Music CD - Porcupine Tree: Fear of a Blank Planet

	Music CD: Fear of a Blank Planet Artist: Porcupine Tree List Price: $15.98 Our Price: $8.07 Your Save: $ 7.91 ( 49% ) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Manufacturer: Atlantic / Wea
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Tracks: 1. Fear Of a Blank Planet 2. My Ashes 3. Anesthetize 4. Sentimental 5. Way Out Of Here 6. Sleep Together
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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Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: When the bar's set so high, even average seems weak... Comment: Out of the last 5 albums Steve Wilson and his band have released (FOABP, Deadwing, In Absentia, Stupid Dream, Lightbulb Sun), this is far and away the weakest. That's not to say it's a bad album, because it isn't; it's just not the in same league as its predecessors. Why is this the case? There's a couple of reasons, but it really boils down to the tone of the album, which I would describe as detached at best, and bored to tears at worst. Sure, you can try and explain it away by bringing up the subject matter (which enough people have done so thoroughly as to allow me to avoid doing the same), but, if anything, that should've made the band's approach to the album all the more urgent, or even aggressive. It's a lesson Pearl Jam learned from Riot Act that translated really well to the self-titled album: in order to engage your audience (particularly when you're trying to get a pretty definite point across), you need to sound engaged yourself. With the notable exception of the title track, I found myself pretty disinterested throughout the album. "My Ashes?" Please. "Anesthetized?" A mediocre guitar solo performed by a rock legend isn't nearly enough to save a bloated, less-than-intriguing song. And I don't even recall the rest of the album well enough to write an opinion on it. I should close by saying that, were FOABP released by virtually any other band in the world, it would probably be a dramatic step forward in their evolution as artists (Thrice, I'm looking in your direction, here), but for Porcupine Tree, it's at best treading water. The outtakes CD blows most of this record out of the water. Customer Rating: Summary: Incredible Comment: The music is incredible and the lyrics are phenomenal. This album is one of my favorite albums of all time. Customer Rating: Summary: great listen! Comment: I heard my first PT song a long time ago on a digital music channel. I remember it being pretty cool but never got into PT myself. I saw this cd sitting all by itself on the music rack in our little PX here in afghanistan, where they sell nothing but country music and mainstream rap-crap. Im a pretty big metal fan and I bought Fear of a Blank Planet having no clue what it would sound like. only the simple fact that I kind of knew what genre to expect because I heard them so many years ago. But it turns out that this is the best CD that I've bought all year! its like a blend of Pink Floyd, Blur and Helmet or something. cant really describe their style, but their sound is awsome! it's not like any cd I've ever heard before. so unique. truely good stuff! they have a 17 minute song and every second of it is awsome! any metalhead, classic rock or 90's grunge fan (or whatever category you fall into) will love this cd. buy it. Customer Rating: Summary: Could See It Coming... Comment: After Deadwing let's just say the bar was set mighty high for the next release, but with confidence this band could ascend to those even greater heights of accomplishment. And ascend they have. The drumming throughout is a brilliant tour de force. The vocals a great match to convey the message. The music and lyrics inspired. The performances tight as always and emotion laden. Such can be said of many releases from many bands, yet mediocrity remains the result. So, what is different here? If I knew that more than on an emotional level I would be retired to my own island somewhere instead of writing this review. All I can state is the blending of everything here has that magical synergy which lifts this to being a work to landmark status. Leftoverture, Fragile, Master of Puppets, Beware of Darkness etc. and now Fear of a Blank Planet. Yes, it is THAT good. 6 stars. Customer Rating: Summary: This band sounds new and refreshing Comment: I own must Porcupine Tree albums. In Absentia is my favorite PT album, and "Sound of Muzak" and "Trains" my favorite songs. So now you know my taste. I will recommend this album because of the song Anesthetize. It is a jewel, so beautiful, so well done. Alex Lifeson's solo is a nice touch to the song, but it is not the only reason to love this track. Steven Wilson guitars sounds so unique, and so cool. Being a prog fan most of the time I feel like listening to music of the past, even with new bands. But with PT I feel like listening to a fresh band, a band produced with a fashioned ear. Bass lines, drum parts, keyboard ambiance, all instruments played to perfection and with a lot of passion. This is not a show off band, they use their talent to make beautiful new textures and colors, and the music complexity that have earned them the prog rock tag is just the way the compositions ended up being, but not the main porpuse of the recording. If still in doubt, go buy the Arriving Somewhere DVD and come back to Fear of a Blank Planet later. More Reviews
Editorial Reviews: On Fear of a Blank Planet veteran progressive-rock act Porcupine Tree takes up the task of exploring the alienating forces of the media and its impact on our youths and ourselves. Fear's titular cut features lyrics rife with allusions to the confusing, isolating effects of TV, the X-Box, drugged out consumer escapades, and the ennui that arrives with prescription and self-prescribed numbness. "My Ashes" advances the themes of isolation, as a young person becomes increasingly estranged from himself; "Anesthetize" aptly captures dull apathy with accuracy and knowing but perhaps delves to deep into the dark depths and instead of alleviating pain and pressure instead deepens it via a track that fails to offer much emotional or mental counterpoint. The tune does feature an exceptionally lyrical guitar solo from Rush's Alex Lifeson and proves that if anyone can write a sprawling, throbbing epic it's most likely Porcupine Tree. Elsewhere, such as on the beautifully crafted "Sentimental" and "Way Out of Here," Wilson and Co. land squarely between the epic grandeur of peak-era Pink Floyd and the psychically distant cool of Radiohead, a feat that doesn't as much demonstrate how well PT echoes those bands as it shows us how expansive the English quartet's music and emotional vocabulary is. For elder listeners Fear probably won't serve as the powerful statement it wants to be--its themes have been explored to more exacting impact before and, musically, it's fairly standard progressive fare--but it is a strong and intelligent album and for a generation that's grown numb from three-minute ditties about life at the end of the country club cul-de-sac that embrace rather than rage against the dying of the light, it may serve as a wake up call and provide hope for a brighter and more color-infused tomorrow. --Jedd Beaudoin