From Sea of Tranquility
Joining a small band of Media representatives from New York City, our own Ken Pierce was priveleged to listen to the new Porcupine Tree CD; a crunching Progressive Rock epic entitled Fear Of A Blank Planet. The album will hit the streets on April 24, 2007 and should surprise some of his fans. Founder and creative Mastermind Steven Wilson was present at the listening and told the group that the album was one long contiguous piece of music. It runs approximately fifty minutes in length, and while segmented with various movements, it still becomes part of the larger whole. Wilson mused that he opted against making the whole thing one 80 minute song and went with 50 just like in the good old days of Prog music. We enjoyed the 5.1 mix of the recording in one of the rooms of Legacy Studios and were treated to the piece in surround sound as well. It is a very intense piece of music at times with thundering drums and riffs that will impress any guitar player and yet when it slows down it is passionate and sublte in the truest sense. I asked Wilson if he felt that this was among the heaviest material he has delivered to date and he replied "yes, it might very well be". The long time fans of the Progressive Rock genius will not be disappointed in the album for while it is heavier than they might expect there is also a multitude of musical valleys and time signature changes that they have come to appreciate over the course of the bands career. From here, Wilson would head off to Abbey Road studios to repeat the listening process over there. He joked when we began and said "what we are going to hear, no what YOU are going to hear, since I have been doing this for three months aleady, is the new recording, and I will come back when its done". When Wilson returned to the studio room he was met with applause and whistles and he cracked a casual smile and politely thanked us for being part of the evening. We were not provided with any track-listing information or the titles for the segments under the piece, but regardless I look forward to this albums release and feel it will snare an even larger audience for this well-deserving band.
Following two album playback events in New York and at Abbey Road in London, the track listing of the new Porcupine Tree album "Fear of a Blank Planet" has been revealed:
1. Fear of a Blank Planet (7.28)
2. My Ashes (5.07)
3. Anesthetize (17.42)
4. Sentimental (5.26)
5. Way Out of Here (7.37)
6. Sleep Together (7.28)
The album is set for April release through Roadrunner in Europe, Atlantic in the US, and WHD Entertainment in Japan. It's likely that both the stereo CD and 5.1 surround sound DVDA will be packaged together as standard.
Please note that a version of the album currently listed on several mail order sites in Japan with an additional track included in the running order, and supposedly coming out in March, categorically does not exist, so do not order it!
