b o b

On their first full length album of the 90s, THRAK, Crimson seemed to abandon their habit of reinventing themselves from scratch after a long break, and instead created a disc that blended together elements of the Larks-era band and the 80s band, with even a few hints of the earliest albums thrown in. For their first album of the 00s, the band again follows this pattern, this time bringing together the heaviness and power of the 70s group with the intricate multiple-guitar interplay of the 80s band and the electronic textures of the ProjeKcts. Before its release, Fripp had hinted to fans that this album would be something completely new, integrating the lessons learned from the various ProjeKcts. Instead, what we got was an album that sounds only superficially like the ProjeKcts while leaning heavily on Crimson's past glories. There are even two "remakes" of earlier songs, and Adrian Belew namechecks other Crimson works in the lyrics. Has nostalgia finally caught up with prog rock's original dinosaurs? Taking the disc track by track, I can't say there are any songs that I find to be outright bad, but overall this disc isn't really thrilling me so far. THRAK grew on me after a few listens - so far ConstruKction hasn't. The opening song is KC's version of a twisted blues, with Belew's vocals electronically processed to sound like an old blues singer. The effect is funny the first time, but grows quickly annoying. I like the lyrics though - is this the first time a major band has mentioned their own internet "fan club" in a song? Another gripe I have about this song (as well as some other tracks) is the electronic drums. Not the usual complaints - I have no inherent bias against the instrument - but the way they're recorded here sounds like they came to the album via a low-bandwidth RealAudio connection. The cymbals in particular are damn near unbearable. Really ruins the headphone experience, which is how I do most of my listening. To keep this review from rambling on too long, I'll just comment on a couple other tracks. "FraKctured" is a decent 80s-style Crim remake, but I don't really find it anywhere near as interesting as the original "Fracture". Seems like kind of a pointless remake. The word association of "Oyster Soup" is clever, but goes by too fast to really appreciate unless you sit and read the lyrics in the liner notes. After hearing the acoustic version of "Coda" on Belew's web site, I agree with him that it should have been added to the beginning of "Lark's Tongues pt. IV" to balance out the heavy reprise at the end. Still, the version that did make the album is the only part of the disc that has really "grabbed" me so far. I don't know why, but the forlorn melody and lyrics (wailed as only Adrian can) really strike a chord in me. The bonus ProjeKct X track hasn't impressed me the way it has most reviewers. It just sounds like an outtake from the ProjeKcts boxed set to me, but with a more regular beat. All in all, I'm in the middle ground on this disc. I don't agree with those who think it's one of the weakest things the band ever released, but then again I don't think it's as well put together an album as THRAK. It's just...there. I'm kind of wishing I had waited to find this one cheap in a used CD store - it's worth having, but not worth running right out to buy immediately. (PS - Note to Fripp: The "Kc" spelling thing has officially gotten old now). review by Bob Eichler — undated —

