BEAT

Another dose of "Discipline", this time favoring the languid, dreamy side of the quartet's combined powers. "Beat" isn't much different from their last album, so the shock value associated with "Discipline" is lost. "Neal And Jack And Me" won't surprise anyone who's heard "Frame By Frame", "Heartbeat" doesn't hold any magical treats that "North Star" didn't already unlock years ago, "Neurotica" is a familiar indulgence of indiscipline, etc. However, "Discipline" was an album that cried for an encore, so unique was its approach, so deep its reservoir of musical possibilities. If "Beat"'s a repeat, it still beats the alternatives. And over time, individual songs begin to take on their own personalities; remember, at first a lot of "Discipline" sounded the same, right? There are some new ideas at work here, treading into STEVE HACKETT's dark forest on "Sartori In Tangier", showcasing Frippertronics on the closing "Requiem", exploring "Beat" imagery on "The Howler" and "Neal And Jack And Me" (hence the title). The superlative, mathematical approach of this KING CRIMSON attracted a whole new audience of younger listeners who viewed the band as champions of instrumental envelope pushing. I have to chuckle every time a young sales clerk feels compelled to validate my music purchases by repeating the words "KING CRIMSON" in a low reverent tone as they ring it up on the register, as if I've just been ushered into some exotic brotherhood. I suppose that's the power of music, and few bands (literally, just a few) have been able to harness music's power like KING CRIMSON.