King Crimson

the construKction of light

(Virgin Records)

In 1969 when guitarist Robert Fripp started art rock band King Crimson, he probably didn’t realize how deep of a dent he would leave in the music industry during a time when many progressive rock bands were emerging.

He left another important dent with the release of the band’s latest off Virgin Records, “the construKction of light.” This album shows that some bands can admirably stick to their roots instead of adhering to the demand of the consumers; some just don’t care and play what they want, as is the case with King Crimson.

Pat Mastelotto’s drumming is obsessed with drum loops and various improvisations while Adrian Belew tweaks some completely out-of-place guitar loops that couldn’t mix better to each song’s theme, adding a spacey edge to this remarkable landmark effort.

This album, unlike many of its others, is not merely a showcase of everyone’s solo talent, but yet another step in the right direction for the band. A dim and alien-esqe glow seems to shine from song to song, and the group proves it is still ahead of its time.

“FraKctured” starts out with nervous twinges on Fripp’s guitar strings, progresses into an erratic and panic-stricken number and changes again into a beautiful melody of quiet and gleeful strings. Even though the song has no lyrics, it is nine minutes of a perfectly orchestrated story. “Larks’ Tongues in Aspic-Part IV” is a three-part composition that changes themes accordingly from act to act, without losing the initial theme of the song.

The title track is an insightful look into the contradictions of life, while the subject of “ProzaKc Blues” is humorous and sometimes confusing: “Well, I woke up this morning in a cloud of despair/I ran my hand across my head/pulled out a pile of worried hair/I went to my physician who was buried in his thoughts/he said, ‘Son, you’ve been reading too much Elephant Talk.’”

Having gone through various lineup changes, King Crimson maintains its high-standing reputation of painting wonderfully abstract murals on “the construKction of light.”