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Fear of a Blank Planet
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Price: $6.89
Price subject to change!
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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0075678999444
Label: Atlantic / Wea
Manufacturer: Atlantic / Wea
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: Atlantic / Wea
Release Date: 2007-04-24
Studio: Atlantic / Wea
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Customer reviews of Fear of a Blank Planet
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: Is this the new Dire Straits?
Comment: Maybe it's a big statement to claim that Porcupine Tree are the new Dire Straits, but if that isn't the case, then hopefully some can agree that Steve Wilson et al bring many of the same catchy and intelligent songwriting skills to the mix as Knopfler and co. did back in their hayday.
On first listen, this didn't stick with me the same way that 'In Absentia' did, but on subsequent spins, I was able to finally start listening to it as a different type of album, and I really enjoyed it. Where 'In Absentia' succeeded in exploring a lot of different musical and thematic terrain, this album is very much a concentrated effort. That isn't to say that it doesn't bring a lot of variety to the table, but there is a very clear concept.
I feel like the time Wilson spent working with Opeth really paid off, and the heavier moments on this album and 'In Absentia' definitely help keep things lively. Overall, this is a superb release and I think it will sit well with most prog fans.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Modern Culture
Comment: Porcupine Tree is a progressive rock group which is known for their experimental approach. This is still the case with their ninth album "Fear of a Blank Planet". The focus in this album is on the 21st Century society of video games, MTV, the internet, etc. This album takes the subject head on, and it is a real treat for the listener. This is a great album for people interested in progressive music. It was released on April 16, 2007 in Europe, and a week later in the United States.
It opens with the title track "Fear of a Blank Planet", a driving piece for the first half in which the lyrics are from the point of view of adolescent who sings about his life and the lack of anything of real substance in it. Music, TV, internet, drugs, sex, and with all that the overall feeling is boredom. The second half of the piece gives the listener a break from the relentless drive, but the lyrical content leaves the listener thinking that there is more trouble ahead. "My Ashes" has the singer blaming his parents for his situation. It is a haunting tune, and yet beautiful.
"Anaesthetize" is the centerpiece of the album at nearly 18 minutes. It speaks to the emotionless boredom of the singer's life. His is a life of apathy, and part of him is crying out, though it too cry's out in an emotionless way. There is some excellent instrumental work in this piece as well, which holds the listener's attention throughout the piece. After the first instrumental break, the song picks up again with a stronger driving line to it and the piece really takes off from there becoming harder and more full of energy as it progresses in contrast to the apathy and the boredom which is discussed lyrically. Then, the tension breaks, as it did in the first piece, and the last part of the piece takes on a completely different feel, as if the singer has collapsed from the busy and high energy boredom of his life to find fulfillment in a small peaceful and slow memory from his past.
"Sentimental" is a beautiful piece, well constructed both musically and lyrically. In this piece, the singer talks about how he doesn't want to get old, basically because he wants to avoid the responsibilities of life. "Way out of Here" is about searching for a way out the life he is stuck in. The focus here is on his parents, and his inability to communicate with them. Both the music and the lyrics are disturbing at times, which leaves the listener with a sense of unease. "Sleep Together" finishes the album, and the implications of the lyrics are disturbing. The music fits the piece and is relentless in its own way as the opening of the album.
Porcupine tree is Steve Wilson (vocals, guitars, piano, keyboards); Richard Barbieri (keyboards and synthesizers); Colin Edwin (bass guitars); and Gavin Harrison (drums). In addition, there are a few guests on this album: Alex Lifeson (guitar solo on "Anesthesize"); Robert Fripp (soundscapes on "Way out of Here"); and John Wesley (backing vocals). This is an excellent album for those who like experimental progressive rock, and for those who are looking to hear something different.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A focused and incredibly intense statement
Comment: I've been a Porcupine Tree fan for a few years now, and generally like all of their work quite a bit, and yet when "Fear of a Blank Planet" was released, initially it did not sit well with me, even after seeing the band play the entire thing live in concert, mostly because of its incredibly blunt, unabashedly preachy and possibly overdone message about the disconnection and apathy in today's youth. It's a concept album that creates its own, incredibly bleak world that somehow manages to sink even lower into hopelessness than the other consistently melancholy and bleak Porcupine Tree records.
