FEAR OF A BLANK PLANET

Having re-aqcuainted myself with progressive rock a little over a year ago, this record was one of the first I got my hands on. After a year of listening Fear of a Blank Planet I think I'm ready to submit my review on it (which, by the way, marks my first on this site).

Right from the very start Steven Wilson and his crew take the listener on a sightseeing tour of modern madness, depicting the current state of the world in a similar fashion to Dark Side of the Moon, another masterpiece of its time. This time, though, it's about numbness, over-medication and the pressures of modern age.

In the context of the album's topics it is no wonder that the result is quite a depressing image. Although I'm generally not a fan of overtly melancholic records, on this album it, in fact, is one of its greatest assets. The bleakness really shines on through and the whole picture is not diluted by forced positivism.

When it comes to the performance of the music, the contrbutions of mrs. Wilson, Barbieri, Edwin and Harrison blow me away with each listen. To me, the band has always been divided into two units, the rythmic backbone and Harrison's signature rythmic illusions; and then the Wilson/Barbieri spacious, atmospheric powerhouse. One might argue, that Wilson's songwriting and production skills are what make Porcupine Tree, and while that is very true, it's only a fraction of it all; the breathtaking quality of this record is largely built on the instrumental capabilities of the players.

I won't go into detail describing each song separately, because, as several reviewers have pointed out, this is a single long song and should be treated as such.

This record is a modern masterpiece even when compared to such heavyweights as Foxtrot and DSotM and I encourage everyone within this community to experience it!

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