The ConstruKction of Light

by King Crimson, Adrian Belew

Overview

Progressive rock pioneers King Crimson enter the new century with a new lineup and a new album, THE CONSTRUKCTION OF LIGHT. Crimson abandoned their visceral two-bassist, two-drummer arrangement after the departure of drummer Bill Bruford and bassist Tony Levin, so here the twin guitar assault of Robert Fripp and Adrian Belew takes center stage. Where the previous double trios albums THRAK and VROOOM knocked you down with their sheer power, THE CONSTRUKCTION OF LIGHT takes a more subtle approach, drawing ideas from the past and expanding on them. But the music is as progressive and challenging as ever: Belew's distorted vocal and guitar work on "Prozakc Blues" references "Elephant Talk," and the interplay between Fripp and Belew's guitars on the title track brings us back to "Frame by Frame" from DISCIPLINE. Drawing heavily on melodies from RED, "Larks' Tongues in Aspic -- Part IV" alternates bracing power chords with synthesized guitars and dual guitar leads, culminating with guitar solos that push all boundaries. The album also includes "Heaven and Earth," a bonus track from the Crimson sideline Project X; it's an excellent vehicle for Fripp's improvised sounds, which recall his playing on the solo release THE GATES OF PARADISE. Though it's not for the faint of heart, those in search of stimulating adventures in sound would do well to bathe themselves in THE CONSTRUKCTION OF LIGHT.

Product Details

Release Date:	01/15/2008
Label:	Dgm
UPC:	0633367051424
catalogNumber:	514
Rank:	74252

Tracks

1. Prozakc Blues
2. The Construkction of Light
3. The Construkction of Light
4. Into the Frying Pan
5. Frakctured
6. The World's My Oyster Soup Kitchen Floor Wax Museum
7. Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Pt. 4
8. Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Pt. 4
9. Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Pt. 4
10. Coda: I Have a Dream
11. Heaven and Earth

Album Credits

Performance Credits

King Crimson   Primary Artist
Adrian Belew   Guitar,Vocals,Group Member
Bill Bruford   Percussion,Drums,Electric Drums
Trey Gunn   Bass,Guitar (Baritone),Group Member
Robert Fripp   Guitar,Group Member
Pat Mastelotto   Drums,Group Member

Technical Credits

Adrian Belew   Composer
King Crimson   Producer
Trey Gunn   Composer,Video Images
Robert Fripp   Composer
Ken Latchney   Engineer
Pat Mastelotto   Composer,Producer
Ioannis   Art Direction,Digital Art
Bill Munyon   Producer,Engineer

Editorial Reviews

King Crimson, one of the few first-generation progressive rock bands to remain nearly consistent in the quality of their output throughout their career, fall flat with The ConstruKction of Light, the band's 12th studio album. Unable to shed the weight of their oft-brilliant history, the most promising moments of ConstruKction are crushed underneath the bulk. What makes ConstruKction such a disappointment is, despite how "progressive" the band-fragmenting ProjeKct approach appeared on paper, upon execution, it produced an utterly backward-looking album. More self-referential than a Jean-Luc Godard film, nearly every song on ConstruKction contains a heavy-handed nod to a previous Crimson song. There are even two tracks that are directly named after old Crimson material: "FraKctured" and "Larks Tongues in Aspic-Part IV." The most notable shift the pared-down, four-piece Crimson makes with ConstruKction is getting rid of acoustic drums in favor of electronic "V" drums (courtesy of Pat Mastelotto, who took over full-time duties after Bruford left). Crimson does not seem to lose much in the transition, and, overall, the musicianship is superb as usual, but it's almost as if they thought new technology and a stripped down lineup would make up for a dearth of new ideas. Treading water is still treading water, even if the waters happen to be deep. There are, however, two bright spots on the album: "Into the Frying Pan" and "Heaven and Earth." The former features guitarist/vocalist Adrian Belew at his quirky best, and the latter (credited to Project X instead of King Crimson) is a beautifully textured, near-ambient piece that slowly builds intensity before a long, slow release. Together, they suggest that King Crimson may still have some gas left in their tank after all.

All Music Guide - Jason Nickey