JAKSZYK, FRIPP AND COLLINS: A SCARCITY OF MIRACLES

Well, if there is one band on this planet that truly can not be defined, it would be King Crimson and I'm surprised that anyone would be shocked by a change in direction, but sadly its mostly garbage.

Court of the Crimson King sounds nothing like Red which sounds nothing like Discipline which sounds nothing like the Power to Believe so exploration is really KC tradition. And really people should be happy to get anything at all considering that not only is Fripp totally unpredictable, but is also getting older.

This is as much a KC album as anything else, but regardless, I really do enjoy this album. Its so chill and mellow which is nice. Mel Collins really steals the show here and his playing is beautiful. The only complaint I have is with The Light of Day. For some reason, it is Fripp's prerogative to put at least one experimental, crazy and dissonant song on each KC album and I do not know why. This has been pissing me off for years now as it really kills the momentum on each album. This act accomplishes nothing but holding back the KC albums from perfection. Could you imagine if Close to the Edge or Images and Words had some random 8 minute song that just went no where and was improvised for the most part. It be devastating, but what ever. Scarcity is still a great album. Also The Other man goes nowhere.

The title track and the price we pay are decent songs, but that is where it ends. Secrets and this House are so-so and the last two songs are just utter, trite garbage.

I know a lot of people wanted a continuation from Power to Believe, but I feel like that album was close to perfection as far as that version of KC sound was concerned so to continue in that direction would risk redundancy, and A Scarcity of Miracles is really a breath of fresh air. Something new and different to enjoy and in the end I think that change is the at the heart of what King Crimson stands for.

One Final note to Robert Fripp, its time wake up to the 21st century and make the KC material available on Itunes. You are only hurting yourself by making it harder for me to give you money.