You Had To Know I would Be Back With More Porcupine Tree

[SCOOTERDOG]

Tracking Surround: Porcupine Tree



Ken Richardson

May 2007

Porcupine Tree: Fear of a Blank Planet (Atlantic). As personified by this concept album's young protagonist, the worldview of the Planet
isn't just blank. It's bleak: The TV is "always on," the prescription
drugs leave "only apathy," Xbox is "a god to me," and sex is "just
another one of all the empty ways of using up a day." In fact, our
tragic hero is "terminally bored." KO'd by Computer. Whatever
your age, you've likely witnessed some of this somewhere and you'll
shudder to recognize that someone close to you, in the glow of a
monitor, might decide to ... Escape. Sleep. Switch Off.

That said, the soundscape of this Planet couldn't be more
alive. Porcupine Tree is at the height of its powers, with
down-to-earth lyrics and panoramic music by Steven Wilson and
transcendent playing by everybody, especially drummer Gavin Harrison.
And the way to hear it is in surround sound, a format that, once again,
Wilson proves he has mastered.

This is clear from the start, on the title track: Wilson sings in
appropriate isolation from the center channel as the big, jittery riff
grows from a single acoustic guitar in the left and right front to
heavy electrics everywhere. The surround channels are emphatic, and the
subwoofer is bold without getting overbearing. Throughout the mix,
Wilson's placements are judicious. Harmonies on "My Ashes" have the low
part in the center and the high part in the left and right front.
Greek-choral vocals on "Sentimental" comment from the rear. In guest
turns, Alex Lifeson scrapes out a gem of a solo across the three front
channels on "Anesthetize," while Robert Fripp haunts us with eerie
swipes from a vague distance on "Way Out of Here." And when, on
"Anesthetize," you hear the layered vocals for the lines "Water so warm
that day / I counted out the waves," breaking languidly from front to
rear, you'll know that Wilson has gone beyond the craft of sound mixing
to the art of sound painting.

You can get that mix right now in DTS 5.1 on a limited Special Edition CD+DVD of Planet
that also includes a 40-page booklet. But fans of high-resolution sound
will want to know that a DVD-Audio edition (with extras) is due in
September. S&V acquired an early copy, and the sound is superb.
Harrison's drums are particularly stunning, from the resonance of his
closed hi-hat taps and the oomph of his bass drum to the natural, full
tone of his encircling toms on "Anesthetize." And there's much more to
appreciate: Colin Edwin's rounded but firm bass throughout, Richard
Barbieri's burbling synths on "Sleep Together," even Wilson's first
intake of breath on "My Ashes." Porcupine Tree's music has simply
outgrown two-channel stereo and by the end of this Planet
on DVD-A, our young protagonist may see no way out of here other than
to Shut Down, but high-rez surround fans will have no fear of
immediately pressing Restart.

[oldbuckster]

Interesting.......................Thanx...............

[wheelman]

EXCELLENT SCOOTER! I just ordered it, and the clips are awesome.

[theryugobuddy]

SDog--

is it similar in feel to Fear of a Black Planet by Public Enemy? [H]

Seriously, I'm gonna check this out -

Are you a fan of no-man, Blackfield and other Steve wilson creations? What else is great by him?

BTW , Vacuum by the Watch is very good--

[SCOOTERDOG]

I have both Blackfield 1 and 2 and like them both. I just ordered the remix of no man in 5.1 I hear its pretty good. SW does have his fingers in a lot of stuff I don't know how he has time for everything. This new disc by PT is really exceptional. I love the keyboard work by RB on this disc, Actually the whole thing is really good. It's been a while since a so called concept album has come along that was really worth just sitting down and soaking it in from beginning to end. When I listen to this I have to do just that, start to finish. I can't wait until the DVD Audio version is released in September. This DTS disc is pretty darn good in itself.

scooter