NIL RECURRING

Though inconsistent (and way too short!), Nil Recurring has inklings of where Porcupine Tree is going - and it looks (and sounds) good. The opening title track is a surprisingly weak instrumental (compared to some of PT's other instrumentals), despite the appearance of Robert Fripp (who shows yet again why HE is Robert Fripp, and John Frusciante (as good as he is) is not). The second track, Normal, is a nice companion piece to "Sentimental" on FOABP (it uses the same chorus), showing where the kid in the latter might be as an adult. However, it is with the other two tracks that PT truly shines. "Cheating the Polygraph" is an excellent composition with a decidedly darker edge (and I thought little could be darker than FOABP!) which harks back to the best of In Absentia or Deadwing. What Happens Now is the group's best effort in some time, a lengthy (8.5 minutes), layered and heavily textured affair that goes even darker still, and includes some of SW's best guitar work to date. [N.B. PT opened their NY show with this, and not only did it work well, but the audience was absolutely mesmerized.] One reviewer complained that he did not hear any progression on this EP from earlier work. Even were that true, I would say that PT has settled quite comfortably into a compelling style that allows for continued experimentation without carrying the work too far in any direction, and that there is nothing wrong with that. Finally, although I gave the EP only three stars, if it had been a full CD, and the remainder of the material was as good as the three vocal tracks, I would likely have given it a fourth star. It is certainly a must-hear for all PT fans.