I guess the heat has put me in the mood for some prog rock this past month! I've got a classic, a new release, and something in between for this one.
Finally, I’ve reached the end of this period of King Crimson’s history. At this point, the band feels almost stable in its lineup, as it continues to focus on the core of Fripp, Bruford and Wetton. As it would turn out, Fripp wasn’t as in charge for this one, letting the other two work out a lot of the details. I don’t know if it’s a direct result, but I did feel this album was more coherent than the others I’d listened to so far.
Still, much of their style is here. Bruford really gives his kit a workout, going for all kinds of jazzy fills and rhythms. Wetton sounds more confident as a singer on this one, and his basslines really go all over the place. Fripp is still here, but more focused on the atmospheric guitar-picking and mellotron keys. The result is something more on the ambient side, with spicier parts that let Bruford and Wetton shine, along with a few saxophone solos from former members Mel Collins and Ian McDonald.
I don't know if any track really stood out (though "Providence" felt pointless until the last fourth of its runtime), but I could tell the band was gelling better than before, creating some interesting songs. Of course, shortly after this album was released, Fripp would decide he'd had enough of the music industry, putting King Crimson on hiatus for 7 years, but one does wonder what they could have made had they stayed together. Overall, it's an interesting collection of songs from a very influential band, and probably one of their better ones of this period.
While I'm familiar with some of Dream Theater's work, this prog-heavy supergroup hasn't really been on my radar until now, as the advent of a third album has been made to be quite the comeback. Being a full instrumental album is always a bit of a struggle for me, as I tend to prefer more song-driven music structures, but Monkey3 blew me away two years ago, so I gave this the benefit of the doubt.
For starters, the talent is certainly here, which is to be expected given the lineup. Featuring many manic note-laden shreddy sections and dual leads and other technical pyrotechnics, this stuff definitely falls on the solo-heavy side, with some extra experimentation to spice things up. "Hypersonic" starts things off at high speed, "Beating the Odds" almost sounds like an AOR rocker (in a good way), and "Key to the Imagination" is an epic that has some interesting grooves and metal riffs. I also liked "Liquid Evolution," which was a softer track that helped break up the high-speed chaos quite well. However, the highlight is their cover of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue," as it is a massive collage of styles and tones and textures. Starting off with a modern smooth jazz vibe, it quickly shifts into jazz-fusion territory, adding in bits of metal and prog and even funk for good measure. It also has an ambient section that made me think of the "Soon" section of Yes's "Gates of Delirium." I was half-expecting Jon Anderson to suddenly start singing! It's quite the ride!
That being said, while I liked what I heard, the band definitely pushes the "Experiment" part of their name, with all kinds of shifts in tone and energy, and I don't know if I really followed all of it. There is also a second disk of some improvised jams, but at the risk of cliché, it really is just more of the same. Maybe LTE is a band that requires multiple listens to really capture what they're doing on a bigger scale, but it's hard for me to not write this off as (admittedly well-played) jam-heavy prog noodling that passes in one ear and out the other. I understand that may be enough for folks, though, so if this is what you're looking for, then LTE has it in spades!
In anticipation for my next anniversary article, I thought I'd check out The Flower Kings's second album. This album is a bit more of a concept album, focusing on a bizarre city that seems to fuse the past with the future, with all kinds of celebrities and historical figures in new contexts, with a dash of Christian theology thrown in for good measure. However, the result is more of the band's trademark proggy/jazz-fusion sound.
To their credit, they do provide some decent variety. It mainly stays focused on a lot of mid-tempo grooves, with some ambient parts here and there, but the various combinations between the synths, the guitars, and the occasional saxophone really stymy any monotony that might creep up. If there is a problem, it's that the lyrics don't quite gel with the rest of the song (though this isn't a problem with the instrumental pieces). Stolt sings them well, but once he's done, the song feels like it goes in a different direction. I remember having this problem with their first album as well.
On the other hand, they sound tight, but relaxed, letting the jazzy grooves do the work for them, and despite their obvious Yes and Genesis influences, they succeed in building their own unique sense of tone and atmosphere. I don't know if the concept provided really works, but I also get the impression that it might not be that important anyway. I admit that nothing really stood out to me as above the rest of the album, but I enjoyed what I heard while I was hearing it.
It's only the end of June and I'm already tired of summer! Hopefully, things will cool off soon, as I know I'm not the only one sick of this heat! In the meantime, I'll try to focus on some more new releases, as some pretty big ones dropped recently, and I need to get on them! Until then, rock on! \m/