d o m

Imagine this transfer taking place in a college dorm near you: "Question: how do you like the new Crimson?" "It's OK. I don't like the drums." "Me neither. I wonder what it would have sounded if they'd used real drums." "I don't. I already have two Happy Family CDs." And so Robert Fripp ushers in a new century with this latest incarnation of players, known roughly as King Crimson. Yes, you've seen it before — a long layoff, the possibility that we may never again hear from the band, and then...bang! New stuff. Or is it? Last I checked, Fripp still had a crusty demeanor, Belew was still, well, nerdy, and the current bangers and tappers behind them (the valiant Pat Mastoletto and Trey Gunn) were still going in three or four directions at once. Yes, it does seem a lot like the King Crimson I know and love. This is the crux of being around for thirty years, I guess. It should be noted, without a second thought, that King Crimson have long been the standard-bearers in progressive rock. Whereas other groups from the 'classic' era of prog have made careers (or psuedo-careers anyways) out of rehashing their old ideas, KC is perhaps the one group who can really hang with its past. That is no small feat. Be it the grandiose metal of the Red era band, or the brainy 80s version, the band can still play, and play hard. The ConstruKction of Light features several references to KC's past, most notably in songs like "FraKctured" and "Larks' Tongues IV." Both of these songs are extracted from KC's finest (IMO) mid-70s hour-and-a-half, and both of them put to rest any rumors of the decline of Fripp's overly-soundscaped fingers. What's more, these guys haven't shyed away from the volume pedal, but done away with any gratuitous dynamic changes altogether. It's loud, I say, and they even give you a minute of silence to retune your eardrums before the last track. Other songs, like "Frying Pan" and "The World's My Oyster Soup Kitchen..." harken back to more recent Belew-initiated efforts like "Dinosaur" and "Sex Sleep Eat Dream." In a nutshell, put two parts "I Am the Walrus" with a heavy helping of talking heads, serve Beat cold, and oi la: gourmet a la Ade. Honestly, I don't think 'Ade' could repress a free-association session if he tried, and I always give demerits for "We Didn't Start the Fire"-like pop history lessons (re: the 'O.J.' stained "Coda" to "Larks IV"). That said, this album is far less succeptable to pop missteps than previous efforts. "Frying Pan" and "Oyster" double as excuses to fuck with vocal effects, and they end up coming out nicely skewed. You could say that the album is perhaps the band's heaviest, in terms of volume and (lack of) pacing. But I know better. The real truth is that this album is the band's lightest in heart: the guys are having a lot of fun. If you read Fripp's online diary (and who wouldn't want to???), you'd find out that he has no real reason to continue except as a lark (to borrow a metaphor). I suppose he could go on forever like this, and that is not a crime. It's not even evitable. Of course this music sounds familiar, it's King Crimson! Today, bands like Happy Family, Ruins, NeBeLNeST, Present, Anekdoten, and others take the chore of advancing Crim's territory. Some of them take the sound and run with it, others wallow in its grandeur. You can't deny it: King Crimson invented a new language for a lot of people, and perhaps they have come to a stage where constant rebirth is no longer the point. And that's fine with me. review by Dominique Leone — undated —

j o e

Simply put, an album by a band clinging to previous glories to hide the fact that it doesn't have much in the way of new things to say. We get cute references to "Larks' Tongues in Aspic," "Elephant Talk," and "Frame by Frame" in the lyrics. We get obvious musical repackagings of the lightning arpeggios from "Fracture," the polyrhythmic guitar workouts from "Discipline," and the chug-chugs from "Thrak." We even get the 'Kc' titles and Belew's Mad Libs lyrics (e.g., "The World's My Oyster Soup..."), things that were never all that great to begin with. But is there anything new on here at all? Well, there's "ProzaKc Blues," complete with "woke up this morning" verse openers and distorted Belew vocals. However, this strikes me more as novelty than something particularly creative or well-developed. And don't even get me started on lyrics like "If Warhol's a genius, what am I, a speck of lint on the penis of an alien." Um, is this the same guy who once penned such evocative lyrics as "Neil and Jack and Me," "Dig Me," and "Matte Kudasai"? Coulda fooled me. Sorry, but for a band that sets its creative bar (often by its own mouth) at such a high degree, I think it's reasonable for fans to expect and receive something more. review by Joe McGlinchey — 1-5-03 —

e r i c

Crimson surges forth with head down, ready to plow you over if you get in their way. Trimmed down to a quartet, the band still carries a full force sonic arsenal. In all honesty, I do not miss Bruford or Levin, as Gunn and Mastelotto work just fine. This is not a slam on either Tony or Bill, as they are both great musicians, but this incarnation is not lacking a bit. I am a bit mystified by some of the reaction to this CD, as it seems to unite a number of different Crimson sounds, so it may not be as original as promised, but it is certainly still KC to the core. "ProzaKc Blues" has some enjoyable riffing, but the vocal is downright annoying, and ruins the track for me. The title track is reminescent of 80's Crimson with the interweaving guitar lines, and Gunn is really ripping it up underneath as track #2 is instrumental. The opening vocal section (track 3) is terrific and Belew is back to his old self, with his odd piecing together of words. "Into The Frying Pan" has an enjoyable vocal melody, combined with some heavy riffing from all the stringed ones. The solo about 5 minutes in really gets me going, just kind of touching on out of control and yet at the same time perfectly executed. "FraKctured" again ties into that 80's Crimson sound, guitar-wise. I especially enjoy the quieter section which sounds, for lack of a better term, pretty, with the volume swells of the bass. "The World's My Oyster Soup Kitchen Floor Wax Museum" has that harsh industrial sound and uses Belew's wordplay which some would call clever and others would call stupid (you decide). Sometimes it works and sometimes, well, let's just say it's a mood thing. Sound propels the second half of this with Belew's guitar synths. Many may find the variations on "Larks' Tongues" overdone, but this is such a heavy grooving riff that I love it and it manages to hold my interest. "Coda: I Have A Dream" is the first really dark track to these ears, and again the guitars rise up to scream; I love their sound. I am not sure who or what members the final track "Heaven and Earth" consists of [same personnel -B], but it is listed as ProjeKct X, and is a dreamy soundscape that has some moments of heavy guitar and actually reminds me of Porcupine Tree, who often remind me of King Crimson (oops, going in circles here). Anyway, I am not sure why there is such a controversy, to me this seems to be a mixture of everything but early Crimson, with liberal doses from all periods, especially the guitar sound of the 80's material. review by Eric Porter — undated —

