ISLANDS

Certainly the softest Crimson album ever. And I have to say I have a soft spot for it. I quite like the album. Perhaps it is their weakest, but I still like it (personally, I think their weakest was Lizard). I suppose when lined up with other Crimson albums, the hard core fan would be likely to say it is the worst. Certainly the repetitiveness of Formentera Lady is very un-Crimson like. But what can I say, I like it. This minimalist approach is refreshing to me, and I think the soft vocals compliment it well. A Sailors Tale is an excellent track with a fantastic Fripp solo. The Letters is great as well, with an almost Van der Graaf Generator feel about it (considering Fripp played on Pawn Hearts the same year this album came out, this isn't surprising). Ladies of the Road is not bad, though not great either, and certainly an uncharacteristic lyric for Crimson. The final two songs are quite beautiful, and the type of songwriting and instrumentation that we will never hear again from Crimson. Many reviewers would consider that a good thing, but I would not have minded some more exploration of this type of music by Fripp (though perhaps his soundscapes can be seen in this fasion). All in all, a fine album. I hesitate to give it 4 stars, because someone who likes heavy Crimson may find this quite a let down (and everything else in their catalog is heavier than this). So I will say 3.8 stars for me.