We've heard it all before by now, right? Claims by the older generation that the teenagers of today are more wild and out of control than ever they were during the years of their childhood, etc, etc. Yet Steven Wilson avoids falling into this cliche by making some tangible, legitimate points. Has the over-prescription of medication corrupted and numbed today's youth and robbed them of much of their feeling and ambition? Has the drastic increase of electronic media kept kids from valuable social experiences?
While I've always refused to take medication, the answer to the latter question is in my case a resounding yes. As a 19 year old who has seen these things in many friends and acquaintances, I would say this album hit home hard for me, and reluctance to acknowledge the truth of some of the points made here may have been what caused my less than favorable reaction to it. I discuss the message and concept in such detail because I feel it is so interwoven into the fabric of the album that if you don't appreciate it, it might be hard to enjoy the music.
As far as the actual music, it's classic Porcupine Tree, although it seems the beautiful vocal harmonies have been toned down a bit. Those looking for the trademark world-weariness and rainy, spacious airy beauty that characterized every previous PT record will find it here. The production's a bit muddier than usual, but still quite good.
The songwriting, while great, is not something particularly new for Steven Wilson (the powerfully executed concept makes up for this minor flaw) except on the 17 minute epic, "Anesthetize", which I feel any fan would agree is one of their best songs ever, and not just because of the solo from Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson. The hypnotic ending segment is likely my favorite thing on the whole album. "Water so warm that day / I counted out the waves / As they broke into surf / I smiled into the sun", Steven sings, relaxed, in the only remotely hopeful moment on the whole album.
"My Ashes" is a brilliant ballad that ranks among such classics "Heart Attack in a Lay By" and "Waiting Phase One". The closer, "Sleep Together" is the ultimate declaration of hopelessness on the album, as the lyrics are a proposal of mutual suicide from a teenager to their lover. "Sentimental" has a brilliantly placed and emotional reprise of "Trains" from In Absentia at its end, which gives Porcupine Tree's career a coherence and conceptual continuity which I greatly appreciate.
I'm waffling back and forth on the issue of whether the "Nil Recurring" EP tracks (they're from the same sessions and fit the concept) should have been included as many say, but in any case this album flows incredibly well and is fairly complete the way it is.
So, in conclusion, "Fear of a Blank Planet" is a fantastic and powerful conceptual statement that may be too preachy and blunt for some, but does what it's attempting to do incredibly well. Highly recommended for anyone and everyone, but if this is going to be your first Porcupine Tree record, you should realize this isn't Wilson's usual lyrical style.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: If you are old like me
Comment: Than you are hear because you are looking for bands that remind you of Pink Floyd. As there will be no band to take their place, Porcupine Tree is a great place to start. Their mix of keyboards and guitar licks are just what the doctor ordered. The vocals are far from Roger's yelps but you will become addicted to Wilson's voice in the same way. If Roger Waters plays second to your love of David Gilmore, than RPWL may be more to your liking. Also check out a band called Riverside.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Outstanding!
Comment:
I have most all PTree releases and at first, Fear of a BP did not do much for me. But as I listened to it more, I find myself playing it all the time and loving it.
This release to me seems like a great mix of old and new PTree, thus making it sound fresh and new. Did that make sense? :>
I also picked up Nil Recurring, the mini album follow up to Fear. Its a excellent complement to Fear.
Wish I was old and a little, sentimental. Well not really.
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Editorial Reviews:
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This starkly beautiful elegy on the numbness, apathy, and isolation brought about by the constant barrage of television, video games, advertising, prescription drugs, sex, and violence of everyday life is emphasized by the symphonic arrangement of metal guitars, synthesizers, fat basslines, and virtuosic drumming.
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