LIZARD

Lizard is a bold album that grabs the listener's attention from the start of the album and does not let go. The album's opener Cirkus, is a strong composition; as good as 21st Century Schizoid Man and is just as terrifying. It starts out quietly with singing and keyboards, and then erupts into loud horns, bass, drums, and other intruments. I particularly enjoy Fripp's acoustic guitar work on this track with lots of appregios. The drums stand out on this track , and for the rest of the album as well. Next is Indoor Games, which is also a great number, very cool. There is more horn blowing here, but no scariness like in Cirkus. If has a kind of funky, upbeat sound. Next is Happy Family, about the break-up of The Beatles, which goes back to being darker sounding, with the singing being muffled by various effects and filters. This track is a little to experimental sounding and too dissonant for my taste. Closing side one is Lady of the Dancing Water, which is a delicate piece that sort of splits the chaos of the album in half. This is refreshing after the manic Happy Family.

Side two is occupied by the title track Lizard. This is KC's longest composition and a great one at that. It has a symphonic feel, with a lot of jazz mixed in. The first part has Jon Anderson lending his vocals, which is a great contribution to the album. Then the Bolero comes in which is enjoyable, but probably the weakest part of the suite. This is followed by the Battle of the Glass Tears, which has a similar sound to Cirkus. From here on out it gets pretty experimental, and it ends with the Big Top theme.

This album is very "experimental" sounding and may scare some away at a first listen. But this is definitely one that will grow on you. I'm going to give this one five stars because it really pushed boundaries without being completely unlistenable; on the contrary, it is very enjoyable. If you like ITCOTCK, then you should definitely give Lizard a spin.