Customer Reviews

Nil Recurring

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Consisting of four songs written from the same sessions for _Fear of a Blank Planet_, _Nil Recurring_ is a Crimson-like refraction of some of the songs from that album. You can see "Sentimental" from that album in its alternate form "Normal," which has an almost too-jarring prog-metal break in the middle of some sweet middle-eastern-tempered acoustic lines. This seems to me like one of the rawest and demo-like of these outtakes, and is a very solid track, but feels a bit undercooked. The opener, and title track, is a true dream meeting between King Crimson's Robert Fripp and a very game PT, who craft an eerie, intense, subtle build of a track that has dim echoes from their _Level Five_ era work, with a little _Thrak_ thrown in as well. (Side note: Can you imagine Gavin Harrison in a dual-drum configuration with Mastellatto from Crimson? He plays like Bruford and Peart's meth-snorting cyborg lovechild.)

The two latter tracks though, are simply magnificent, every bit as good as anything on the album, and rock with even more reckless abandon than anything i've heard from this phase of the band yet. Steve Wilson does some fine soloing, and proves he is quite the underrated axeslinger - this is some of the best pure playing he's ever done, especially on the brutal conclusion for "What Happens Now?". Throughout these tracks, Gavin Harrison savagely peppers the listener with absolutely breathtaking airtight fills. His work on "Cheating the Polygraph" (which he also gets a co-writing credit with) is especially noteworthy; Moving from a Bruford-like jazz swing as Wilson's gorgeous chording glides effortlessly over, to frenetic metal choruses showcasing his trademark polyrhythmic double-bass rolls.

Taken in the context of _FOABP_, and like any really good outtake album, it provides a fascinating perspective into the creative process of the band as they finalized the album. As with _Deadwing_, the general tenor of these outtakes make it seem as if SW wanted the final version of FOABP_ to reflect a more diverse, not-as-metallic array of sounds, with less lengthy compositions, to perhaps balance the 18 minutes of "Anesthetize". Devoted fans might recall the outtakes from _Deadwing_ were some of their heaviest - such as the sabbath-like "Futile", or the awesome stop-start dynamics of "So-Called Friend". This is smashingly, uncommonly good, better than any outtakes the band have released yet, and anyone who enjoyed _FOABP_ will really, really want to have this in their collection.

(Addendum : This was taken from a fan forum, and as of the writing of this review, untested, so caveat lector ... but if one were to add these tracks to _FOABP_ one would add "Cheating the Polygraph" between "My Ashes" and "Anesthetize." "Nil Recurring," "Normal," and "What Happens Now?" would follow "Sleep Together," being tracks 8, 9, and 10 respectively, to complete a giga-album)

Nil Recurring is comprised of four songs which add a luster and polish to last year's masterpiece, "Fear of a Blank Planet" beautifully. However, when blended with "Fear", the two separate releases linked together work remarkably well as a complete project. Each of the four songs on "Nil Recurring" carry the themes or motifs which highlight "Fear". I have created my own version of "Fear" by incorporating the songs of Nil Recurring. It is intersting to see where these songs fit in the Fear mix. My favorites on Nil Recurring are "Normal", which contains variations of "Sentimental" and starts with a dynamic accoustic guitar intro and then simply soars. Outstanding!! The last song, "What Happens Now" is a tour de force for Steve Wilson: great vocal and a blast of sonic guitar that he displays in concert. This is great stuff.
Taken together, "Fear of a Blank Planet" and "Nil Recurring" continue the long string of brilliant music that Wilson and his mates have turned out regularly. Perhaps the well-deserved attention is finally coming to them, with the recently announced Grammy nomination for surround sound album. If you love Wilson's other stuff and with no new PTree music on the horizon this year, this is a must.

I am amused that many of the complaints here are due to the length of this CD. In my opinion, half an hour of PT rewards the listener with much more quality music than most bands' full-length CDs. The songs on Nil Recurring are not merely outakes from the FOABP sessions, and even though SW makes use of some of the conceptual and musical themes that occur on Blank Planet, each composition and performance easily stands on it's own.
In particular, Cheating the Polygraph showcases the talents of Gavin Harrison more than any PT track I can think of (besides the live version of Hatesong), and What Happens Now? is one of those tracks that about the third time around you realize just what an amazing song it is.
When I began buying albums they were typically around this length; this one is worth every penny.

Fantastic mini album! Steven Wilson utilizes the more recent sounds of PT like FOABP and Deadwing.

Track Info:
1.Nil Recurring is an instrumental song
2.Normal is a fantastic song with a great guitar riff (it uses a chorus to that similar on the track "Sentimental" from FOABP)
3.Cheating the Polygraph is what some fans consider to be the best on this album, although it is not my favorite track on the album but it is very unique.
4.What Happens Now? Really really good song, reminds me of The Sky Moves Sideways the way its format is. This and Normal are the two best tracks on the record.

Any PT fan should get Nil Recurring, they will not regret it!!!

I don't understand why these songs were left off Fear of a Blank Planet. They blend perfectly with the FoaBP songs and seem close enough to the theme of the album as well. The second track, Normal, is a continuation of Sentimental with a heavier groove. It sounds perfect played back-to-back with Sentimental--as if they were meant to be one song. Similarly, the final track, What Happens Next?, uses many of the same effects and similar sections to Anesthetize--it'a almost a reprise to that song. Why not add them to the album?

