ISLANDS

Islands ? 1971 (2.5/5) 9 ? Best Song: Don't ask me! I like King Crimson. That's not any statement of deep, revelatory meaning. I just like them, as opposed to saying how much I like Pet Sounds, but lament the existence of Surfin' USA. I don't 'like' the Beach Boys. What I mean to say is that I have a basic affinity for enjoying the brands of music this project is wont to create (usually experimental, quite diverse, and always, always professional), so we can safely say I'm biased half the time, but oft times I can't very well be biased and come out and say I truly enjoy a damn flop when anyone with ears can hear it's nowhere near the same epochal level as only a couple years before. I ain't gonna do that here. I will say I like Islands like I like synth pop. It's cool for a bit, but then I get tired. Islands, after following immediately after Lizard, makes me quite tired. They swap the members around some more, and it sounds even more bloated and pretentious (as if that aspect were even put into question). If anything, while Lizard was a sidelong epic, Islands is one complete song, only split into a few 'movements', which is sort of the opposite effect of Thick as a Brick, which was to record one full song, but have it constitute several different song like movements within the 44 minute running time. To say Islands is directionless is an understatement. Granted it is the highest order of purely directionless music, it is still relatively insubstantial. The saxes and flutes that howl over the first two tracks are mood-crafting, but when there's mood without soul, it's like watching a slasher film where nobody gets hurt. Where's the big emotional cash-in, boys? This is slow, ever slow, and they didn't give the melodies any room to grow (because they aren't really there). I condemn, but it's not as if the album is bad, only aimlessly mediocre.