FEAR OF A BLANK PLANET

Fear of a Blank Planet is not a bad record, don't get me wrong, but it lacks the creativity that their music has held in the past. Most of the record is decent, but has nothing special that makes it stand out. I have this bad feeling that since PT has become somewhat popular, they are trying to cater more to the general population (or worse, to teenagers). Unlike In Absentia, or Deadwing, where there were well placed digressions into heavy, or melodic (or otherwise different) sections of music, in Fear of a Blank Planet musical rifts seems to be more carelessly thrown in,simply to try to catch people's attention or make them feel like they are listening to something clever. In some places the music gets downright boring, not like the long quiet sections of noise that could be found in the older stuff, but more along the lines of dreary and soulless (a good candidate for the radio).

The theme of this record has sort of annoyed me as well. Confused teenagers, at odds with the world, school, their parents, pills... (Ritalin?)... It gets kind of old, and only re-enforces my thoughts that this album may be aimed at a younger (less creative minded) generation.

It's hard to pick any of the songs on this album as being truly good, because at some point I find myself thinking, this just isn't as good as their older stuff. The first track was the most interesting to me. Anesthetize had potential in places, but also had weak parts. It also should have been made into three tracks, as there really are three clearly different songs there.

I have listened to it three times now, and unfortunately it just isn't growing on me. It is not one of those albums that takes multiple listenings to appreciate. Some may say this is the case. I think it's the reverse.

For what PT is trying to do with their music now, I think there are many bands out there that do it better. They are leaving their origins behind and joining the masses of Semi-Metal, pop bands, where they no longer stand out.

I fear that this album may be to Porcupine Tree, what Train of Thought was to Dream Theater (the beggining of the end).

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