Moreover, I thought that Fear of a Blank Planet was a step down compared to the previous two albums, but that changes when you add these songs. The first track on Nil, the title track, is an excellent heavy track. Along with the rocking parts in the other three songs, it makes FoaBP a much heavier album (unlike many who have reviewed FoaBP, I thought it wasn't nearly as heavy as the previous two and is more mellow than I would have preferred). It also makes FoaBP more diverse and complex--overall, raising it from 4 to 5 stars. Quite simply, FoaBP is incomplete without the songs on this ep. No fan of Porcupine Tree should leave Nil Recurring out of their collection.

Combining Nil Recurring with FoaBP makes a nearly perfect 80 minute cd that is every bit the equal in quality to In Absentia and Deadwing. I recommend this order:

1. Fear of a Blank Planet
2. Nil Recurring
3. Anesthetize
4. Cheating the Polygraph
5. Way Out of Here
6. Sleep Together
7. Sentimental
8. Normal
9. What Happens Next?
10. My Ashes

P.S. $35? --Ouch! Go to the PT website.

Nil Recurring is often overlooked by many. I believe it is one the band's best work.

It was released back in September 2007 as an EP to the 'Fear of a Blank Planet' album. Two of the tracks were recorded at the same time 'Fear of a Blank Planet' was recorded, while the other two were recorded in the summer following the release of 'Fear of a Blank Planet'.

The album has a nice variety of music, it has what I consider one of PT's best instrumentals 'Nil Recurring'. It's always hard to describe music as one person can hear it in a different way than another. Bottom line is if your a PT fan (especially a fan of FOABP), then I recommend picking this up without question.

About this release (July 2010): In regards to this release on this page. This is a re-release/re-package of Nil-Recurring, it was originally released in limited digipak on PT's own label back in September 2007 and then later released as a Slipcase on Peaceville records soon after. Both of which are out of print and the album is now simply repackaged and released on Kscope in a Super Jewel Case.

I do not know whether the mixes are the same,but I just looked at the double L.P.(one black, one blue) vinyl edition, in a nice gatefold sleeve, which I got for one of my sons(I doubt if he'll ever bother to play it, but the front cover 12"x12" looks pretty cool) and noticed that it includes these four tracks. The order is side A:Fear of a blank planet,My ashes,Cheating the polygraph. Side B:Anesthetize. Side C:Sentimental, Way out of here, Sleep togetherr. Side D:Nil recurring,Normal,What happens now.

On a number of occasions, a recording will appear for sale here on amazon for a short time only to disappear and either never appear again or appear later at a much higher price. I've been a victim of that a couple of times and so lately have gotten into the habit of buying now what may become rare and expensive in the future. Mostly that strategy has worked, but it seems that in the case of Nil Recurring that the early bird got the schwanz.
OK, the domestic (US) version lacks the edit version of Fear of a Blank Planet. But as it is half the price of the Japanese import, that extra song will cost you a cool thirteen dollars if you just have to have it. I bought my copy from Japan before the US version appeared because I wasn't certain that there would be a US version and because I am aware that some other Porcupine Tree recordings sell for stratospheric prices once they become "rare". In this instance, I was too eager. The Japanese seller provided very quick service but for a mere thirty plus minutes of music, it came at a steep price.
Is the music good? Absolutely! I agree with many others who think this should have been part of the Fear of A Blank Planet package. Though the CD is short, I enjoy every note. My favorite cut is the trance-inducing What Happens Now? I also greatly enjoy the pounding instrumental title cut which segues into Normal, the kind of introspection-inducing vocal that has become a PT trademark.
If you are a PT completeist, you will surely buy Nil Recurring. But as enjoyable as it is, it can hardly be said to be essential. Music 5, value 2.

I love Porcupine Tree, and own about all of their releases. But this one makes me pause only because it has 26 minutes of music and is a full priced cd. I buy a lot of cds, and have to be discerning. I bought this one last night but have not opened it yet. the clips of the songs i've heard are great - like all porcupine tree. but i may return it and see if it's available on Itunes for a buck a tune or whatever. I hate to do it, but as a musician and a consumer, full price for only 26 minutes of music is too much. Seems like this could drive more people to buying downloads, etc, and contribute to the death of printed cds, etc. I LOVE the printed cds, and stuff that i can look at and hold in my hand, but this one doesn't have enough audio with it. Sorry.

I have seen countless reviews here about the price of this CD. Well, reviews are supposed to be about the PRODUCT, not the PRICE. If you're gonna moan about the price, don't write a review.

That said, this CD is EXCELLENT. Each track is quality music and perfectly accompanies Fear of a Blank Planet. Some songs are even better than those on Fear of a Blank Planet. Normal easily edges out FOABP's song "Sentimental" and the heavy riffage of Cheating the Polygraph will keep metalheads happy. What Happens Now? is a bit different that the rest, but still interesting. Best of all is the title track, the finest instrumental Porcupine Tree have composed.

Get it, download a digital copy, just listen to it and love it.