Porcupine Tree makes a triumphant return to experimental, non-linear style with 2007's Fear of a Blank Planet.
Maybe Steve Wilson was afraid that the comparatively poppy Deadwing and In Absentia were edging too close to the mainstream, because he seems far less concerned with overtly accessible songwriting on Blank Planet.
Even still, the cerebral, atmospheric sound on this album remains enormously compelling from almost the first moment.
While there is no "radio single" on the disc -- certainly nothing with a conventional pop arc like Lightbulb Sun or "Trains" -- most songs transcend their complex structure and feel as provocative as any traditional rock tune.
The aptly named "Sentimental," in particular, features Wilson's trademark lush arrangement with layers of vocals, piano, ambient synths, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, live drums and sampled drums -- but cutting through its tightly contained mosaic is an expertly constructed chord progression that evokes a desperate sense of tension and longing, developing incredible emotional momentum as the track progresses.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fear of a Blank PlanetSteven Wilson | Porcupine Tree | Play | 07:28 | 17 MB | 51 MB |
| 2 | My AshesRichard Barbieri, Steven Wilson | Porcupine Tree | Play | 05:07 | 11 MB | 27 MB |
| 3 | AnesthetizeSteven Wilson | Porcupine Tree, Alex Lifeson | Play | 17:42 | 40 MB | 116 MB |
| 4 | SentimentalSteven Wilson | Porcupine Tree | Play | 05:26 | 12 MB | 28 MB |
| 5 | Way Out of HerePorcupine Tree, Steven Wilson | Porcupine Tree, Robert Fripp | Play | 07:37 | 17 MB | 45 MB |
| 6 | Sleep TogetherSteven Wilson | Porcupine Tree | Play | 07:28 | 17 MB | 47 MB |
| 50 mins | 116 MB | |||||
| 50 mins | 317 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richard Barbieri | Composer, Keyboards, Member of Attributed Artist, Synthesizer |
| 2 | Colin Edwin | Guitar (Bass), Member of Attributed Artist |
| 3 | Robert Fripp | Additional Personnel, Primary Artist, Sound Effects, Soundscape |
| 4 | Carl Glover | Design |
| 5 | Isobel Griffiths | Session Coordinator |
| 6 | Gavin Harrison | Drums, Member of Attributed Artist, Vocals (Background) |
| 7 | Lasse Hoile | Photography |
| 8 | Alex Lifeson | Additional Personnel, Guitar, Primary Artist, Soloist |
| 9 | London Session Orchestra | Strings |
| 10 | Porcupine Tree | Audio Production, Composer, Primary Artist |
| 11 | Mark Prator | Engineer |
| 12 | Steve Price | Engineer |
| 13 | Dave Stewart | Orchestration, String Arrangements |
| 14 | John Wesley | Additional Personnel, Producer, Vocals (Background) |
| 15 | Steven Wilson | Composer, Guitar, Keyboards, Mastering, Member of Attributed Artist, Mixing, Piano, String Arrangements, Vocals |
| 16 | Gavyn Wright | Leader |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |