NIL RECURRING

These four tracks, produced in the Fear of Blank Planet sessions, were rejected for the album by Steven Wilson himself, stating that it would spoil the album continuity and experience, even though not considering them inferior to those present in the album. Months later, and with even some improvements, these 4 tracks were released as an independent EP called Nil Recurring. Lyrically, they can be seen as a sort of continuity of the boy's disturbing mind and quest for a more substantiated life.

Musically, some tracks would definitely add even more positive effects to the Fear of a Blank Planet album (unless the sparse experiments are increments post-album). The instrumental guitar myriad of Nil Recurring and the folk Normal with its difficult and appellative acoustic riff both show a particularly meticulous work of perfection of every detail, with its positive and not-so-positive effects. Cheating the Polygraph was supposed to be the Way out of Here of FoaBP but was rejected after the fans disapproval on pre-album gigs. However, its improvements resulted in a solid and appellative track. What Happens Now? ends the album in an atmospheric, quasi post-rock mood, perhaps spoiled nevertheless by its cathartic final guitar solo.

In sum, in the continuity of the album released on the same year, this is a fine complement of its good vibe, and perhaps one or other track should have been stayed on its integrity.

7/10 (good)