the 17 minute “Anesthetise” A superb track where all band members play their part, the drumming is sublime and really gives this track a lot of substance, guitar at its emotional best, whilst the bass holds it all together and the sounds of the keyboards add to the whole. The album works well with varied and shifting dynamics from quiet song structures to crunching metal – yet always retaining melody.

It's fair to say that 5 long songs about disaffected youth are not going to be everyone's cup of tea even amongst P Tree's most enthusiastic fans. The necessary numbness that has to inflect SWs vocals to achieve the desired effect is certainly unappealing and depressing. There are no startling revelations here or even the hints of a solution to the problem, just a stark statement of how SW sees things. However, if you have to go on a downer it may as well be to a great soundtrack and as usual it's in this area where P Tree excell, creating a sad symphony of brilliant musicianship topped off with a superb Alex Lifeson (guesting) guitar solo.