b r a n d o n

This long, long-awaited album has been receiving highly mixed reviews from fans. I've seen "this is the worst KC album since Islands" right alongside "this is the absolute best album the band has ever released". It's easy to see why the album is so polarizing: it is less sonically adventurous than the ProjeKcts, instead combining the guitar interplay of the 1980s King Crimson sound with the heavy, heavy rocking of the Larks' Tongues era. The music here is nevertheless very experimental and doesn't sound quite like any other Crimson album out there. At the very least it's more creative and original (and enjoyable) than THRAK. It's also harsher, louder, more electric, and more unforgiving. The opening track is probably the most controversial: King Crimson plays the blues? Belew's distorted vocals annoy the hell of out me on this one, and while the music was fun for the first couple of listens, it doesn't hold up to repeated playings. Thankfully, the album takes a huge turn for the better with the title track, which may be my favorite piece. Someone called it "'Discipline' for the 21st Century", which I find an appropriate description. Those everpresent interlocking guitars are here in full force, but this time I find them even more compelling than before. Belew's vocals in the second half of the song are very good - perhaps the only vocal performance of his that really made me take notice. "Into the Frying Pan" sort of dovetails with "The World's My Oyster..." in that both are relatively short, catchy (though still harsh and abrasive) pieces. I don't think either is particularly great, though "Oyster" is more enjoyable for me - Belew's clever wordplay is kind of neat, aside from the oddly out-of-place manic sections a la "get jiggy with it", and Fripp's "spider fingers" solo is great (and strongly recalls THRaKaTTaK for fans of that album). "FraKctured" still hasn't really gotten through to me. It is, as its title indicates, an update on the 1970s classic "Fracture", bringing that great instrumental into the world of interlocking dueling guitars. It's a little slow to start, but the fast sections are absolutely killer. I still far prefer "Fracture", but as an exhibition of instrumental virtuosity, it's tough to beat some of the sections in this piece. A similar update on an old classic is "Larks' Tongues IV", which alternately recalls "Larks' II" and "VROOOM". Some seriously heavy-metal style riffing makes this the loudest "Larks'" yet, and aside from the title track I think it's the strongest piece on the disc. It fades into a nicely wistful coda - still loud, though - that really seems similar to some of THRAK. Again, Belew's vocals are pretty strong here, whatever you think of his lyrics. The final track, "Heaven and Earth", is a bonus track of sorts and actually turns out to be perhaps the most interesting piece on the album - an atmospheric improv with some teeth to it. It's good enough to convince me to purchase the ProjeKct X disc of the same name. Those that are attached to the conventional styles of progressive rock may not like this album. There are no acoustic instruments at all (the electronic drums may turn some people off, but I find them very effective), and unlike THRAK there are no breaks in intensity. This one is full-throttle the whole way through. Combining the cold, angular feel of the 1980s guitar interplay with the harshness of the heavier Larks'-era pieces doesn't make for easy listening, and those that limit their tastes to symphonic prog will definitely not be taken by this release. However, those that like this kind of aggressive, unforgiving music are in for a treat; there are complexities abounding here, and with strong performances all around (the rhythm section of Gunn and Mastelotto performs admirably well), there's plenty to enjoy. In the end, I'd rank this one as better than THRAK and better than anything King Crimson did in the 1980s. I guess that makes it the best thing they've done since Red, in my book - though it should be known that I am not much of a fan of 1980s Crimson. The ConstruKction of Light is not going to be a classic, but it's a good effort given the age of the band. And it should be absolutely killer when played live! review by Brandon Wu — undated —