THE CONSTRUKCTION OF LIGHT

When I think about The ConstrucKtion of Light, I think about the name of a Primus greatest hits album: They Can't All Be Zingers. King Crimson have had a long, storied career pushing the boundaries of music into previously unheard sonic territory. This has resulted in a few slips along the way, but on each album the good always outweighed the bad, even if only just. Here, the scale tips as nearly the whole thing is a mistake. The album is manic, like the Red-era Crimson we all know and love. However, unlike Red-era Crimson, it's not enjoyable. Perhaps the Crimson King finally reached the point on the sonic map were there be dragons.

First and foremost, I don't think we need anymore additions to Larks' Tongue in Aspic. Part III was decent, but unnecessary. Part IV is, shockingly, the highlight of the album. It has the most focused mayhem, complete with driving riffs and actual energy. They should stop adding on to this song while they're riding high. As good as the instrumental is, though, it is part of the reason that I don't like this album. Any song that does not completely fail is merely a restructuring of previous material. FraKctured is a replication of Fracture, and the rest can be linked to various points of the band's career and varying sounds.

In short, Crimson became their own covers band. People throw out that expression all the time, but here it is truly valid. The only difference is that they tried to sound like another band covering Crimson. Other bands keep their sound when they devolve into self-parody. The only redeemable factor of this album is Larks Part IV, which erased the bitter taste left in my mouth after the banal Part III. Still, if you want good modern Crimson, get THRAK and the masterful Power to Believe. This is an album best skipped.

Grade: F