FEAR OF A BLANK PLANET

So, I am going to rank myself at a level 2 when it comes to the highest ranked Porcupine Tree album on the list [Prog Magazine's Top 100 Albums of All Time]. (We will see Mr. Wilson later as a solo artist, though.) I have heard 4 out of the 6 tracks on the album. There are 2 very special guests on the album. Alex Lifeson contributes a guitar solo on "Anesthetize", while Mr. Robert Fripp provides "soundscapes" on "Way Out of Here." Otherwise, this album is performed by the "classic" PT line-up of Steven Wilson, Richard Barbieri, Colin Edwin & Gavin Harrison. Let's get going.

Track 1 - Fear of a Blank Planet

The title is a parody of Public Enemy's 1990 rap album "Fear of a Black Planet." While that album dealt with racial issues, this album is discussing themes of mental health and other issues facing youth in the 21st century, many of which are still relevant 17 years later. The song begins with some sound effects before a tricky acoustic guitar part takes over. Gavin Harrison joins in on drums soon after. Bass and Keys join the fray at around 45 seconds and Wilson begins singing at around 1:05 with voice-effects. Heavy electric guitar joins in after the first verse. The rhythm gets more open at 2:15 with big power chords. The rhythmic riffs return soon after. The song sections cycle though, with the instrumental parts becoming louder than the vocals. Most of the sounds drop out abruptly at around the 4-minute mark leaving only a quiet guitar part. Keys follow that then drums and bass. The effect is an almost underwater feeling. More instruments join in, and the sound gets bigger until Harrison takes an unaccompanied brilliant drum fill leading the band back into a guitar feature at around 5 minutes. Wilson plays a somewhat dissonant solo until just after the 6-minute point when things become more subdued. One lyric that jumped out at me in this latter part of the song is "Steal a gun just to kill time." It is a hauntingly accurate picture of what many teens are doing to deal with their mental health states and is even more relevant today than it was when he wrote it. As usual, the production of the music is absolutely top-notch.

Track 2 - My Ashes

This begins with an electric piano that has effects on it. The sound reminds me of No Quarter by Led Zeppelin. A gentle acoustic guitar joins in preceding Wilson's vocals. Mellotron joins at around 1:25 as harmonies in the vocals sing the chorus. Drums and Bass enter just after 2:05 with a slow and steady beat. Guitar effects color the sound. The chorus returns and the keyboard sound gets stronger. The band hits a major chord at around the 4-minute mark. Wilson sings an absolutely glorious high sustained note at around 4:15. The sound is deep and rich. However, with about 30 seconds left, the music abruptly stops and there are sound effects then synth sounds to close the track out.

Track 3 - Anesthetize

This is a nearly 18-minute-long epic centerpiece on the album, with a guest solo from Alex Lifeson. Synth and a tom-tom groove begin this one. Wilson joins with gentle vocals at around 35 seconds in. Atmospheric guitar and an effect on his voice begins at just after a minute. Another verse follows. Fantastic harmony vocals are happening around 2:30. The music explodes with heavy guitars around the 3-minute mark. Things get quieter again at 3:30. But a heavy riff soon follows, before the guitar solo. This is apparently Lifeson's solo. There is a cool new groove around the 5-minute mark. It has some great stereo panning effects and a great electric piano solo from Barbieri. Things get heavier at just before 6:20 with a fantastic, quintessentially Porcupine Tree heavy guitar sound and drumming. Gavin Harrison is phenomenal. The groove turns funkier about 30 seconds later. Vocals return at around 7:15 over the funky groove. Nice change around 7:50. There are plenty of meter shifts following that with a heavy riff. The chorus of this section reminds me a bit of Halo from the previous album. We hit more sustained chords at 10 minutes. Awesome odd-meter riffing at 10:35. Mega-drumming at 11 minutes. The big chorus returns at 11:35. Suddenly quiet around 12:15 with soft keyboard parts. Guitar parts start building in at around 13:00. Colin Edwin is keeping it low key on the bass line, but it works. Cascading vocal parts come in next. There is a subtle organ sound behind the vocals that adds warmth. Nice sounds at 16:25. I believe it was a mix of guitar & electric piano, Things get very quiet at around 17 minutes. Gentle droning sounds close out this amazing epic.

Track 4 - Sentimental

We begin with gentle piano chords. A drum beat slowly begins to fade in at around 30 seconds. Wilson begins singing at around 45 seconds in. The pieces come together more at around 1:25. So far this is a very mellow track. Things come up a notch at around 2:45. At around 3:50 the rhythm is very similar to the song Trains from In Absentia. Things ease off at 4:25 to piano and distant vocals. The song begins to fade out to some spacy kind of sounds.

Track 5 - Way Out of Here

This is one I'm somewhat familiar with. It contains Robert Fripp's soundscapes. It begins with soft sounds, joined eventually by quiet Wilson vocals. The music shifts suddenly at around 1:50 and becomes faster and more aggressive for the chorus, but the vocals are low in the mix. At 2:15 the next verse is more rhythmic and the vocals more prominent. Another chorus hits at around 3:07. A guitar solo begins at around 3:30 It stops abruptly before the 4:15 mark, and things get much quieter with lightly dancing, dreamy rhythms. The music becomes very aggressive at 4:50 with heavy guitar riffing, alternating with more sustained parts. Harrison's drumming is phenomenal starting around 5:25. Things get quieter again around 6:05. Colin Edwin has a nice bass line as we approach the conclusion of the song. Good Track

Track 6 - Sleep Together

We begin with interesting synth tones and Wilson's distant sounding vocals. By 1 minute, Harrison is playing a groove with the synth rhythms. At 1:40 a heavy backbeat comes in for the chorus. Just after 2 minutes mellotron strings become very prominent from Barbieri, I presume. On the next verse there are Eastern sounding orchestral tones between vocal lines. Another chorus follows. At around 3:45 there is an instrumental break featuring the string-like sounds. Afterward the funky keyboard tones take over. They are joined by an electric piano. The 2 parts create a bit of a polyrhythm. Next, guitar & drums join in. By around 5:45 Edwin's bass line comes in. This all gets topped off with mellotron sounds. The "Eastern sounding" strings join back in as the song reaches the conclusion. A random drum fill from Harrison rounds the song out.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

As one would expect, the production and sound quality on the album are impeccable as Wilson has become so respected as a producer. I like all 6 tracks to one degree or another. However, I don't like it quite as much as In Absentia or Deadwing. It seems to have just a little less energy to me. I'll give it a 4.5 out of 5. Very solid album.

Clicking 4, but REALLY a 4.5!!!

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