FEAR OF A BLANK PLANET

Porcupine Tree has done something that not many bands have been able to do, and that is to place the listener in a front row seat in a bizarre psychological theatre of the mind. The Who were able to do this with Quadrophenia, Genesis did it with The Lamb, Pink Floyd did it with DSotM. The similarities to Quadrophenia and the Lamb are somewhat apparent, the story has changed slightly in that our drug addled protagonist is a young child force fed medications presumeably by his parents who had neither the time or the inclination to love and work with the boy. But this story is a much darker and sadder affair. Like the teen in quadrophenia the boy struggles with feelings of alienation, depression, anxiety and thoughts of murder and suicide. His typical suburban world which includes a mall to hang out in, his much loved xbox, and the meds, have all conspired to effectively remove him from all that is good and real. Love, it seems, is no-where to be found until he finds the child within who loves him and leaves with that child.

This is my take on the story anyway. This is oscar winning material. From the film of the same name so to speak. And if I did not get the details right it does not matter, all I know for sure is that I can feel the pain. How many records can achieve that effect? The musicianship is superb, The production is fantastic, Steven Wilson is an artist for our times, and the band probably has one of the most interesting drummers to come down the stream since Bill Bruford.

This is an outstanding record, deserving every bit of the praise that has been put upon it. I can find no faults except that it hurts the soul a bit.