| Song | Lyrics | Save | Buy |
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| 1 Fear of a Blank Planet |  |
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| 2 My Ashes | |
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| 3 Anesthetize | |
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| 4 Sentimental | |
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| 5 Way out of Here | |
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| 6 Sleep Together | |
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Porcupine Tree makes a triumphant return to experimental, non-linear style with 2007's Fear of a Blank Planet. Maybe Steve Wilson was afraid that the comparatively poppy Deadwing and In Absentia were edging too close to the mainstream, because he seems far less concerned with overtly accessible songwriting on Blank Planet. Even still, the cerebral, atmospheric sound on this album remains enormously compelling from almost the first moment. While there is no "radio single" on the disc -- certainly nothing with a conventional pop arc like Lightbulb Sun or "Trains" -- most songs transcend their complex structure and feel as provocative as any raditional ock tune. The aptly named "Sentimental," in particular, features Wilson's trademark lush arrangement with layers of vocals, piano, ambient synths, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, live drums and sampled drums -- but cutting through its tightly contained mosaic is an expertly constructed chord progression that evokes a desperate sense of tension and longing, developing incredible emotional momentum as the track progresses.
Blank Planet sounds like Wilson spent about half of his studio time on the guitar; it's full of buzzy, meticulously distorted solos that you can easily picture him folding into the prototypical Porcupine Tree amalgamation of drum machine, organ, and synthesizers during many long hours in front of the sound board. The quiet, English restraint with which Wilson croons seems to have saved his voice from the decay that so many male singers experience over a twenty year career, and lucky for us (and for him), the style still works perfectly with Porcupine Tree's sound. As a vocalist, he has an amazing capacity for juxtaposing cold, haunting moments against evisceratingly passionate ones, mostly thanks to the control he exerts over his instrument. Wilson's clear, boy's choir timbre sounds like a torrent of frenzy and hunger when he breaks free of it and explores the limits of his vox on tracks like "Sleep Together." His sleepy, melodic approach also has the benefit of ensuring that his poetic lyrics, which run the gamut from acerbic social criticisms to wrenching personal narratives, are always perfectly discernible. Though it's only six tracks long, each of the songs on Blank Planet is exquisitely crafted, even the 17-minute long "Anesthetize." Wilson has a great sense of flow, leading mournful, ambient allads into graceful crescendos, and over long interludes that sway blissfully throughout rises and falls, only occasionally losing themselves to moments of plodding or meandering. At roughly 51 minutes, Fear of a Blank Planet is short by Porcupine Tree standards, but by measure of quality rather than quantity, it's one of the most substantial prog albums to come out in years. [A CD/DVD version of the album was also released.]
Last April,Porcupine Tree released "Fear of a Blank Planet", a short but deep, dense, complex, intricate, yet lushly melodic, exploratory, passionate, and diverse progressive rock (sometimes heavy)album. It demonstrates stunning musicianship, in particular superb percussion by Gavin Harrison. Steven Wilson shows great songwriting abilities. Some critics said this might be the album of the ye...
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All PT fans suffer from a constant malady, that of waiting for the next album release. When I first heard "In Absentia," the respect and awe over the music was instant. Since that day when my wife said "listen to this hon," it's been an expensive trip into the past, present, and future, as I've scoured every online site, used CD and records store, and MYSPACE looking for every tidbit of Mr. Wil...
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All PT fans suffer from a constant malady, that of waiting for the next album release. When I first heard "In Absentia," the respect and awe over the music was instant. Since that day when my wife said "listen to this hon," it's been an expensive trip into the past, present, and future, as I've scoured every online site, used CD and records store, and MYSPACE looking for every tidbit of Mr. Wil...
More >
Last April,Porcupine Tree released "Fear of a Blank Planet", a short but deep, dense, complex, intricate, yet lushly melodic, exploratory, passionate, and diverse progressive rock (sometimes heavy)album. It demonstrates stunning musicianship, in particular superb percussion by Gavin Harrison. Steven Wilson shows great songwriting abilities. Some critics said this might be the album of the ye...
More >
So, I have a tendency of updating my Facebook profile (and the message boards over at antiMusic) every time I buy new CDs. (Which, given the fact that I don't make that much as a grad student, is more often than it ought to be.) So hey, why not start the trend here too, with the discs I bought last week. (If only I could tag the post with all 3...)The End - ElementaryPorcupine Tree - Fear of...
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Category 95Best Surround Sound Album (For vocal or instrumental albums. Albums only.)Fear Of A Blank PlanetSteven Wilson, surround mix engineer; Darcy Proper, surround mastering engineer;Porcupine Tree, surround producers (Porcupine Tree)[Atlantic Records] At War With The Mystics 5.1The Flaming Lips & Dave Fridmann, surround mix engineers; The Flaming Lips &Dave Fridmann, surround mastering eng...
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At Hot Topic and Torrid, we believe music and the arts make everyone’s life a whole lot better, so we’ve decided to enrich kids’ lives by enabling them to express themselves musically and artistically!The Hot Topic Foundation aims to support programs and organizations that specifically focus on encouraging and educating youth in music, creative writing, painting, photography, filmmaking and
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Interesting that this track is 17:43, almost the whole side of a vinyl album.
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 "Fear of a Blank Planet")
