FEAR OF A BLANK PLANET

This album is Porcupine Tree's career resume.

A perfect mix of everything Porcupine Tree has done, this is also their most accessible album to date. their popularity surged after this release. This was originally one song broken down into six connected pieces. Each one seems to have a unique taste, but it binded musically and spiritually to the concept at hand. The concept is a pretty relevant one, dealing with kids and their slavery to electronics, media and drugs, which is a real growing problem in my eyes as well.

'Fear of a Blank Planet' is the title track and opener. Like the track 'Deadwing' it doesn't hesitate to get loud right after the short intro. This is a lyrically driven piece coupled with some of Wilson's typical drop-D guitar riffs, which has been an asset to their new sound. The song takes a dramatic change towards the end where things get melancholic and slowed down. It made a decent track turned into a great one.

'My Ashes' is where the preceding track took off. This track is a classical piano piece mostly with some voice and some effects. This track has been the weak one on the album, but as I like to give albums time (for good or bad), this track became quite a cozy one. Another great song.

'Anesthetize' is a massive 17+ minute track. This is one of PT's best tracks. It has a real industrial metal flavor to it. The track can be split into three parts. The first is opened up with some of Gavin's best drum work. A perfect display of dynamics and rhythm on the toms drives the beginning with some singing and a few heavy guitar moments. The guitar takes the lead in the second part where it feels like a really long jam. The third part takes a drastic change with some vocal effects and a cold ending.

'Sentimental' is a breather track after 'Anesthetize'. It's a really slow acoustic song with some of Wilson's best singing. Towards the end things get more upbeat, and a return to the catchy riff from 'Trains' is brought in again.

'Way out of Here' is my favorite song on the album. The chorus is among the best, mostly because of the little melody and the perfect vocals fitting it. That is the only way to really describe it, it is a must hear.

'Sleep Together' is a great ending to this album. It is quite an eerie one, putting this album to a dark end. This includes a string section in the end.

I found 'Deadwing' and 'Lightbulb Sun' to get leaps ahead of this one. The thing is, I cannot really find anything weak on this release. Everything seemed to be really flowing and tied together wonderfully which is usually hard with most concept albums. It really left no mistakes.

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