Blackfield II

Blackfield II
Studio album by Blackfield
Released	13 February 2007
Recorded	February – June 2006
Genre	Art rock progressive rock [1]
Length	42:30
Label	Snapper (Europe) Atlantic Records/We Put Out Records (US)
Producer	Steven Wilson
Blackfield chronology
Blackfield (2004) Blackfield II (2007) Welcome to My DNA (2011)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]
The Aquarian	A+ [3]
Classic rock	(8/10)
Music Players	[4]
PopMatters	[5]
Q	[6]
Rock Hard

Blackfield II is the second studio album by the collaborative musical project Blackfield, consisting of English musician Steven Wilson and Israeli musician Aviv Geffen. It was recorded in Tel Aviv and London and released on 13 February 2007 in Europe and 6 March 2007 in the US.

"End of the World" is a cover of an older song in Hebrew, performed by Geffen and Berry Sakharof. Hebrew versions of "1,000 People" and "Epidemic" were included on Geffen's 2006 album "Im Hazman". A demo version of "Where Is My Love?" was released on the bonus disc of the limited edition of Blackfield's first album.

"Christenings" was originally written for Porcupine Tree's 2005 album, Deadwing , but was never released. Richard Barbieri and Gavin Harrison are both featured on this track.

Track listing

All songs written by Aviv Geffen, except where noted.

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"Once"	Steven Wilson	Wilson	4:00
2.	"1,000 People"	Geffen/Wilson	Geffen	3:53
3.	"Miss U"			4:06
4.	"Christenings"	Wilson	Wilson	4:35
5.	"This Killer"			4:05
6.	"Epidemic"	Geffen/Wilson	Geffen	4:55
7.	"My Gift of Silence"	Wilson	Wilson	4:01
8.	"Some Day"			4:18
9.	"Where Is My Love?"			2:55
10.	"End of the World"			5:15
Total length:				42:30

Reception

Q : "... an album of mournful, one-paced rock, Geffen's infatuation with Radiohead very evident in the melancholy synth-string washes. Miss U is the standout, although the Genesis-esque End of the World comes close." ^[6]

Personnel

Blackfield Aviv Geffen – keyboards, additional guitars, vocals Steven Wilson – guitars, additional keyboards, vocals Daniel Salomon – piano Seffy Efrati – bass guitar Tomer Z – drums, percussion Vocal duties lead vocals: 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8 – Steven Wilson lead vocals: 3 – Aviv Geffen lead vocals: 6, 9, 10 – Wilson and Geffen Guest musicians Ofer Meiri – additional keyboards and programming on "1,000 People" Harel Ben-Ami – electric and acoustic guitars on "1,000 People" Itamar Leshem – french horn on "1,000 People" Richard Barbieri – electric piano and stylophone on "Christenings" Gavin Harrison – drums on "Christenings" Daniela Pick – backing vocals on "Epidemic" Eran Mitelman – electric piano on "My Gift of Silence" String arrangements by Geffen, performed by the Downtown Session Orchestra, under the direction of Daniel Salomon

Production Steven Wilson – producer, mixer Reuven Schapira – recording engineer Carl Glover – artwork, photography, and design Robin – band photography

Chart positions

• Billboard Top Heatseekers (Middle Atlantic): #9
• Billboard Top Heatseekers (Northeast): #6
• Billboard Top Heatseekers: #31
• Billboard Top Internet Albums: #25

References

1. Ezell, Brice (15 February 2012). "The 10 Best Progressive Rock Albums of the 2000s". PopMatters . Retrieved 7 August 2015.
2. Greenberg, Adam (2011). "Blackfield II – Blackfield | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
3. The Aquarian review ^{[ permanent dead link ]}
4. K., S. (2011). "MusicPlayers.com: Reviews > What We're Listening To: June 2007". musicplayers.com. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
5. Newton, Elizabeth (2011). "Blackfield: Blackfield II < PopMatters". popmatters.com. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
6. Paul Lester Q, May 2007, Issue 250.