Steven Wilson has been leading Porcupine Tree as if the 1970s never ended. His group shuns the dictates of the marketplace, ignores the current musical trends and focuses on delivering a progressive rock fan’s dream: long, instrumental passages that swell with audiophile grandeur, and songs that unlock an alternate world where time and space act very differently. An obvious take on Public Enemy’s Fear of a Black Planet, Blank Planet concerns itself with a 21st century of sex (an apathetic way of passing time), prescription drugs (necessary and evil), and MTV, with the internet and other forms of escapism (Xbox is a god) providing the necessary panacea to a world of dubious information overload. But while the concept is something to ponder during the 17-minute build-up of “Anesthetize,” the album’s main draw is, well, that 17-minute build-up. Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson adds a guitar solo, which is an interesting curio, but this is Wilson’s project and he shades everything in his own futuristic take on progressive music, unafraid of adding a soothing chorus to the twisted paths. Also of note, King Crimson’s Robert Fripp co-writes and contributes to the slow-moving, ethereal “Way Out of Here.”
- Storm Corrosion
- Lunatic Soul
- Haken